Painting plastics

Discuss anything after that final masking comes off.
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2004 4:36 pm
I am planning to paint plastic side fairings on a street bike, i have a spray gun and pneumatic sander. If anyone can help i need help on the steps to be taken and the supplies i should get. For sanding i was wondering what grit and if i should do it by hand? Do i need to get an adhesion promoter?If i use the promoter do i need to use primer? And where is a good place(affordable) to get those supplies? If someone can do a step by step including possible supplies that would be great. Thank you for any help or additional advice.



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PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2004 6:09 pm
Hey cab Im doing bike stuff too.......Im NOT a pro or even an amateur for that matter but I have been researching this topic for a few months now and like to think Ive read a lot of good information so Ill do my best to steer ya in the right direction.

First things first:
Do the fairings presently have paint?
What about decals?
Are they damaged at all or have imperfections that will require fill work?
Are they really plastic or are they aftermarket skins made of fiberglass? (believe it or not but Ive seen many ppl over the yrs call their f/g skins "plastics" when referring to their bodywork.)

Once I get those answers Im pretty confident that I can give ya some helpful starting tips.
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2004 11:44 pm
Yes they currently have Paint on them.
Some have decals.
Some have very small cracks that have already been fixed on the underside.
They are all currently factory skins (plastic), might do after market if I get good and want a couple different paint schemes.

Thanks for all the help!!!!!



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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2004 9:44 pm
Well obviously the decals need to come off if ur painting that particular panel. Also ur gonna need to fill those damage areas where you made those crack repairs from the inside. Im not sure if they make a 2part glaze for plastic work if they do thats probably all you need since you already reenforced it inside. My local ABS sold me some 2 part epoxy thats specially formulated for plastics so Ive always used that. Anyway, if you did a real good job and the cracks appear to be tight you wont need much to take care of the cracks.

Id dry sand those areas with 80, blow clean the area then hit it with a thin layer of glaze/filler/etc..., let dry according to directions then another if needed. Sand with 120 if shaping is needed then 240 to take those scratches out. Once the repair areas look smooth Id sand the entire panel with 240......I dont think its necessary to sand/strip all the factory paint off if its in good shape Id just scuff it good with the 240. ANY bare plastic spots will need adhesion promoter (Bulldog) otherwise Id just shoot it with epoxy primer/sealer.......no sanding required or recommended. Then move onto ur bc then cc (NO sanding between coats) or ss if thats what ur using....Final coat (depending on how well it came out) if its pretty smooth Id just go over it lightly with 1500, wipe down with a 50/50 mix of alcohol/water then buff/polish. Just check out some of the other threads in here about buffing/polishing theyre very informative.

Gdluck!



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 10:58 am
I bought a medium size fibreglass kit and fibreglassed the back of all my cracks, and glued on plastic pieces

its very easy to use, clean surface, glue/ add fibreglass/ glue and press out the bubbles

did it yday, and today its rock solid.. the cracked places are now the strongest points on my fairing :D

all I did was sand it back today

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 06, 2004 5:04 am
Not to sound contradictory or anything, but in my not very humble opinion you guys are WRONG WRONG WRONG WQRONG

I've also spent a long time learning how to repair and paint plastic, I have a database in which I keep every bit of info I can find on every plastic I've ever heard of. I'm not an expert yet, but I know some stuff.

So anyway, about painting plastic fairings. Most are made of easily painted dense plastics such as ABS or AES. Chances are there'll be some stuff stamped on the inside of the panels, including a 2-3 letter code that'll tell you what it's made of. If it's something like the two I've mentioned, which will sand well and sink in water, then DONT use adhesion promotor such as bulldog and DONT do repairs with epoxy or glue or anything like that. Get yourself a pencil tip soldering iron, some metal mesh, and some similar plastic, and weld it up. ABS pipe will most likely work for filler. From the back run the iron down cracks so it almost comes out the other side, then fill in the channel by melting more plastic into it. Then put the mesh on and push it into the melted plastic, and cover it again with more filler. Fill in the crack on the front and sand it smooth. It's now stronger than the rest of the panel (UNLIKE EPOXY). Block sand with 180 if you trust the existing paint, otherwise strip it off and shoot epoxy primer.

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