Painting question

[chelch]

My scoop and oil cooler cover are scratched\scuffed. I was thinking of repainting black to fix them up. Would you guys recommend to smooth the scuffs out first or just paint over? Any advice on how to remove scuffs or simply repaint would be appreciated. Or maybe I should just buy some new plastics? Thanks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcello_a/7293033378/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcello_a/7293034196/in/photostream

[chelch]

Anyone want to sell me these two plastics?

[snrusnak]

can't see the pics...

[wolfo68]

http://flic.kr/p/c7sGJN
http://flic.kr/p/c7sGYU

[wolfo68]

I'd make it blend a little better before you paint, but I think with some very fine grit paper you wouldn't even need to paint.

[snrusnak]

Yeah that's not very bad. The thing is if you sand it it'll be smooth where you sanded, and rough texture(like original) where you didn't...

[wolfo68]

I'd just sand the whole thing

[snrusnak]

[up] I was thinking the same thing...but then thought about how lazy I am... [down]

[chelch]

what grit sandpaper would you guys recommend to sand the hole thing? Any other prep I would need to do after the sandpaper such as primer. Any recommended spray can for the black as well?

[snrusnak]

If you are going to paint it, 600 grit, maybe 800 grit would be good to wetsand with. Use mild dish soap(like dawn) mixed with water to clean the whole piece before painting. This will get rid of any oils that will keep the paint from sticking. I've used the dupli color spray paints from autozone and they work well. I painted my brother's sporty with it:

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m589/snrusnak/Erics%20Sportster/P1010117.jpg

[snrusnak]

Oh and I'd use the dupli color primer and clear as well. Primer, then base color, then clear. I let it dry thoroughly between coats, but you can also do the wet method where you give like 15 min between coats. Not sure if one way is better or not...

[chelch]

Never wetsanded before. Do i need to wetsand or can i just use the paper by itself? Hope that didnt sound stupid :)

[snrusnak]

wetsanding is much better, it keeps the paper from getting clogged. Just have a bucket of water/dish soap mix next to you and dip the sand paper in every so often while sanding. Make sure the paper is ok for wet, some aren't and will fall apart with water.

[BuellyBagger]

Just have a bucket of water/dish soap mix (not tryin to bash on u @ all snrusnak ur paint job turned out really nice on the sportster[up])

dont use dish soap for wet sanding, or washing ur car/bike. It can have bleach/bleach alt. or other harsh detergents in it that can soften plastic, damage paint, and contaminate new paint. Also DO NOT wet sand with a soap mix when prepping for paint. It is likely u will not get all of the soap clean off and cause poor adhesion. Buy wet or dry paper and let it soak for 15-20 minutes b4 sanding. Its not super important to use wet paper when sanding plastic the paper will clog no matter what. Use adhesion premoter (very light coat) b4 primer surfacer. Or just shoot some krylon fusion on there for a definate stick.

[BuellyBagger]

http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Do-It-Yourself-Buell-Mods/Painting

check this thread for more painting tips and feel free to ask more ?'s

[snrusnak]

I didn't know that about not using dish soap, that's what I've always done for rattle can projects, and have yet to have an issue. I do make sure to REALLY rinse the piece well with water, then let dry thoroughly and maybe help with a hairdryer/heat gun. Then wipe with tack cloth.

For first coat of primer I use prepsal to clean the part, but after that I use soap/water mix. When I tried using prepsal in between coats to clean, it just took the paint right off, so I had to start over. That's why I switched to mild soap/water.

And the paper won't clog if you rinse often....right?

[BuellyBagger]

And the paper won't clog if you rinse often....right? yep thats absolutley true, but on raw plastic it doesnt seem to matter too much also depends on what kinda plastic(plastic is a pain). Prep Sol shouldnt be used on plastic parts (good for metal and body filler). A cleaner specifically for painting plastic parts is required for plastic (strong solvents like prepsol can seep into the poors of the plastic and soften it or stay trapped and come out later underneath your new paint.

[snrusnak]

ok chelch, I guess you should listen to the pro ^ and not the self taught guy <

lol

[RuiP]

good info here [up]

[chelch]

Good info for sure. I picked up 320 grit wet sand paper. 600 seemed like it would take forever to sand. Even the 320 grit seems super fine as well.

[snrusnak]

Sorry I didn't mean to use 600 grit to sand out scratches, I meant as prep to roughen the surface for paint. I'm sure anything from like 200-1000 would be ok for paint prep.

[chelch]

Ahhhh..i see. Ill pick up some rougher wet sand paper...or can I just use regular sand paper?

[stamen]

what about sand blasting? is that to harsh for plastic?

[snrusnak]

I'm pretty sure sand blasting is not a good idea on plastic. Plus I think it's only really used for removing coatings and rust, so wouldn't really be applicable for plastics. You still have to prep after blasting.

chelch, see what buellybagger thinks, he's a bit more knowledgable on this subject. I'm just sharing what I've done on my DIY projects, that's worked well. You can use dry sanding method, nothing wrong with it. I just prefer wet because it keeps the paper from clogging. Also no dust = [up]

[Oldgit]

Yeh sand blasting would ruin it. Effort = reward for finish :) (so get rubbing!)

[chelch]

Here is my plan for those two plastics...

Dry sand with something like 200 grit. Finish with 320 wet sand and then krylon fusion satin black. If they come out like doo doo I will just buy replacements. I will post some pics this weekend with the results..good or bad :)

[snrusnak]

Should work. Personally, I'd sand a little smoother to paint for prep, but I'm sure it'll turn out fine. Once you lay primer, paint, etc. any small ridges should fill in.

[BuellyBagger]

/\i agree. go to 320. shoot a lil primer surfacer 2-3 coats. the finish sand with 600. then paint. if ur goin satin i'd shoot 2-3 coats let em dry then sand it down with 1000 and shoot 2 more coats(since u cant color sand and buff satin paint and u wont be able to remove ne nibs on ur final finish)

[chelch]

That sounds good. I'll try that. I did buy some pastic primer from the home depot. Is that the same as primer surfacer?

[chelch]

Here are the results. I think they turned out pretty spiffy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcello_a/7338785270/in/photostreamnull

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcello_a/7338784600/in/photostreamnull

[uly luigi]

Looks good,[up]

[BuellyBagger]

well done paint noob[up]:D

[snrusnak]

DIY at it's best :)

Painting sucks, but a job well done is an amazing feeling...

[ErikSTT]

Looks very nice. Are the front on rear fenders (STT) the same type of plastic as the scoops--in other words would they take to painting similarly?

[chelch]

All thanks to you guys. Got some good advice as usual. Just from the feel I would say its a bit different...at least the finish on top.