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 A wise Gerbil once said ... "no amount of paint will cover a poor prep job"... how true that is! I made this tutorial to help anyone who is looking for a little more direction on prep. This covers prime to base. I may do another one on bodywork. I will post the explaination then the picture...
 I started by inspecting the tour pack for cracks, chips, loose paint, etc. It appears to be in good shape so I took off everything that I could and masked off the rest. I start by sanding it with a air-sander and 80-240 grit sandpaper.. I like using 180g. Try to keep the sander as flat as possible to get rid of any high spots and not create any groves or low spots. |
 You can see how many previous paint jobs this tour pack has had. I inspect the previous jobs to ensure that there are no shiny parts in the rings. I don't see any issues and I am comfortable putting my work on top of it. If there is any question about adhesion, then I would sand down the layers. There is a limit to how many layers of paint you want on any project. This is important so you know that when you put your paint down, that it wont come off due to someone else's poor prep work. |
 Once I have completely sanded the entire surface, I lay down a coat of primer... wait the required flash time (dry time), lay down another coat and then wait until sandable. If you start sanding the primer early, the primer will ball up in the sandpaper.
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 Once the primer is ready to sand, I lay down a GUIDE COAT with enamel paint in an alternatiave color (i used Red so it would show up on the post). This is a very light dusting of the paint, DO NOT cover the peice with the paint, this layer needs to be light and dry so its easy to sand.
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Use a stiff sanding block and 180g sandpaper. Keep the block as flat as possible, and resist the temptation to use the edge of the block to hurry this process along! When you start sanding, the red will disappear from the high spots first, showing red on the low areas. You want your work to be as flat and smooth as possible and this stage helps you acheive that.
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 When you start sanding you will notice the high spots burning through first and showing more of the grey... if it is really high, then the layer under the primer will start showing .. this is called BURNING THROUGH.
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 When there is a low spot, the red disappears around it first, leaving red showing. You would continue sanding in this area until all the red is gone. Your basically bringing the high spots down to the same level as the low spots. If your sandpaper gets clogged with sanding dust, blow it off or use a cloth and wipe it away. I've gotten into the habit of just rubbing it aginst my coveralls/jeans every few minutes.
When your done getting rid of all the guide coat, prime again. At this point all the flaws should be gone.
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 Once dry, you will sand the last layer of primer using a sanding block and 350g paper (make sure to keep the block flat still). Don't go heavier that this because the basecoat will not be able to cover the sandscratches. If you burn through anywhere, you may have to reprime and sand again. If the burn through is small, your sealer will cover it. You want to always use a sealer, this elimiates bullseyes (rings showing up in the basecoat). Spray a sealer coat, then your basecoat and then clearcoat.
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 I would suggest clearing it at this point, regardless if your going to put graphics down or not. I always like to put my graphics down ontop of a clear coat to protect the prep that I've done. For uros, you will need to clear within 24 hours so if your not going to be able to get your graphics done in that time, your best bet is to clear now and then wait required time, sand that clear with 600 grit and then paint your graphics, clear the whole peice again. This is the same as you would if your putting your graphics down on an existing paint job. |
Good luck... Please feel free to add or ask questions...
Hope it helps |
