|
How to Apply Touch
Up Paint
using our Spray Cans
Quick Steps-Spray Cans
1) Clean the area (soap and water or wax and grease remover).
2) Scuff the area well with wet and dry sandpaper.
3) Check humidity (below 50%) and temperature (around 70ºF).
3) Spray even wet coats of basecoat. You can sand the paint between coats, but
don't sand the final coat. Two wet coats should be sufficient. Allow each coat
to dry 20 minutes before recoating. Some colours require more paint.
4) Let the paint dry for at least one hour and then spray the lacquer. Spray
the lacquer beyond the basecoat to a good stopping point such as the edge of
the panel. Two wet coats should be sufficient.
5) Let the lacquer dry for at least six to seven hours. Use Rubbing
Compound (apply with clean soft cotton only, paper products or dirty
fabrics will scratch your paint surface) to smooth and shine the area.
Always test the rubbing compound on your bike in an inconspicuous place to
check for surface compatibility and shine. Without this step, the paint will
not shine properly.
6) If this is your first time, try one small area from start to finish before
repairing other areas.
Problems:
Paint will not shine.
Important!
Make sure the temperature is at least 50° F but around 70° F is ideal.
Spray Can Information
All spray cans provide excellent coverage of about six
square feet (with two wet coats) so you can estimate how many cans you will need
by measuring the square footage of the area you are painting.
Blowing in the paint into
adjacent panels will achieve a much nicer and less noticeable repair especially
for metallic paints. The most important thing to remember is to not spray heavy
coats. Do not apply so little paint that it dries as you apply it as this
creates dry spots. Spray in a dust free area. Again, practice AWAY from your
bike!
Clean and Protect the Area
Wash the area with soap and water, then use a wax and grease remover or
equivalent product (some painters have suggested tar and insect remover,
available at Halfords) before starting the project. You may wish to use
masking tape (automotive quality only!) all around the scratch or chipped area
to prevent accidentally marring the surface.
Paint Spraying-Humidity and Temperature Warning!
Make sure you do not spray in wet or humid conditions! To test the humidity,
spray some of the lacquer and see how it dries. If it dries with a whitish
haze or streaks, it's too humid to paint! Spray paint should be applied when the
temperature is at least 70°F and the humidity is below 50%.
Rust
The first thing to determine is if the scratch has started to rust. We are
talking about a surface scratch and not rust that is bubbling up beneath the
paint, as this is too far-gone for touch-up paint! If the area is rusty, you
should take a little extra effort to remove all traces of rust using 220 grit
sandpaper or a wire brush.
Sanding
Clean the area as described above then sand the area you wish to spray with
#600 grit sandpaper. If you are spraying a fairing panel, you must decide
how far you are going to paint and scuff the entire area. See below for
additional information.
Primer
If you have an unpainted surface, either bare metal, plastic, rubber, etc.,
APPLY PRIMER! Primer is made to stick to unpainted surfaces and paint is
designed to stick to primer! Professional automotive painters use lots of
primer. You can spray primer over unpainted surfaces, existing paint (as long as
you have sanded the paint) and over body filler. Use primer to cover small
imperfections and to build up scratched areas to a smooth surface. For deeper
scratches, we recommend a product called primer filler available at Halfords. The primer is applied in several thin coats to slowly build up the
surface. Primer has a tendency to
shrink so let it dry according to the manufacturers instructions and apply
several coats to achieve a smooth surface.
Paint Spraying-Technique
Tape surrounding areas to protect against over spray. Use a tack rag to pick
up any foreign matter on the panel. Spray even, overlapping coats. The painted
area should be evenly wet with no dry spots. You can sand out imperfections
later. Let the paint dry for approximately 15 to 30 minutes then apply a second
coat. Let the paint dry overnight and wet sand the area using 1000 wet and dry
sandpaper to sand out imperfections, dust, etc. Spray a final coat of paint over
the area but do not sand it. Let the paint dry 24 hours before applying
lacquer. For best results, metallic paints should be
blown into the surrounding
area.
Paint Spraying-Paint to an edge
After you have painted the repaired area, slowly feather the paint out on
either side of the repaired area. Professional shops will often paint to a
boundary such as the edge of a door, a panel line on your car, a moulding, etc.
The idea is not to leave a paint line right in the middle of a panel..
Watch for Drips!
Your spraying your final coat and suddenly a big drip falls from the can
right in the centre of your work! Don't try to wipe it off, you will make the
situation worse.. The best thing to do is just let it dry and wet sand the drip
away and re-coat the area. Some of our customers have reported wrapping the
spray can with a rag to catch any unforeseen drips. This even happens to
professional painters so just be aware of it and check the nozzle and can for
excess paint build up.
Note on Spraying Metallic Paints
If you apply too much paint to the surface or do not wait long enough
between coats, the metallic flake in the paint will become uneven. The final
coat of metallic paint should be sprayed farther away from the surface to let
the metallic flakes go on as evenly as possible. This distance will depend on
your paint colour, temperature, humidity, etc. so be sure to practice off the
bike first!
Spraying the lacquer
Spray the clear lacquer over the paint. Do not spray the lacquer in the sun. Do not
spray a part that has been heated by the sun. Let it cool down first, as
otherwise the lacquer will dry with a dull finish. Let the lacquer dry
overnight. If necessary, wet sand out any imperfections with 1000 grit, then
apply a final coat of clear. Use automotive rubbing compound to smooth and
shine the area.
Spraying the lacquer-Technique
You would typically spray the lacquer farther out than the paint to a boundary
line on your bike. Again, you don't want to spray the lacquer in the middle
of a panel without going out to the edges as you will leave a noticeable
lacquer line.
Using the Rubbing Compound
The application of Rubbing compound creates the deep gloss in the lacquer so
don't skip this step!
Let the lacquer dry for at least six to seven hours before using the rubbing
compound. Do not use a heavy duty rubbing compound as it will dull the surface.
Also, do not use polishing compound as this is not the same as rubbing compound.
Use a clean, very soft cloth like an
old tee shirt (for example DO NOT USE PAPER PRODUCTS as the wood fibres
will scratch the paint!). Place a small quantity of rubbing compound on the
bike and use circular strokes and apply even pressure. It's
almost like waxing a vehicle except the rubbing compound is like an extremely
fine liquid sandpaper. Buff with a clean cloth to a high gloss. (You may want to
spray some paint and lacquer on a smooth surface and practice to get the feel
of it.) Sometimes lots of pressure is required to make the clear shine. The
rubbing compound can also be applied by machine, but careful, it's very easy
to burn the paint! You can get the same results by hand, it will just take a
bit longer.
Problems
Poor or no shine:
1) You may have not applied enough lacquer. If you have gone through
the lacquer, you will end up polishing the basecoat which will not shine!
Solution-apply more lacquer and compound the area again.
2) You are using polishing compound or heavy duty rubbing compound. The
polishing compound will do nothing for the paint and the heavy duty compound
will dull the finish. Solution-use a medium duty rubbing compound. You
may have to apply more lacquer.
3) You may have such a large area that trying to compound by hand is just too
difficult. Solution-use a power buffer or hire a detail shop to
compound the area. See the warning above about using a power buffer.
4) You have used paper cloth, have a dirty cloth, are using a terry cloth
towel or a cloth with grit in it. Solution-use an old clean T-shirt.
5) You didn't apply any lacquer! Don't laugh, but this has been a
common problem. The basecoat will not shine no matter how much rubbing compound
you apply. Solution-Apply lacquer!
6) You have a whitish haze or white streaks through the clear. This is
caused by high humidity conditions. Solution-Wait until the humidity is
under 50%. Scuff down the lacquer, apply more colour coat and reapply the
clear.
7) You have spider veins through the paint. This is caused by either
spraying the paint too far away or the temperature is too hot and the paint is
drying before it hits the surface. Solution-Apply the paint closer to the
surface and do not paint when the temperature is above 80 degrees.
The rubbing compound is also good for removing oxidation from your finish. Let
the paint dry for a 30 days and apply a good quality automotive wax.
Hazards and Safety-VERY IMPORTANT!
PLEASE READ!!
Automotive touch-up paint including primer and lacquers are EXTREMELY
hazardous. Keep away from children! Call a doctor IMMEDIATELY if
swallowed. Keep out of direct sunlight and heat over 120F. DO NOT STORE IN CAR
and avoid freezing. Contains HAZARDOUS Waste. Use
with adequate ventilation. If you experience any dizziness, discontinue product
use immediately and call a doctor.
The main thing here is to use the product with adequate ventilation. Use an
approved automotive paint respirator and WEAR safety goggles when handling
automotive paint to protect your eyes!! This includes the primer, paint and
lacquer.
Tri-Coats
Any colour that has the word "Tri-coat" in the colour description will
need three different steps to achieve the correct colour. First the basecoat is
applied, followed by the midcoat and finally a lacquer is applied. Make sure
you practice before applying this touch-up paint to you bike.
Drying
Allow the paint to dry for 30 days before waxing.
Using Your Own Spray Gun
If you choose to
use the spray gun, you will need a small container of
thinners. If it is more than a couple of months old, use it to clean or prep,
but do not use it to thin your paint. It will create a disaster on your
bike! Both the paint and lacquer must be thinned. Thin with one part
thinner to one part paint or lacquer. If the paint is too thin, add
additional paint. Too thick, add more thinner.
| 
