| PAINTING ON A BUDGET |
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| ANYONE
CAN USE A SPRAY GUN. IF YOU EVER USED AEROSOL TO PAINT PLASTIC MODEL KITS
THEN YOU ALREADY HAVE THE TRAINING. SPRAY ON THE BOTTOM OF A SKILLET TO ADJUST
THE AIR / PAINT MIX. I ON THE OTHER HAND JUST SPRAY TOWARDS THE STREET OUT
FRONT TO GET THE ADJUSTMENT. THE ONLY SERIOUS PROBLEM IS KEEPING GNATS OUT
OF THE PAINT AND THAT IS SOLVED AFTER THE FIRST FROST. I BUY PACKS OF HOUSE
WIRING AND STRIP THE COVER OFF AND USE LENGTHS OF COPPER WIRE AS HANGERS.
MY EXTENSION LADDER HANGING ON THE WALL SERVES AS A PLACE TO HANG EACH PART
TO DRY. I USE A PAPER MASK TO KEEP THE PAINT OUT OF MY LUNGS AND OPEN THE
GARAGE DOOR AND SPRAY NEXT TO THE DOOR OPENING SO FUMES WILL EXIT. A HOME
PAINTER ISN'T POLLUTING ENOUGH TO GET ANYONE'S ATTENTION SO THAT ISN'T A
CONCERN EITHER. I GOT MY PANCAKE AIR COMPRESSOR FROM SEARS FOR ABOUT $100 THAT INCLUDED A HOSE, THE HVLP GUN AND DRYER BOTTLE CAME OFF EBAY AND COST LESS THAN $50 AND WITH A COUPLE OF FITTINGS I WAS ALL SET. I WAS AFRAID TO TRY SO THE COMPRESSOR SAW SERVICE AS MY TIRE INFLATOR AND THE GUN HUNG ON THE WALL FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS UNTIL I WAS FACED WITH A JOB THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. I WAS LIKE YOU THINKING IT WAS A HUGE TASK BUT ONCE THE SIMPLE MIXING WAS DONE I POURED THE PAINT INTO THE GUN RESERVOIR, PLUGGED IN THE AIR HOSE AND AWAY WE GO. THE MIXING ISN'T PRECISE EITHER. MIXING INVOLVES A METAL CAN WITH A LID TO STORE THE LEFTOVER PAINT FILLED ABOUT A THIRD WITH BINDER AND THEN COLOR PIGMENT DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH COLOR YOU WANT TO GO WITH FOLLOWED WITH ENOUGH REDUCER (PAINT THINNER) SO IT WILL SPRAY. I HAD A VIABLE MIX WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND THEN ADJUSTED THE AMOUNT OF COLOR AS I WENT FOR GOOD COVERAGE. LIKE I MENTIONED WITH THE AEROSOL THE AMOUNT OF COLOR DECIDES HOW MANY COATS YOU WILL NEED TO SPRAY. THE 125 FRAME DIDN'T NEED CLEAR OR HARDENER BECAUSE THE COLOR COAT WAS MORE GLOSSY THAN ORIGINAL AND HARDER THAN ORIGINAL. THE FUEL TANK WILL GET CLEAR BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL FUEL DRIPS AND IF YOU HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF MID-SEVENTIES HONDA BIKES THEN YOU HAVE SEEN THOSE STREAKS UNDER THE PAINT BECAUSE HONDA FAILED TO PUT HARDENER IN THE PAINT. TO SAVE MONEY YOU CAN USE A GOOD AEROSOL METAL ETCHING PRIMER LIKE THE DUPLI-COLOR GREEN I USE FOLLOWED BY DUPLI-COLOR SILVER FOR THE CANDY BASE COAT. IT IS LACQUER AND BONDS PERFECTLY WITH THE COLOR COAT. I HAVE CHANGED MY PAINTING SYSTEM FROM THE OMNI-PAK AEROSOL TO THE TRADITIONAL USING A COMPRESSOR, SPRAY GUN AND MIXING MY OWN PAINT. TODAY I LAYERED MORE BLUE ON AND AM PRETTY MUCH FINISHED WITH THE FRAME. ONCE I FINISH PAINTING THE FORK EARS AND SIDE COVERS AND CLEAR COAT EVERYTHING ASSEMBLY CAN BEGIN. THE AEROSOL SYSTEM ISN'T PRECISE ENOUGH WITH THE AMOUNT OF PIGMENT BEING VARIABLE DEPENDING ON WHO IS FILLING THE CANS. THERE IS ROOM FOR FRAUD BY REDUCING THE PIGMENT LOAD PER CAN RESULTING IN THE BUYER HAVING TO BY MORE CANS AT BETWEEN $28 TO $35 EACH. I FINISHED UP THE SECOND CAN YESTERDAY AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS GOING TO TAKE A THIRD AND POSSIBLY A FOURTH TO FINISH THE JOB SO I PAID $90 TODAY FOR ENOUGH COLOR, BINDER AND REDUCER TO DO FOUR BIKES. I BLEW THE DUST OFF MY NEW HVLP PAINT GUN THAT HAS BEEN HANGING ON THE WALL FOR THREE YEARS, CONNECTED THE COMPRESSOR AND FINISHED THE FRAME JOB. AFTER APPLYING 2 CANS OF WEAK CANDY BLUE TO MY CL125A I WENT BACK AND GOT A QUICK LESSON ON HOW TO PREPARE MY OWN PAINT SO I COULD USE MY COMPRESSOR AND HVLP SPRAY GUN. ONE OF THE GUYS AT THE SHOP TRIED TO TALK ME INTO GOING THAT ROUTE BEFORE AND ACTUALLY TOOK ME TO THE BACK AND SHOWED ME HOW INCREDIBLY EASY AND INEXPENSIVE IT IS TO DO YOUR OWN PAINTING. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT PAINTERS WILL ALMOST ALWAYS LIE TO ANYONE WANTING TO LEARN THE BUSINESS TO PROTECT THEIR PROFIT MARGIN. TWO YEARS AGO I WAS GIVEN A PRICE OF $1800 TO PREP AND PAINT MY 69 CB750, PARTS OFF, AND HE ALSO FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH A BUNCH OF PAINT TALK THAT INDEED MADE IT SOUND COMPLICATED. BEING A REASONABLY INTELLIGENT GUY I KNEW $1800 WAS A FANTASY QUOTE AND TURNED HIM DOWN. THE POINT OF THIS POST IS TO REACH OUT TO OTHER COLLECTORS LIKE MYSELF AND URGE YOU TO GO TO YOUR OWN PAINT SHOP AND GET THE FACTS AND MAYBE A QUICK LESSON. FOR $87 I WALKED OUT OF THE SHOP WITH EVERYTHING TO PAINT THE COLOR COAT AND A COMPLETE KIT TO GO FROM BASE COAT TO CLEAR IS AROUND $200. I USED AEROSOL DUPLI-COLOR GREEN ETCHING PRIMER AND ALUMINUM SILVER FOR THE PRIMER AND BASE COLOR BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY ON THE BIKE BUT IN THE FUTURE WILL GET A SUPPLY OF PRIMER AND WHATEVER BASES I WILL NEED. NATURALLY I HAD TO PLAY AROUND TO GET THE RIGHT MIX FOR THE COLOR COAT AND HAD TO SAND OUT A COUPLE OF SAGS BUT NOW I AM FINISHED AND READY TO ASSEMBLE MY BIKE. |
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