TOOL BOX TIP - DIY Paint Booth

TOOLBOX TIPS

BY: JOE W. KOURY

RATTL-IN THE CAGE

Well, it’s not really a cage, more like a makeshift paint booth for emptying rattle cans. Now I’m no formally trained painter by any means but I have figured out how to positively adjust my racing budget by refurbing the bodywork on our motorbikes in-house. Here are some tips on how to do your own (not if, but when the time comes) paint and bodywork conveniently and economically.

I painted my first motorcycle fuel tank back in 1970. The US Army had just drafted one of my best Full face respirator and head sock friends and before he departed, he left me his Triumph Trophy TR6C. It needed some paint and I did the best I could at the time. Enough said. Fast-forward to modern times when I attempted to shoot the tank on my 350 Sportsman bike the night before leaving for my first AHRMA race. The build lasted until the eleventh hour and I barely had time to make it look decent. I sprayed it in a newspaper-lined corner of the garage. After the last coat was done, a bug flew right into the top of the tank. But even without bugs, there are still contaminants that will find their Glazing putty, way into fresh paint. I decided applicator and to figure out a way to eliminate sanding block this anguish.

I built a 4 X 4 X 7 cage using 2x2 lumber and wrapped it in 4 MIL plastic sheet, sealing the edges and seams with duct tape. The door has a two-inch wide extended flap along the edges that acts as a secure seal when the door closes with the fan on high. The fan is under the bench/shelf on the right; the filter is on the left, up high on the opposite wall. I place two lights on either side of the shelf and there are a few screw hooks in the ceiling to hang freshly painted parts if I’m shooting multiple components. This apparatus eliminates 99% of the trash that might otherwise float into the wet paint.

Painting is the easy part of the process though. Surface preparation is the key to a decent finish. Dents, cracks and flaws are part of any race bike rejuvenation. I use fiberglass mat or cloth and resin to repair cracks in fiberglass, Kitty Hair Bondo to fill larger dents in the fuel tank and Bondo Glazing Putty (only

Primer, base coat paint and clear coat

Coveralls Plain and simple paint booth

use the type that works with cream hardener) for the smaller imperfections as I get closer to the base coat application. I use 120-, 320- and 400-grit wet or dry sandpaper and sometimes files to work the rough filler down. A flexible sanding pad is a must-have for block sanding the dents, scratches and pits filled with glazing putty and high-build primer. I use Dupli-Color acrylic lacquer primer and base coat. For fiberglass, I spray their adhesion promoter first, followed by the primer within ten minutes. The primer is wet sandable within 30 minutes. Sometimes it takes several attempts at sanding, glazing putty and primer to get the surface smooth enough for the base coat. I sand the primer with 400-grit, clean it with warm soap and water, dry it thoroughly, gently wipe the surface with a tack cloth immediately before spraying the base coat. It goes on with two light coats, waiting 60 seconds in between, followed by three heavier coats, waiting 60 seconds Booth in action in between. I shut the fan off before departing the booth to make sure no contaminants are sucked in through the open door. I use a good pair of goggles and a respirator when I’m spraying the primer and base coat. For graphics or number plate backgrounds, I use 3M Professional masking tape. It is very thin which reduces height of the paint line/edge. Narrow finish tape is also handy for the more intricate graphics lines. The clear coat is more complicated. You must wear the correct suit, gloves and full face respirator to spray the 2K clearcoat. CAUTION: Read the directions carefully and follow them. This stuff is poison so it cannot contact your skin or respiratory system. The 3M suits work well, and you must invest in the proper head gear and gloves. I use the Fairing stand Eastwood 2K clear. It leaves a glassy, professional finish and can be sprayed right onto the base coat without any sanding. I usually apply three coats of clear, waiting about two minutes between coats. I recommend a Freshly Painted Tank little practice spraying the clear to determine how heavily you can apply it before it starts to run. This paint requires no color sanding or polishing after it is applied. It is also race fuel proof. Stickers can be applied to the base coat and the clear sprayed right over them. I build stands/mounts out of wood (which is cleaned and de-splintered since you don’t want wood particles flying around in your paint) for all my body parts. Make sure they are high enough so you can spray under the edges of the parts. Some of my mounts have eyelets for hooks so the part can be hung right after spraying. Racebike rash is inevitable but the repairs are DYI-able. Rattl-in the cage results have been very gratifying for me, and that’s an important aspect of any do-it-yourself undertaking.