Restoring 650L Side Covers

Yep. Good job.

Actually I meant "spray can" in the title of this thread. But hey I found it anyway, and that is what I was curious about.

Gotcha! Yeah I'm not sure if there's a way to edit the thread title at this point.

I'll be putting the covers back on the bike shortly, will probably post here one more time when I get them back on there! Crossing my fingers for some more sunshine soon so I can get a good photo.

[Gregory]

Yep. Good job.

Actually I meant "spray can" in the title of this thread. But hey I found it anyway, and that is what I was curious about.

Wow, that thread of the rattle can painting is amazing!! This thread ought to have something about spray can painting or rattle can painting in it.

You mean the link to the Nighthawk paint job that I posted? I used the same process for my painting. It was just duplicolor rattle cans.

[Gregory]

Wow, that thread of the rattle can painting is amazing!! This thread ought to have something about spray can painting or rattle can painting in it.

That's the color I have seen chrome paint turn on other stuff too. I don't have any good ideas to make it look like chrome other than actually getting it chromed. Good luck to you.

Since my last reply I have applied the chrome paint, and done some sanding / polishing. I was not too aggressive with the sanding since this was my first go at it but I still noticed a pretty incredible improvement in the finish when done. I may go at it again but for now I'm very happy with it.

As for the chrome - it did not turn out as I hoped. Maybe the wrong primer? I want to reapply something but I have no idea what to use now. This was duplicolor all purpose chrome and it has just kind of been rubbing off with even just minor handling and turning a dull silver. It will pass for now but eventually I want to apply something else - maybe something I can brush on??

Anyways, here are some pics of the before and after. I may still apply some pinstriping tape. Got some gold from the auto store but just read that it is not intended for curves. Straight line only

No adhesive on these badges yet, they're just propped on there for picture time. I also want to get some in natural sunlight but it's dark out









Anyways - I hope I have done justice to these. I loved the original paint scheme but they were soooo beat up. Thinking they look better than when I started!

i would let the paint dry properly for at least a few days before you start sticking masking tape on it. just my opinion

Depending on the paint, you can use tape after 24 hours. Even after a lot of drying time, I like to use lighter tack masking tape for edges. 3M has a "Delicate Surface" line of painter's tape that I have had pretty good luck using to mask off areas.

The green auto tape is great at holding a line, but even paint that has dried for days or weeks can stick to it, especially if the area has any body filler down below the paint, primer etc. After too many divots popping out when pulling the last line of tape from a tank, I hate that green crap.

[nvr2old]

You'll need to be careful if you only sprayed 3 light coats and one wetter coat. That's not really a lot of material. 3-4 wet coats allows you to sand it smooth, no problem. A flexible block is what you need for curved surfaces. Something to follow the shape. On parts that small, you could do it w/o a block though, just sand in circles to avoid finger grooves. To do the polishing, get yourself a small buffer pad set that attaches to your drill. They're available at auto paint stores. They come with a wool pad, and 2 foam pads for progressively finer polishing. As with the wet sanding, you need to do it in steps. It's a smart investment that you'll use many, many times.

[Agemax]

i never got on with those sanding blocks, they wear out to quick and tend to scratch the surface rather than sand it.
better off buying sheets of wet and dry and do it by hand, wrap the paper round a block of wood for large flat areas.
i always do it wet........

Considering what you started with, you should be very happy with the results you've achieved. Seriously. Depending on how many coats of clear you have on, ( 3 would be nice) you should be able to sand it with 1,000 grit followed by 1,500 then 2,000 and then polishing compound to bring the shine and depth up some. The clear will not make it darker, unfortunately, so your idea to match the tank to the covers will be your best bet to get all the parts the same. The side covers were a good practice session for doing the tank, too.

Cheers, thanks for the compliments! I'm happy with them for sure. I did 3 lighter coats and a fourth coat slightly heavier. Do I do the sanding wet or dry? I'll probably pick up one of those foam sanding blocks and some polishing compound this weekend and give it a shot. I don't know anything about the compound - any specific kind I should be looking for, or recommendations?

I do plan to paint the tank since it's pretty beat up. Just not sure if I will be able to until next year now that the weather here is pretty consistently below 60 and raining a lot.

[nvr2old]

Considering what you started with, you should be very happy with the results you've achieved. Seriously. Depending on how many coats of clear you have on, ( 3 would be nice) you should be able to sand it with 1,000 grit followed by 1,500 then 2,000 and then polishing compound to bring the shine and depth up some. The clear will not make it darker, unfortunately, so your idea to match the tank to the covers will be your best bet to get all the parts the same. The side covers were a good practice session for doing the tank, too.

Applied the clear coat the other night. Here it is without having been polished yet. Shiny!! This is about 48 hrs of cure time.



I've been reading about techniques for polishing these. Will gladly accept any tips - I'd love to give them at least a light sanding and polish to enhance the depth a bit more. This metallic blue sure is pretty.

Here's a thread of a guy who painted a nighthawk with the same duplicolor that I am using. I think it looks great!! He's got me seriously thinking about painting the tank to match...

http://www.xjrider.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=18

I'm thinking the tank is due anyways since there are quite a few scuffs and dings, even a couple large spots where the clear coat has worn through. Envisioning some new gold pinstripes too... hmmmm

Think I'll spend some time in photoshop tonight seeing what my bike looks like in this color

I am also hoping the clear coat will darken the color a bit, to match more closely when it's all finished. Is it possible that this will happen? Crossing my fingers that a few coats of clear coat will make it match the original dark blue nicely

Thanks for tip with light.

Sounds like a good investment with a heat bulb.