Reasonable '75 Commando paint jobs, New question

A sticker is a positive (solid letters / image), a stencil is a negative (or cut out letters/image).

What I used was a sticker, the same sticker that could have been used by itslef on top of the basecoat. I chose to first paint the entire tank gold and apply the sicker and the pin stripe.
I then I paintend the entire tank with Metallic Graphite (which I call a basecoat). I then peeled off the stripes and stickers. This left the gold underneath them exposed.

I could have used a stencil on top of the graphite base coat and and paint just the logo on top, but I didn't. I also did not want to use a sticker on top of the basecoat either.

JD

Got it.

Dave
69S

I've used the rattlecan 2K primer with great success. Haven't tried the clear but I hear good things about it. I get them from the local auto paint stores. Most of the paint shops will also mix up a rattle can of base coat of your choice. An alternative to that is buying a half pint of base and spraying with a Preval :
http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_the_preval.cfm

They work very well. Of course you'll need reducer too, so the cost goes up. I just spent $80 for one pint of metalic blue for a friend's Honda that I'm painting now. A metric cruiser with big 'retro' fenders. Took almost the whole pint.

What I used was a sticker, the same sticker that could have been used by itslef on top of the basecoat. I chose to first paint the entire tank gold and apply the sicker and the pin stripe.
I then I paintend the entire tank with Metallic Graphite (which I call a basecoat). I then peeled off the stripes and stickers. This left the gold underneath them exposed.

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I did exactly the same thing on this Interstate:



The trick is to get the decals off while the paint is still wet without leaving tweezer marks...

How do you keep it from bleeding under the sticker or do they stick that good?

Dave

They stick TOO good. Hard to get off without tearing. In fact, I take the decal with backing removed and "stick" it to my jeans first, just to put some fuzz on the adhesive and weaken it a bit.

Watching this with interest. I am doing up my Interstate tank & side panels to put on my 750. I have always put the lines on afterwards & then put on the Norton sticker. I do find those stickers hard to remove, use a hair dryer to soften them.
How do you remove them?

Vinyl is easier to get off when it is recently applied. After it sits for days and heats and cools it becomes harder to remove. We would use vinyl for temporary "N" numbers on airplanes. Frfeshly paint the permanant number, then mask with the vinyl until paperwork went thru. It was easier in the first few days to remove, but after a month or two heat and patience was required.

on my tank, after the gold was fully dried and cured is when I applied the stickers (I assume they were vinyl - from O.B.). Sprayed the Graphite metallic and in about 3 1/2 hrs, peeled them off. So they weren't on for very long at all. I used a straight pin to grab the corner of each part (under a magnifying lens), cautious not to dig into the gold or surrounding color coat, to start the pull off, then used my fingers very carefully to fully remove them.

JD

Those are some very nice spray jobs, guys. Kind of makes me want to try my hand at painting my own tins. Alas, I'm too lazy and I don't really feel like doing the body work, either, so... Mine are getting sent to Brent later this week for a midnight purple paint job with silver lettering and lines.

There are a million ways to get where you want with these things. Some options are cheaper than others and may be just fine for your needs. For me, it's worth it to not have to mess with it I guess.

-Jordan

congrats for the great jobs I have seen on this thread..
the issue I am personally very keen is not just not using the stickers on the tank (as I may know, Norton would use just stickers which you may touch when passing your hand) rather having that beautiful hand striping where you could see small imperfections of the colour due to the brush.. This is something I would really like to find someone still doing it!
have fun with this video.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTIMxeO_ng
do you know anyone able to doing this, perhaps even in Canada?

You'd have to find a MA$TER pin stripper. parallel stripes on both side, with both left and right side symetrical. Artists like that exist and usually charge a fair price.
When done by an expert, they are a thing of beauty to behold. Question is, would you clearcoat over the hand pin stripping? or leave it as the original and have it weather over time?

JD

jeffdavison said:

You'd have to find a MA$TER pin stripper. parallel stripes on both side, with both left and right side symetrical. Artists like that exist and usually charge a fair price.
When done by an expert, they are a thing of beauty to behold. Question is, would you clearcoat over the hand pin stripping? or leave it as the original and have it weather over time?

JD

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this is a good question! and it took my sleep for few nights when I had to make my old BMW tank repainted/restriped..
at the end I chose for a light layer of laquer on to keep it..
the painter who did the entire job was clever because I assume in the end masqued the stripes but at the same time used a brush to keep the originality.. (and it did not cost very much) Unfortunately he is in Europe as my BMW..
yes! I am looking for a master and perhaps who is able to doing a job like that as the bikes were coming from the factory may be called a Master.. any name?
ps. anyway, I am looking to have a 'D' shaped single stripe on my tank (not a double one)..

From paint supply house that serves the auto paint industry I got catalyzed sanding primer in rattle can for about $20.
Once activated good for 24 hrs.
They mixed custom color and put in rattle can for $40.
I used decals from Old Britts and clear coated over.
Side covers worked great but because of stiffness of backing paper I couldn't get the main tank decals to lay down smooth.
Stipped off with 2000 wet dry.
Got Stencils from Old Britts for tank (not available for side covers)
Went on fine. I slit up from the bottom in some places to help fit to curve. See pics.
Used Dupli-Color that was a great match for the silver decals of side covers (Silver Charcoal BFM0236)
Top wet sanded lettering with 2000 with soft backing pad.
Clearcoated with catalyzed spray can $20 (Spray Max 2K Rapid Cut-in Spot Clear Coat Part No. 3 680 062 gasoline and UV resistant $22 ) Super stuff but toxic so respirator required (I held breath and ran in and out of garage :wink: ) Once activated good for 24 hours.
Glass smooth finish and when you run hand over tank you can't feel the lettering.
Materials cost about about $90
Bob

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad82 ... CF9656.jpg

Hey Guys,
Brent, The Vintage Vendor here. You guys have done an excellent job of providing powerdoc with a wealth of good information. But keep in mind, his original wishes were to do the John Player red/white/blue color scheme on his Roadster. The topic seems to have shifted to mostly spraying one main color, plus a stripe/lettering second color. He contacted me to get a quote and I gave him a price of $795 to do the John Player job. There are 4 colors that have to be sprayed including the gold for the lettering, which is done using stencils, so in the end, it's all paint. Yes, you can clear over decals, but often they don't lay down quite right and you get bubbles or wrinkles. I use PPG top quality materials and do everything myself. There have been some very nice things said about my work on this forum. There is nothing I like to hear more. Thank you! I feel the quoted price is reasonable for the amount of work involved to do a JP and the level of quality he will get, not perfect, but very nice. There is no question a DIY job will cost less. But if you don't get it right the first time, those materials, even DIY materials get expensive. I can provide pics of my final product and the in-process pics, as I have done to powerdoc to anybody if they are interested to see. There may be places that will do it for less. If you find one, ask to see samples of their work and make sure they are familiar with doing bikes, and this particular color scheme. It's EASY to screw it up as there is a lot of layout. A lot of bodyshops will take something like this on and often it sits in the corner as they are busy doing collision work. I have told powerdoc to check around and see what is out there. I would say if you can find somebody who will, strip parts to metal, etch them, do minor bodywork, prime and block them, epoxy seal, basecoat 4 colors, clearcoat using top quality urethanes and materials, wetsand and buff the parts for less than $795, you should jump on it.
Cheers,
Brent
www.vintage-vendor.com
brent@vintage-vendor.com

I have told powerdoc to check around and see what is out there. I would say if you can find somebody who will, strip parts to metal, etch them, do minor bodywork, prime and block them, epoxy seal, basecoat 4 colors, clearcoat using top quality urethanes and materials, wetsand and buff the parts for less than $795, you should jump on it.
Cheers,
Brent

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I wouldn't do it for any less than that, and I'm not a pro. With the quality of your work (as evident from previous posts), I'd say it's a bargain.

definately a bargain for that price. If I had to do it again I'd go with Brent.
I just got sucked into doing mine. I decided to stip the tank (had a couple cans of spray stripper left over from sometime ago), then I saw some dents and I also hapend to have some body filler left over from another project. OK, had to prime it so it wouldn't rust. Then I figure what the hell, just do the whole thing. In the end spent more in time and money than it would have cost to send it to Brent.
If I didn't have the time, or skill to DIY, then it would have gone to him immediately.

JD

Like I said before. Save yourself the headache and problems associated with DIY and lower quality and just go with Brent.



Any questions?

no headaches or grief, stress, or problems for me, just ALOT of work, for me it was actually quite theraputic and relaxing. Plus no matter what I would have paid to outsource, it would not have given me the same sense of accomplishment. That is priceless.

JD

Agreed on all points Jeff.