Motorcycle plastics ?

Anything goes in the world of fiberglass and plastic

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 4:42 pm
Hey Whips here is that bump. As soon as this blasted cold weather is gone I'm going to start on my Hayabusa bodywork changing its color totally. And like was suggested read, read, read. I've painted my car already but I want to make sure I find the common method for prepping and painting fairings.
I have one question concerning the removal of the decals I've seen heat gun and sanding what about something chemical like brake cleaner or something that will cause them to peel?
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 6:59 pm
A universally "safer" chemical would be VMP Naphtha available at most hardware store. Naphtha is an ingredient in most wax and grease removers and will almost always attack and loosen even aged glues without disturbing underlying paint or plastic. Some of the brake cleaners are pretty aggressive. I've seen them melt softer plastics.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 5:29 am
Yes melting of the plastics is my concern, whether by chemical or heat and I'm not fond of the idea of sanding decals off of plastic since the fairings are nice and smooth and only requiring a little scuffing to get started. I was hoping someone has found an easy way to lift the decals off.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 11:28 pm
The ease of removal has a lot to do with the quality of the glue and it's age. Glues go through an aging process that makes them fairly easy to remove when new but can set up really hard and even slightly migrate into the plastic with age.
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PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2014 4:33 am
+1 for how amazing this thread is guys. Some really really useful stuff, very much appreciated as I'm about to get my teeth into a whole bunch of flexible plastic farings taken from an off-road scooter.



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PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 9:50 pm
Tricks for decal removal...

Method #1 - When I painted my Yamaha R6 a few years back, some "Goo Gone" and a purple scotch brite pad did the trick. The Goo Gone can be found at most hardware stores or WalMart. It comes in both a liquid and a sprayable gel form, get the spray gel! The liquid wont stay in one place long enough to do you much good.

Method #2 - If you can get a corner to lift, running hot (not scalding) water over the decal in a laundry sink or bathtub will soften the adhesive, and help the decal to peel off.

Method #3 - Use what the pros use... Rapid Remover. This product is made by a company known as Rapid Tac, which is a common brand in the sign and vehicle wrap industry. Scuff the decal, apply Rapid Remover with a spray bottle, after sitting for a couple of minutes, remove the decal and any old adhesive with a semi-rigid rubber squeegie. You can also pick the corner to lift it, and mist the product under the decal as you pull. This stuff works great, is water soluable, and does not leave a film.

There are always other options to sanding off decals, but they all take some patience!



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PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 10:07 pm
Getting back to painting motorcycle plastics and fibreglass fairings, I would like to weigh in on proper cleaning.

One of the best things I have found to use as a cleaner is good old inexpensive Windex. This is a brand name for "amonia based" cleaner. After removing decals and scuffing the part with 600grit, wash the part with Dawn dish soap and water then use Windex as your final wipe. The biggest advantage to windex is that it will not introduce static into your parts, thus meaning less trash in your paint. Isopropyl Alcohol, does a decent job, but it flashes off very fast, and will statically charge your parts.

Here are the things to stay away from...
Lacquer thinner, Ketone, Acetone, Xylene, Toluene, etc. Essentially if it is a thinner, or ends in "ene" or "one", it does not go near your plastics or fibreglass. These products will soften or melt plastic, and cause cured fibreglass resin to "wet out" or degrade.

As for adhesion promoter on bike parts, if you scuff with 600grit, you have created a mechanical tooth for the primer to bite into, thus there is no need for adhesion promoter. That has been my experience.

Hope this helps.



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 6:08 pm
I've never used flex agent on motorcycle plastics, fiberglass or plastic car bumpers. Seems to me way back when I did the research on it, flex agent was used by some to keep the paint flexible during assembly but it would eventually gas off and no longer be effective after a certain amout of time. That's my memory of it anyway and I think that research was done here on this forum. So I've never used it and never had a problem.

I only use adhesion promoter when I've sanded thru to raw plastic.
Mike

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