Hi everybody,

I have a somewhat basic question to ask. I've tried searching but to no avail.

I'm doing a project motorbike. I've sprayed 2 pack before, but wanted to do something different this time. It's going to be a fairly basic metallic base / clearcoat / with ghost stripes going down the middle. On previous occasions when spraying pearls, I've always suspended them in intercoat. The project I'm doing however, isn't big enough for me to purchase 1 litre of intercoat. I've suspended pearl in clear before, with good results, however I've always done Prime/Base/Clear/Pearl/Clear.

I have about 5 different pearls and a few metallic flakes. I'm thinking for the ghost stripes, I might use a small quantity of silver pearl and silver metallic, or just silver pearl. Spraying at a low concentration, so it only shows at the right angle. I'm spraying 3 small flat test panels tomorrow, to choose the right look.

What I would like to do is Prime/Base/Pearl/Clear, using fine line and low tack tape applied directly over the basecoat (for the ghost stripes). Then after a coat or 2 of pearl, remove all tape, and clear all painted parts.

I'm wondering how long after spraying the metallic basecoat I need to wait in order to tape the pearl stripes? Should I wait a short time (like an hour) or overnight? The sheet only states flash times, and doesn't state masking times. I don't want the tape to leave reside, damage the metallics, or lift the paint. The paint will have to be in good enough condition to allow for some handling. The ghost stripes bow out in the wider sections of the fuel tank and as such, will take me some time to get it aligned correctly.

Thank you in advance for your advice.


An example of outcome (without the fine metallic blue)

An example of taping requirements

seal/basecoat met/clear basecoat/mask/ghost/unmask/tack/clear


thats it, my advice is do not tape on a metallic, can you ? yes you can get lucky 100 times but its not good practice

since you do not want to order intercoat how about this...

seal/basecoat met/CLEAR/let dry a day or two/sand 800/mask stripes/ghost/unmask/clear

PainterDave wrote: seal/basecoat met/CLEAR/let dry a day or two/sand 800/mask stripes/ghost/unmask/clear

Yeah , I think you're right. I was hoping to save a couple of days, but in the long run, doing it as you suggest will provide a better outcome. The last time I painted it, I did it how you suggested above. Previously I used a metallic that was too dark for the basecoat and it didn't turn out well (as shown in the image above). I'm not going to make that same mistake again.

I wasn't able to spray my test panels today, but will try to get around to doing it on the weekend.

I'll straight metallic basecoat it, clear, sand and mask, ghost & clear.

Thanks for your suggestion. It put me back on track to what I should be doing.

happy painting buddy. post pics when done

Agree with Dave. Always lock down your basecoat with either intercoat, for a faster tape off, or regular clear, if you can wait a day or 2 to lightly sand and tape off the graphics. Very good on doing test panels, especially if you are fussy about the level of "ghosty-ness" of your work. Both concentration of pearl in the clear, and amount of coats will affect this. Dark colors need much less pearl than light colors to show. I like to spray the pearl a bit on the dry side so the platelets stand up in random angles to reflect better, too.
Good luck, and show us how it comes out! (Though sometimes it's hard to capture the look of ghost paint in pictures)

chopolds wrote:Agree with Dave. Always lock down your basecoat with either intercoat, for a faster tape off, or regular clear, if you can wait a day or 2 to lightly sand and tape off the graphics. Very good on doing test panels, especially if you are fussy about the level of "ghosty-ness" of your work. Both concentration of pearl in the clear, and amount of coats will affect this. Dark colors need much less pearl than light colors to show. I like to spray the pearl a bit on the dry side so the platelets stand up in random angles to reflect better, too.
Good luck, and show us how it comes out! (Though sometimes it's hard to capture the look of ghost paint in pictures)

good advice, i must note spraying dry could cause loss of adhesion