My Motorcycle Project

 

 

I decided to repaint my 1986 Yamaha Virago and I will be taking you through the process step by step. What made this excercise interesting is that I have never airbrushed a motorcycle before. Everybody thinks that if you can airbrush, then by default, or osmosis, you must be able to paint a motorcycle. When trying  anything new, do not be intimidated, but do investigate throroughly so that you can benefit from the experience of others. There may be some easier processes that I overlooked when taking on this project, but rest assured, I did my homework and was confident of the outcome............ So read on, enjoy, and keep on sprayin'  

 

This article is dedicated to all my "Airheads" at Mohawk College.

 

Items required for this step: medium scotchpad, fine scotchpad, pail & water and tape (to plug openings in tank.

Scotchpads should soak in the water until pliable

 

 

Prepping:

 

For the purpose of this excercise, I  prepare the tank by prep sanding the surface. I begin with a medium Scotch pad (wet) until I get through the top coat of clear then switch over to a fine pad.  

 

Some schools of thought would suggest using coarser papers. Courser papers tend to leave many more scratches thus you always run the risk of scratch marks showing up in

your finished paintwork. Since I will be using the Createx Auto Air Basecoat White with a few drops of "Bond-All" mixed with it, I am confident that my paint work won't "slide off" the tank. I used this same technique on the hood of my van a few years ago and the finish is still holding up great. 

 

 

When satisfied with the sanded product, glazing putty is applied to the various chips and dings that tend to appear on anything "automotive". When the putty has had time to dry and cure, it's back to sanding with our fine wet scotchpad.

You may find that it may be necessary to repeat the above puttying step but just be patient

 

For those of you who have never sanded before- Do Not become over agressive with the Scotchpad. Too much pressure will become centered on the fingertips resulting in a non- uniform sanding. This too can show up in the finished works. Make sure that hand pressure is distributed evenly through the pad. How do you do this? ...... RELAX!

 

Helpful Hint- add a few drops of liquid detergent to your water pail. This reduces "drag" on the surface of the tank allowing the scotchpad to "glide" better.

 

I begin by laying down a coat of Createx Auto Air Base Coat (white) Make sure to add a couple of drops of "Bond All" to ensure good adhesion to the tank surface. The picture to the right shows coverage with one coat. I will be applying a second coat of base prior to putting down my first colour.

 

Note: If your in a hurry or just want to keep painting, don't forget to add a couple of drops of Auto Air "Catylst" to help speed up drying time. A hair dryer is also a great drying tool.

 

In this step I have applied a coat of transparent mid- brown. As above, I will apply 2 coats in order to achieve uniform coverage. I do sand betwen coats (1000 grit dry) to reduce overspray and knock off any unwanted "crunchies" or dust bunnies.

 

I repeat the above steps using Createx Auto Air Chameleon Gold. If necessary, you can LIGHTLY sand
the second coat using 1500 Grit (dry)

Note:.Remember to "tack off" the tank between sanding

 

As you see, there's much work to do before you can even begin to do the artwork. Keep this in mind when pricing out the job. Do not be misled when looking the job over. I thought that the tank was in pretty good condition when I began the project but much time, swearing and fustration was expended to acheive the desired results. Do Not short-cut here. Great artwork on a sloppy paintjob is still a mediocre paintjob.

 

O.K., let's move along and get started on the artwork.