paint for peds

• Author: dariuskyne (---.hsd1.pa.comcast.net)
• Verified User: dariuskyne
• Date Posted: 03-30-08 21:41
• Attachment: 1206927712_img_6791.jpg

this is a semi-continuation of a different discussion

http://www.mopedarmy.com/forums/discuss/1/486265/486187/

professional paints are expensive, however the second best thing to use, the best being getting the item to have color on it via powdercoating

powdercoating has it’s own drawbacks, colorwise you’re limited more than you are with automotive enamel, but it’s more chip/abuse resistant and it fades less over time.

the cost of both are about equal depending on where you get it done around me powdercoating is more expensive.

certain things to keep in mind when getting a ped painted,
1 chrome is a bitch to paint unless said chrome is stripped off the item, there are chemical strippers that will take chrome off, but it can be done with a buttload of sandblasting/sanding, i advise using a palm sander for this task, hand sanding would take forever.

2 plastic parts are easily painted if prepped correctly, first wash the item with some solvent (nothing as harsh as paint thinner though because it may soften the plastic) you need to clean it then wash it with soapy water then sand it then wash it again, this is THE best way to prep plastics

3 chemical strippers for metal parts are great because it cuts the time for prep in half, however you MUST clean the item if ANY of the stripper is even dried on the item it will cause to new paint to “lift” or bubble and thus look like crap.

4 when prepping the item use multiple grades of sandpaper, and start with the coarsest, then work your way “up” the numbers, when you’re done, get the thing in primer of some sort, preferablygood primer and not the stuff by krylon either i suggest 3m brand pimers most automotive paints stick to it fine, after priming take some 600 grit or 800 grit sandpaper and sand the whole thing again (don’t “break through” the primer or you’ll have to re-prime it) this will smooth out any “rough” spots and take out any primer “runs”.

sometimes you’ll have to accept that even the best paintjob from a cheap place will look “less” than expected, a car out of my bodyshop, depending on who is getting the work done (we quick paint certain items for dealers who just want the car to “look ok” like our 125.00 bumper special, we smooth it out, base color then clear… the “factory” cars get a basecoat of sealer primer then base color (2 coats) then 2 coats of clear… and the difference is hugely noticable in quality

and not to put down macco but they’re not known for high quality jobs, it looks good enough, especially if the whole thing is being painted, color matching isn’t their strong suit, it’ll look close but it won’t be exact.

as an example the attatchment provided, a frame i painted (most people will remember when i was trying to sell it) the frame is actually a slightly lighter color than the fenders, basically i was painting the frame and misjudged how much pait i would need, so i had to try and colormatch the fenders and wheels to the frame, i got fairly close, but it’s noticable to me. the reason i had to color match it? i made the color custom-like and forgot to write down the formula.