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Tank painting.... DIY

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Lobo:
Thought I'd have ago.... after all, everything DIY is just nous & patience... right?

Bought a cheapo CB400 tank off ebay @ £31. Looked good... stripped the paint... looked bad. Loadsa filler, been in a spill... or two. Innards though looked fairly ok, and with a bit of electrolysis have banished what light rust there was.

Have never played with filler seriously; and never realised there's various grades as the major dent stuff still leaves significant pin holes / imperfections. So I had to buy finer filler to fill the first filler....

Tried 3 different paints... two rattle can types & one (Honda) automotive. The best colour I could find (er, Brunei) was a Rust-oleum .... which seems pretty damned close to Parakeet as I know it. I then used the same brand primer.

About 5 coats of each & more sanding with P1200 wet & dry than you can shake a stick at. The paint has good resistance to soaking in petrol (test piece) but I still wanted more protection, and so after the decals went on I further applied a couple of coats of an automotive clear lacquer (2 pack).

The results? Think I'm pleased... the tank looks stunning ... from 3 paces back. Up close & it fails the orange peel test. Rather significantly.

Summarising... I've a new found respect for guys who can turn a tank into something most of us take for granted every day .. and given the time & patience invested can fully appreciate the costs they (have to) charge. This said, I could spent all the time in the world on my tank, and never achieve what a professional does... unquestionably there's a lot of skill involved. Due the side panel being a virgin moulding it has come up even better. (but not perfect)

So, enjoyable, massively time consuming, and a reminder lesson that there are some things I'll never be able to do.

BigAl (Alan):
Looks good Simon, been thinking of doing my CD175, I'm OK with primer but made a 'Balls' of the last restoration/paint job...gave it to a local sprayer in the end.

How many coats of clear lacquer do you use?

Alan

Trigger:
Not bad Simon. I am the worst painter in the world and if that is your first go i am well impressed. Did you get the tank back from Bedford?

Green1:
Looks good Simon.
I use an airless sprayer at work I was very tempted to spray my old van but chickened out as it takes about 2 liters to fill the hoses.
Orange peel is normally caused by incorrect pressure or the gun at the wrong angle
Practice makes perfect.
Orange peel can always be sanded out with an incredibly fine wet&dry before clear coating.

One day I will risk it and spray one of my bikes.

Mick 

Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP):
Better than I could do well done
Cheers
Bitsa

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