Spray Painting Before April

Started by Nate R, December 15, 2002, 07:16:01 AM

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Nate R

I'm gonna order my bodywork soon. I'll be spray painting it myself. (I've done some work with it before)

But, generally, spray paint doesn't work well at ALL below about 50 degrees. I can't use the garage then, because I need to have it painted before April. (My sponsors want their stickers/name on there all season)

Any ideas? Anyone in the Milwaukee area have a heated garage or something? Or have others spray painted in colder weather with good luck???

Help!
Nate Reik
MotoSliders, LLC
www.motosliders.com
Missing my SV :-(

FUBAR606

Nate,

You're welcome to use my garage in Florida. You would be able to paint whenever you like here  ;)

Nate R

Doubt it. Sometimes the humidity in Florida would be too high. The paint would take FOREVER to dry!


 ;D

Nate
Nate Reik
MotoSliders, LLC
www.motosliders.com
Missing my SV :-(

motomadness

I hope you mean that you are going to use auto paint.  I spray painted my bodywork several times.  It only looks good temporarily.  A lot of the debris on race tracks will quickly ruin all of your hard work.  Find a good, inexpensive painter, it will provide you with much less stress in the long run.

Check with Super Dave for some local contacts.  You can find a lot of help from the folks that attend races.

Nate R

Really? Even if I use several layers of clear coat? Also, Where are the areas with the biggest problems? The front bottom of the lower, and the rear of the lower, right? What else gets scraped up quick?

I've actually seen some paint jobs done with just spray enamel that held up OK.

How many coats were you putting on? I painted a front rim on a bike, and after 6000 wisconsin miles, it only had about 4 nicks. I didn't even scuff the rim, or clear coat it. Just 3 coats of primer, 4 of top coat.

Also, I plan on putting some thin clear vinyl on the bottom of the lower, and over the part behind the front wheel. I found some stick on stuff that should work.
Nate Reik
MotoSliders, LLC
www.motosliders.com
Missing my SV :-(

sdiver68

I've used spray paint before for number plates...it held up well.  Make sure you use primer and dry and wet sand the surface to smoothness.  

Make a "paint booth" with heavy plastic hanging from the rafters in your garage.  Then, put a space heater in there.  Just be careful :)
MCRA Race School Instructor

Speedballer347

#6
We've painted bikes in the winter, with excellent results.

Make a good, sealed/tall booth w/ plastic sheet.
Crack the garage door, and wedge a cheap box-fan under it.  Toss a couple of  filter-screens across it to keep the toxins out of the neighborhood.

To heat the garge your gonna have to get a good kerosene/torpedo type heater.  
Crank the garage up to temp (hot), then shut it off before you shoot to avoid it throwing dust/debris.
If you run the torpedo while you still have 'fresh' painted parts in the booth, make hella sure the booth is tall enough and the booth's 'door' is sealed to prevent the heater from blowing crap into your work area.
Or use some hi-watt standing lights from walmart/etc ($35) to acellerate 'dry' time.

Tip:  If your garage is as dirty/dusty as ours was, one way to keep the dust/hairballs off of your work while you are shooting....is to use a H20 spray bottle to wet yourself & the booth down with, before entering the booth.

Good luck 8)
CCS #347 expert, MW/GP, GSXR1000
JoJo Bits, HighSpeedAssault.com, WickedStickers.com, GNO Kneesliders, WFO-Motorsports IL, ImageX Photography, Royalty Racing

Woofentino Pugrossi

Warnign, I wouldnt have any parts you want to paint in the 'booth' while the kerosene heater is running. You'll end up with fish eyes feom the kerosene exhaust coatign the parts with a film thats a bitch to get off. I've painted parts in 40 deg temps and they came out fine. Just have to let them dry a bit longer. I just spray paint mine since it a racebiek and theres no real reason to put a high $$$ paint job on a bike that has a good chance to end up on its side sliding down the track.:D:D
Rob
CCS MW#14 EX, ASRA #141
CCSForums Cornerworking and Classifieds Mod

motomadness

Looks like a lot of people have chosen to do their own paint jobs.  To each his/her own.  I got tired of the poor results, and after all of the time and money you spend on setup and paint ($70-100), you can find someone to give you an inexpensive paint job ($100-200).

My problems and problem areas:
- behind the front wheel
- bottom of the lower
- clear coats didn't react well with the paint.  We spent hours painting the main color, then when we shot the clear coat, it reacted poorly.  Only solution at that point was to strip it off, or put body filler over it.
- if you do decide to get it painted later, automotive paints probably won't adhere to the other surface.

If you've got access to a garage, invest in a pro sprayer, and buy some good paints.  It will look better, and will be easier to repair and maintain "your" look.

Speedballer347

QuoteWarnign, I wouldnt have any parts you want to paint in the 'booth' while the kerosene heater is running. You'll end up with fish eyes feom the kerosene exhaust coatign the parts with a film thats a bitch to get off
Rob, I've never had a prob w/ the kerosene heater, but what you say does makes sense.
We did have the garage door cracked w/ the exhaust pointing at it, to keep it from choking us out, though :D
CCS #347 expert, MW/GP, GSXR1000
JoJo Bits, HighSpeedAssault.com, WickedStickers.com, GNO Kneesliders, WFO-Motorsports IL, ImageX Photography, Royalty Racing

h00ktern

I'm in FL also, so really cold painting is not my forte. I would suggest that using the proper catalyst for the ambient temp is in order, with the possible use of an accelerator if conditions dictate.

The one thing I really want to offer is that most  paints are flammable, with the vapor being dam near explosive. I would be extremely cautious using any type of heater that might ignite the fumes, especially any type of open flame.

I'm not overly sensitive to fires and explosions (I'm the son of a firefighter, hence my lack of respect for common fire issues ??? ) but I do believe certain aspects of fire prevention are in order with respect to certain activities. While you can put a cigarette out in gasoline and generally not worry about vapors (it takes a certain vapor/air mixture to actually ignite fumes) the increasing vapor concentration of a poorly ventilated paint booth can A) initially not be great enough to support combustion, but B) slowly increase to the point where the specific mixture will ignite and possibly explode with great fury.

Anyway, just use common sense. By and large, the air/fuel mixture of most vapors in an ambient environment will not support combustion - it is a pretty narrow ratio - much like in your engine, but oh man, if you are unlucky... Some fates are worse than death. Ever visit a burn center? Gives you a bit of a reality check.

Safe trips,
Dave
Y2K Aprilia RSV R mille

slowpoke97

shawn u should also tell everybody that u were painting gold. and got sick of trying to do it good so u got my dad to do it for u for a little bit of money. By the way how is the paint holding up?