Seeking Project Help

[brian_groff]

Am re-doing the sheetmetal on my '47 Chief rider. Fixing the rear fender and tool box, installing new tanks, etc. I want to do my own painting, but haven't ever done it before. Where do I begin?

Project: '47 Chief
Color: Sunshine Yellow (know it wasn't avail. in '47, but I LIKE IT).

So far, I'm just working on sanding the old stuff of with a DA sander.

What next?

[AdminGuy]

Read some articles or books. Maybe talk to a body guy. Yes, you can do it.

[Tom Lovejoy]

From a novice front yard painter, the prep work is most important. Make sure you get all the rust or it will cause problems. Something I like to do, is when you think youve got it looking good in primer. Run the hose over it low pressure, the water will give it real shine, making it much easier to see little flaws. Be careful some of the paints are really dangerous to your health. I have painted 4 so far with good results, especially with wet sanding and rubbing out. Mine are not professional quality, but I have been very pleased with the results. They hold their own in a crowd of bikes very well. Good luck with yours,Tom.

[exeric]

You should try it yourself and do everthing that Tom suggested in his post. When it comes to sanding, don't try to make one piece of sandpaper last through the job. Buy a lot of sandpaper. Also, you should block sand the whole job. Block sanding will show your high spots and maintain an even surface. Don't trust your palm to maintain a level surface. I hate block sanding because it takes forever and is mind-numbingly boring but you are going to do a better job than anyone else because it's your bike. If you stick with this and learn how to do your own paint and body work you'll get a sense of satisfaction that goes way beyond a $5000 professional paint job, and you'll save yourself a fortune with every bike you do.

[swall]

I wouldn't want to discourage you, but many of the automotive finishes used today are urethanes or acrylic enamels with hardeners. Both are toxic and you need to use a supplied air respirator with breathable air supplied by a special compressor. You can get a set-up from Eastwood for about $1000. Then there's the cost of the spray gun ($200 min. for an el cheapo) and the last time I bought paint, it was $40/qt. There are still some straight acrylics that can be sprayed without the toxic hardeners--scroll down and read my post "Want Paint Advice from John Pierce". One option might be to do all of your own bodywork, priming and sanding and then take it to a professional for the finish. That's probably the way I'll go on my '52 Chief.