Paint Question

[Rickrod3]

Air-Craft Paint Stripper

I decided to take the paint off down to the bear metal.
Could anyone, who has used this, explain to me the procedure I should use.
Like the best way to apply, how long do I leave it on and how to clean it off.
I'm sure I could figure something out but;would rather have the benefit of the collective's experience.

Thanks in advance

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Aircraft remover

1st, cover all exposed skin and were goggels, not just glasses. Apply a thick coat with a wide paint brush and let it sit in a warm well vented place, after about 10 to 20 min (you can tell by how much it has blistered), scrape the paint off with a plastic scraper and re coat any spots that arent bare metal and repeat. Dont use it on sidecovers, and if any bondo on the tank, it will remove it also. Once all paint is off, rinse everything with water, that will stop the cycle and make the aftermath safe Good luck with your bike

[79XS11F]

My brother used to do some painting when he was a young buck and knew several professional painters. The best way to get a good paint job for anyone regardless of their experience is to not overlook the primming stage or do it too quickly. Primming is very important and most will apply at least 3 coats of good quality primmer that is wet sanded between each coat. When your primmer looks like a good paint job without the shine, with all imperfections corrected, the paint will go in real smooth and nice.
Rob

[crazy steve]

I'm not a big fan of stripping to completely bare metal (particularly with chemical strippers) as that usually adds several steps/expense to the job. Don't even think about using it on the plastic bits.

If you go that route, you'll need an etching primer for over the bare metal, then a 'conventional' primer over that and under the color coat. Talk to your paint supplier and follow their recommendations in any case.

Generally speaking, if the OEM paint isn't peeling off, it'll be fine for a 'base' if properly sanded.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Painting

I have got to respectfuly dissagree, i have owned a body shop and have refinished and even restored many many cars and some bikes. If you want to be sure of what you have under the paint and be sure that the job you do will last a long time, stripping to bare metal is your best bet. You dont know what a PO might have done, or if they did it right, and 30 year old factory paint isen't a safe bet that your top coat will not be compromised As to primer, you can get self etching primer in a spray can at most auto paint supply stores if you dont have pro spray equipment, works fine. You will want to top that with primer filler, spray cans also are fine, then spot putty if needed and sand (320 to 400grit) till it looks like you want it to with color. Spray 2 to 3 coats of color if coating with clear, then 2 to 3 coats of 2K clear. If not clear coating, then I would ust 4 to 5 coats of color to give you room to wet sand and buff when done. Either way, when painting is done and dried completly (a day or two will do with most paints) wet sand out the runs, dust and bugs (if any) with 1500grit, then finish sand the whole thig with 2500 or 3000grit, buff with a good cutting compound (3m pro is my choise), then polish with a good pollishing compond (can all be done by hand easly) If doing two tone, do all the colors the wet sand at the color crossover points with 2500grit the top coat all with 3+ coats of 2k clear (also avail in spray cans if needed) Wax a month later and you will have a show room finish that a shop would charge you hundreds for Good luck with you bike
My spray can job done in the back yard with no garage

I'm not a big fan of stripping to completely bare metal (particularly with chemical strippers) as that usually adds several steps/expense to the job. Don't even think about using it on the plastic bits.

If you go that route, you'll need an etching primer for over the bare metal, then a 'conventional' primer over that and under the color coat. Talk to your paint supplier and follow their recommendations in any case.

Generally speaking, if the OEM paint isn't peeling off, it'll be fine for a 'base' if properly sanded.

[Rasputin]

I have stripped tanks down and found as much as 3/4 inch of bondo in them...Guess that means strip to bare metal being my vote...

[crazy steve]

I didn't say that I won't strip to bare metal, just that I'm not a fan of it. If you're planning on using a chemical stripper, you'd better strip to bare. But if the existing paint is reasonably decent (and that will generally be fairly obvious), you shouldn't have any problems. Same thing goes for bondo repairs; if it was done right, there's no reason to re-do it unless you see a problem.

There's thousands of vehicles out there with repaints, and very few of them were stripped to bare metal...

[Rasputin]

Steve. I did not mean to diss you I just meant that under what can be seen is a different world than what we can see. If it is an unfamiliar tank/body work we then have to think about what will happen in the future. I still think that to take it to bare metal is the best choice. From there Bondo can be put back in with ease.

[crazy steve]

No offense taken, it's more that I'm a lobucker and hate spending money I don't have to. I dislike chemical strippers in particular because if you use them, you have to get all the paint off or you risk contaminating the new paint.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Lowbucker

Hey, Steve, I am a Lowbucker too. Very much so now today The Aircraft remover will strip the paint, bondo and anything else the PO did to trip him up. It rinses off with water and if any care is taken to get it clean, it will not bleed back through as the water turns it harmless and a little sanding is all that is neede to prep the metal. You really don't need the self eteching primer if you sand it right (as that primer is ment for alum and composit metals) So he has the stripper 0 extra $, rinse water, pennys, sandpaper, guessing has some or can buy a small amount cheap, Primer filler 5 bucks, done right and lasting for a long time, PRICELESS

No offense taken, it's more that I'm a lobucker and hate spending money I don't have to. I dislike chemical strippers in particular because if you use them, you have to get all the paint off or you risk contaminating the new paint.