New 2015 silver street glide aint silver no more

[maniacmac]

Some people are probably asking why buy a new silver bike if you don't like silver, cuz it make a great base color for many candies. Somewhere in the thought process I went back to black and not candy( my previous bike was black, you what they if you go black....) This first post shows taping and scuffing. A new bike paint is a great surface to start with. Just clean and degrease, dewax it. Scuff it to give the paint a surface to bond with. 1st pics.
If you are going to do custom paint such as candy, pearls or marblelize you have to shoot test panels to find the results you want. It's a pain and takes time but needed. Sometime 2 coats of candy looks good and you think one more will be better but you shoot it and it's not better. If you did that on your project you would have to start over. Marblelizing you can play with different methods and get different results. Pearls you experiment with pearl in the base or in the inner clear. 2nd pics

 

[maniacmac]

After 2-3 coats of high solid clears you have to color sand if you want show quality finish. I usually do 2 coats, sand and repeat and repeat. Every painter has a different views on this step. This picture shows solvent pops which can be sanded out but it would have been easier if I didn't cause that to happen ( its from waiting too long between coats and gases are trapped ) I also do my art work after 2-3 coats of clear because that allows me sand or wipe off my mistakes and gives a lager window when to apply the next clear coat. Clear should applied to base with 2 hours but with clear you wait days, just scuff and go. I trace my art work with lend transfer 3 rd pic.
10 days later here is finished project. Pearl black on top, original silver for the graphs and black with white and silver marblelizing. I also painted the front lower legs. If you look at the grim reaper blade it has my Dying To Ride tm on it. Thanks for letting me share this

 

[mvrigger]

Awesome, very nice

 

[Mandrew]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Aviator5456]

I'm not a painter but I got a nasty scratch in one of my bags...and too cheap to take it to someone that knows what they're doing. I'm on my 4th or 5th retry....seems I'm getting too much air in my clear coat but thats what I'm told to expect from rattle cans. After waiting for 5 days, I wet-sanded part of it with 2500 then buffed it out with light cut polishing compound....that may be too soon? I'll wait another few more days and do some more wet-sanding....then some more buffing...its frustrating for sure.

I like your artwork, it really looks nice....but there's no way I have the patience for that...

 

[maniacmac]

My I suggest you go to a automotive paint store and ask them mix a rattle can of pro high solid clear. Sand with 1500 grit and then re-clear with the professional can of clear. Color sand with 2500 and buff and polish 2 days after re-clearing. This should work out better for you ( I never used clear in a can but I know the paint store can make for you) Good luck and if you need more help just ask.