My 650sr tank, re-painted...

My cafe' project is moving along...here's the tank after the second compounding..I couldn't resist putting the emblem back on.


The person waving in the one picture is Chris, my son. The guy with the camera is me. The other side isn't done, but I couldn't wait to post...besides, my fingers are tired. :laugh:





Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/10/09 18:47

Looks great Ron. Do you do fairings as well?

Post edited by: rstnick, at: 2005/10/09 19:20

I have GPz750 and GPz900 tanks that need painted, and since you do such a super job, you going to do mine also? :woohoo:

Rob, if you lived closer, I would definitely take a crack at matching your faring to the bike. With your paint, it would take a painted sample to do the match, and I bet shipping would be a little high...U2U me if you're serious...who knows?

Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/10/09 19:32

Looks good. Did you paint the tail section too?
Daniel

dgfischer wrote:

Looks good. Did you paint the tail section too?
Daniel

Not yet, but the primer is sanded out, and spot putty is on. I just haven't sanded it out. After that, it should be one more primer coat/sand, paint. A few hours of work that I'll probably do most of tomorrow. I'm probably going to sand out the putty and shoot the primer tonight...that will cut down on tomorrow's load after work. Tomorrow I'll get my seat foam, by wednesday, I'd like to have it carved and a test cover on it so i can ride. Probably just going to put a light coat of black on just to get on the road again. No sanding/buffing until I get done fooling around with the foam and cover...here we go again!:woohoo: :blink:

Hey Ron-

Great job on the paint, it looks incredible. This may have been said before, but I think it'd be great if you could right up your process along with the names/brands of the products you use to get such good results. I'm sure there are plenty of people about to take on winter painting projects that would be more than grateful for a little advice, myself included.

Thanks Johnno...This time I'm using Krylon interior/exterior "paint". I'm waiting for a reply from Krylon as to what kind of Paint it is :laugh: . Their website labels every other paint they make as enamel. I thought this was enamel...it sprays like enamel, but it dries more like lacquer. At least regarding flash times. If you try to sand it like lacquer, though, it doesn't behave. You have to wait until the next day to get the results you see here. I have painted with Lacquer before, and actually sanded it out within the hour...buffing two hours later. One website I found says it's "lacquerized enamel" then a few pages later calls it acylic lacquer. Other sites call it acrylic enamel. I really need to know, in case I decide to airbrush it with a graphic i have in mind. Also for future use, I like the way it sprays, but, if it's lacquer, I don't want to put it over unknown paints. It's cheap, and covers great, too. I found a table that says the film softens after 15 minutes on exposure to gasoline...plenty resistant for me, although the "rusttogh enamel reportedly doesn't soften at all! Frankly, Johnno, the sanding during the prep phase is the biggest thing I pay attention to, followed by sanding/buffing..all with extreme cleanliness. If you don't do this, youll spend the time later, re-doing it, or the results will suffer. Paint-wise, I just follow the can instructions. It's the easiest part. I've used lacquer, enamel, and am experimenting with Krylon fusion for my side covers...I'll keep you guys posted on how it sands/buffs out...if it does, that is. They look pretty good right out of the can, but that is never really good enough for me.

Okay, I realize I left out something...Paint with the same manufacturer's product, and typr of product from start to finish. The reason I could finish my tank without the reply from Krylon is simple...I used the interior/exterior paint, and the matching primer, both from Krylon. Also, i stripped my tank with a chemical stripper to be sure of what I had on there from start to finish. If you don't know what a PO used for a repaint, you should use enamel or urethane, or epoxy if you can find the color you need...not lacquer. Safest bet is to stay within a product line, start to finish. The reason I stripped the tank is an incompatibility I had on the side covers when I sanded through the clear top coat for surfacing. I customized the covers by sanding out the rear and bottom contour lines, leaving the front and top ones for a subtle, swoopy look. When the new paint (duplicolor, at first) hit the layer between the stock paint and the basecoat of the repaint, it lifted through three layers. Because I was surfacing the tank as well to get rid of some sloppy sanding covered with the silver base/clear in the sides, I knew this same incompatibility would arise again. That's also why I'm using the fusion enamel now on the side covers. Generally, enamel is safer to apply without lifting problems, but harder to control out of a spray can. Light tack coats are very important before you go laying it on like you would lacquer. It will sag if you get in a hurry and spray it heavy. You can't really teach everything about paint without hands-on experience, but that should help.

Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/10/09 21:38

Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/10/09 21:43

Hmm, gonna be an unique bike for sure.

Nice job.

nfswift wrote:

Hmm, gonna be an unique bike for sure.

Nice job.

Thanks. If you look in the archive, you'll see just how unique.

Sounds cool! I'll be playing painter this winter. Photographer also. I'd be afraid of not taking pictures around this forum. The locals in here get rowdy if they don't have pics to look at! :woohoo: :whistle:

I keep coming back to add something..must be new-site itis. I just wanted to add...there are a huge number of different techniques I use for different paintjobs. Any paint/body guy will tell you this, and I am not a paint/body guy by trade. For example, the variations in this project alone...fiberglass tailpiece from scratch, steel gas tank needing minor surfacing work, and plastic side covers modified for custom look...make it essentially three completely different paintjobs, from stripping/sanding techniques to type of paint, to filler materials choices...especially on a budget. It is impossible to cover it all, so expect some failures through trial and error, unless you are Mark or Greg (any other body guys..apologies for not knowing about you). To get professional results on the first try, you need to pay up and give it to a pro. Otherwise...be patient and do what you can...realizing the reality of your limitations.