Post by red998 on Aug 5, 2023 9:06:02 GMT 1
I haven't read through most of this thread but I used to do race paint on a lot of bikes when I was racing myself. If you use water-based paints like the ones from RS paints you will find them harder to spray than conventional 2 pack.
I used to go to my local body shop for all my paint or alternatively use Jawel Paints. Another option, depending on colour, is to use a RAL colour, these are often used by shot blasters etc to finish frames etc. and are an industry standard colour. They can often work out cheaper than using car-derived colours.
On that point, Ford Diamond White is not a true white it is slightly off-colour (darker). The only pure white is a base white which is often used as the base colour for mixed colours that require a spot of white, I only buy this white as I use it for number boards etc.
I have used an HVLP gun many years ago but it can be harder to get a decent finish. A compressor is better and should be as big as you can get. I use a twin cylinder two-stage 3 HP Clarke Air Master compressor which is 15cfm (8FAD) This is now nearly 40 years old and still going strong apart from a couple of compressor rebuilds and this can just about keep up with my big spray gun which has a 1.8MM tip, which is quite big, FAD not known. The gun is quite old and is really more suitable for car work. But I have several others that use less air and have smaller tips. Good results in smaller areas can be achieved using a touch-up gun. I use a 1.1mm tip in that.
Much of getting a decent finish is about preparation and good colour sanding and buffing when finishing, assuming that a good spraying technique is used. For a single job it's not worth spending vast amounts on all the equipment and you do need quite a lot. Small things like mixing cups, measuring sticks, stirrers, and paint filters all add up but if you want a decent job then it's the only way to go.
A couple images of my own LC painted using my own equipment. Black is a custom metallic.
I used to go to my local body shop for all my paint or alternatively use Jawel Paints. Another option, depending on colour, is to use a RAL colour, these are often used by shot blasters etc to finish frames etc. and are an industry standard colour. They can often work out cheaper than using car-derived colours.
On that point, Ford Diamond White is not a true white it is slightly off-colour (darker). The only pure white is a base white which is often used as the base colour for mixed colours that require a spot of white, I only buy this white as I use it for number boards etc.
I have used an HVLP gun many years ago but it can be harder to get a decent finish. A compressor is better and should be as big as you can get. I use a twin cylinder two-stage 3 HP Clarke Air Master compressor which is 15cfm (8FAD) This is now nearly 40 years old and still going strong apart from a couple of compressor rebuilds and this can just about keep up with my big spray gun which has a 1.8MM tip, which is quite big, FAD not known. The gun is quite old and is really more suitable for car work. But I have several others that use less air and have smaller tips. Good results in smaller areas can be achieved using a touch-up gun. I use a 1.1mm tip in that.
Much of getting a decent finish is about preparation and good colour sanding and buffing when finishing, assuming that a good spraying technique is used. For a single job it's not worth spending vast amounts on all the equipment and you do need quite a lot. Small things like mixing cups, measuring sticks, stirrers, and paint filters all add up but if you want a decent job then it's the only way to go.
A couple images of my own LC painted using my own equipment. Black is a custom metallic.