Painting a full set of bike plastics.

[Pete.]

I 3d printed an adapter to fit the 150mm exhaust duct onto the 160mm fan outlet.

Then I set about building my pop-up spray booth enclosure. I had a pile of zinc coated 2m long angles which were cladding braces on a demo job. I had grabbed a dozen "just in case" and they came in right handy for this job. Ive spent most of the day bulding this:

It's mostly bolted togther with the timber diagonals screwed through pre-drilled holes. It will dismantle into single lengths for storage (with a little 4" angle on the end) so I can pack it away easily for later re-use. It'll be sheeted in very lightweight poly sheeting which will be single-use. The opening on the left nearest the camera is the access, it's the smallest I could make it and still get in comfortably, bu tI will have to move it to a different side because it won't stand up in the garage in the position I wanted it to so the door would end up nearly against the wall.

 

[roofman]

Tell you what Pete, everything you do its always a cracking job and every detail covered.

 

[Kram]

it's the smallest I could make it and still get in comfortably,

Getting panels in and out comfortably? Suggest enlarge it to normal door width. Borrow a door from the house if needed, you can always decorate it after...

 

[Pete.]

Tell you what Pete, everything you do its always a cracking job and every detail covered.

Cheers Brian. I do tend to deep-dive things I've never had a crack at before. My missus did say that it was a lot of work for one paint job but I built this so it can be dismantled into straight lengths so i can pack it away for another day so it'll come in handy again I'm sure.

 

[Pete.]

Anyway, action shots. I built the enclosure inside my garage. Door's a bit wider @Kram I have no troble getting in and out.

I made a chimney support from some left-over batten

When I ran the extractor I found that the floor tarp was lifting right up. Couldn't figure out what was going on but then I realised I had put it over the inspection pit
I had to put some steel sheets on the floor to keep it down!

I made a makeshift painting stand from the garden umbrella base and some pipe rollers. Not having a clue how I was going to hang the parts I tacked some steel rod to the top then welded an angle bracket to the side. Turns out I should have put the bracket at the top because I hung all the panels off it and it gave me a backache painting that low down.

First bit to be painted base coat:

Ended up with all this lot done in base coat. I started too late and had to call it a night before putting on the laquer. I got a couple of issues in the base coat to sort out first, picked up some debris from somewhere in a couple of places but overall I'm very happy with the turn-out. This is my first time spraying base coat or even spraying anything automotive with a proper spray gun.

The paint filters did a sterling job:

 

[ajlelectronics]

Anyway, action shots. I built the enclosure inside my garage. Door's a bit wider @Kram I have no troble getting in and out.

View attachment 538280

View attachment 538281

I made a chimney support from some left-over batten

View attachment 538282

When I ran the extractor I found that the floor tarp was lifting right up. Couldn't figure out what was going on but then I realised I had put it over the inspection pit
I had to put some steel sheets on the floor to keep it down!

View attachment 538284

I made a makeshift painting stand from the garden umbrella base and some pipe rollers. Not having a clue how I was going to hang the parts I tacked some steel rod to the top then welded an angle bracket to the side. Turns out I should have put the bracket at the top because I hung all the panels off it and it gave me a backache painting that low down.

View attachment 538285

First bit to be painted base coat:

View attachment 538286

Ended up with all this lot done in base coat. I started too late and had to call it a night before putting on the laquer. I got a couple of issues in the base coat to sort out first, picked up some debris from somewhere in a couple of places but overall I'm very happy with the turn-out. This is my first time spraying base coat or even spraying anything automotive with a proper spray gun.

View attachment 538287

View attachment 538288

View attachment 538289

The paint filters did a sterling job:

View attachment 538291

There is only a short window to apply the lacquer, details will be in the TDS for the base coat. You may have to key the basecoat now and either put another coat on (favourite), or as long as it is not metallic you could go straight to lacquer. Use a fine Scotch pad to key it.

 

[Pete.]

There is only a short window to apply the lacquer, details will be in the TDS for the base coat. You may have to key the basecoat now and either put another coat on (favourite), or as long as it is not metallic you could go straight to lacquer. Use a fine Scotch pad to key it.

Yes , that's my plan. This is my first go at this kind of painting and it took me way lo ger to get going than I anticipated. Simple stuff like making a holder for the spray gun and a painti g stand and other little jobs pushed me well into the evening.

I have two panels need flatting and priming. The seat cover reacted badly. It was covered in sticky pads and even though I sanded and cleaned it, there just be some remnants of glue. One other panel I wasnt ready to paint it just yet but I mixed too much base coat and rushed the cleaning so that also reacted. Other than that they came.e out very respectable.

So tonight's job is sort the two iffy panels out and scuff the rest over. Tomorrow night with a fair wind I will put another base coat on and then go with the clearcut right after.

 

[Kram]

I'm sure they will be fine, but you dont want it to adsorb oils and dirt from the air.
Basecoat will be less of a problem as the thinners from the clear coat should be enough to reactivate the surface, it will stick. Panel wipe, tack rag then clear.

but I mixed too much base coat

It keeps! Theres nothing wrong with storing thinned basecoat other than the thinners will try to escape, provided you have a spare tin to keep it, that wont happen any time soon.

Edit, you list it as 2k base in the first post. Is it a two part 2k colour with hardener? That wont keep and will need scuffing, you can stretch the pot life by keeping it cold.

Dont rush with paint, hours of prep can be ruined in an instant, as I know too well...

 

[roofman]

To be honest ive only ever rattled all my life, the prospect of painting through a gun looks daunting for good results...as Pete has mentiond silly things like hanging the gun up so your not trying to stand it up with a whip on the end of it, making stands for the bits to be hung on, so much prep involved.

 

[Pete.]

Edit, you list it as 2k base in the first post. Is it a two part 2k colour with hardener? That wont keep and will need scuffing, you can stretch the pot life by keeping it cold.

Dont rush with paint, hours of prep can be ruined in an instant, as I know too well...

Yeah it’s normal base coat 50/50 with thinners.

 

[Pete.]

To be honest ive only ever rattled all my life, the prospect of painting through a gun looks daunting for good results...as Pete has mentiond silly things like hanging the gun up so your not trying to stand it up with a whip on the end of it, making stands for the bits to be hung on, so much prep involved.

When I was painting my mill I hung the gun on a couple of nails with the weight of the airline keeping it steady. Didn't allow for the weight of the paint though, when I filled the cup it up-ended the lot

 

[Kram]

Lets see this gun stand then? I need to make one. I got a couple spare air couplings last week and will tap a hole in some heavy plate for the bench one, and 3d print a clamp for the bike stand, in petg so its resistant.

Yeah it’s normal base coat 50/50 with thinners.

Yeah that will keep forever. Subsequent layers will activate it, so minimal prep is needed other than to degrease and clean with panel wipe.

You said there were paint reactions, have a pic?
Whenever the previous layer is a 1k solvent paint - 1k primer, filler or base coat, you need to be careful to dust on some light coats for the base and not get it too wet.

I had a couple of fry up reactions at the edge of clearcoat rub throughs yesterday, light sand with p800 and several light dustings, seem to have fixed it, once its flashed a bit longer I will give it a slightly heavier coat.

 

[badabec]

It looks suspiciously like the floor paint you 'won'.
Or are you channeling Magnus Mills 'All quiet on the Orient Express'.

 

[Pete.]

It looks suspiciously like the floor paint you 'won'.
Or are you channeling Magnus Mills 'All quiet on the Orient Express'.

No, that floor paint is bright yellow. This is the proper mandarin yellow for the bike.

 

[addjunkie]

To be honest ive only ever rattled all my life, the prospect of painting through a gun looks daunting for good results...as Pete has mentiond silly things like hanging the gun up so your not trying to stand it up with a whip on the end of it, making stands for the bits to be hung on, so much prep involved.

Im mr Rattle can too…I have tried proper and failed miserably, I lack the patience. Best preparation I managed was to find a man who can….it has worked flawlessly for me!

 

[RichardM]

Im mr Rattle can too…I have tried proper and failed miserably, I lack the patience. Best preparation I managed was to find a man who can….it has worked flawlessly for me!

I used to like rattle cans when it was cellulose and didn't react to petrol.

The last spray job I had done by a professional had some parts go back for rectification.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Any paint job is 95% preparation, any fool can be taught to apply paint. Even I can do that!

 

[Dcal]

Lets see this gun stand then? I need to make one

Here's my version, made out of 5mm round bar and whatever offcuts of plate I had laying around.
I think it's better than having to use two hands to disconnect the gun from a coupler, especially when it's full of paint and maybe without the lid?

I also made a stand to take filters for straining paint into the cups, which is why the gun might not have the lid on.

I've far too many spray guns, this is just the gravity ones I use most. Definitely a problem.