Challenging the Fun of “Candy” Painting, which Changes Dramatically with Layers of Paint!

How to

Even if you are able to maintain your motorcycle yourself, you will probably have to ask a professional to paint or repair the exterior parts, especially the petrol tank, which is the face of your motorcycle. However, if you want to try your hand at painting your own motorcycle, you're in luck! There are plenty of DIY enthusiasts out there who want to try their hand at painting their own motorcycle. It's scary to make mistakes. But if you don't try, you'll never know! Paint is one of those things that you just can't learn. Here we have tried our hand at spray painting with the help of a professional painter. Can you take the advice and make your own DIY project?

Layered candy paint for a finished look

Candy paint is a paint that varies greatly depending on the color and coloring of the base coat. There is no rule that the base coat has to be silver. Even if the same silver is used, the shine will vary depending on the roughness of the metallic. Also, adding subtle accents of color to the base coat color can make the finished look more interesting. This is an orange clear called Sienna and a dark blue clear called Indigo.


The stock Honda Ape white tank was sprayed with white surfacer after the footing degreasing and waited for it to dry. The surfacer dried quickly, so when it was dry, I used a dry type of Bufflex Green to do the footing work before painting. Then I sprayed it with white paint and after it was completely dry, I footed it again with Buflex. Buflex is great for peeling off the surface. If you have a good white tank, you can add Buflex and then paint it without buffing.

Canned Hoof Play for Waxing Off

This is the Ape tank after the white paint was applied and the footing work was completed. I used a degreasing solvent called "Wax-Off" (sprayed with a can of Isamu paint) to prevent the paint from sticking to the lines, and sprayed the wax-off on a paint rag to prevent fluffing.

If you use the width of the masking tape

When applying the masking lines, apply the masking tape at the width you want to paint, and then apply the masking tape according to the width of the tape. If you want to make pearl white, cover the pearl with white paint, wait for it to dry, and then blow clear paint thinly. If you paint pearl white directly, pearl white will be uneven, so it is better to paint pearl white thinly with clear paint.

Do not apply it all at once, but apply it in thin layers

It's the same with any paint, but especially with can sprayers, the pigment always sprays out when you press the nozzle, so be careful not to apply it too thickly all at once. Apply the entire paint just thin enough to let the base coat show through, then wait and repeat a few times to cut the tint. In this case, it's a candy clear sienna (orange), so the color gets deeper as you apply more coats.

When you get the color you want, stop spraying and wait for the paint to dry slowly. If you remove the masking tape while the paint is still drying, the bottom part of the paint film will not be dry and the paint will stretch and become threadbare. This is the source of failure, so take your time and let the paint dry thoroughly at all times. After the paint is completely dried, small burrs will appear on the edge of the layered paint, so use fine water-resistant sandpaper (No. 1500-2000) to polish off only the burrs.

Ape tank painted in three different colors


The bottom line of the tank was painted in Indigo Blue. Just like the top line of the sienna, you can adjust the depth of the color by applying a thin layer of paint, letting it dry, and then applying it again. You don't necessarily have to use a silver or gold metallic base to enjoy the texture of the candy.

After spraying Indigo on the bottom line, wait for it to dry completely, remove burrs from the line edge, and then apply a layer of fuel-resistant urethane clear to finish the gas tank. Even a DIY Sunmecha painter can achieve this kind of finish. From the normal design, it was transformed into a really sporty Honda Ape.

POINT
  • Point 1: Candy paint base is not all about silver and gold metallic paint.
  • Point 2: Candy paint is not sprayed all at once because the depth and intensity of the color is decided by layering, and it is layered especially carefully.
  • Point 3: Since the spraying condition of can sprayers changes due to a drop in gas pressure, the know-how is to soak the can in warm water to increase the internal pressure before spraying.

 

If you have experience with can spray paint in the past, even if it is not for exterior parts such as gasoline tanks & side covers, you will have a rough idea of how to use a can sprayer. The biggest feature of the can sprayer is that when the nozzle is pressed down, "the pigment always sprays out". In professional paint guns, when the trigger is initially depressed, only air is sprayed. When the trigger is squeezed further, the paint blows out. Therefore, a professional paint gun gives you a lot of control when spraying.

When using canned sprays, one must be careful not to rush or become impatient with the progress of the work. Many people say that impatient work is the biggest cause of failure in home painting. If you want to get a good finish, it is also important to create the right environment for painting. For example, it is important to know that the inside of a plastic house or a simple bicycle tent garage can be used as a great paint booth.

Although not limited to canned spray paint, the working environment has a great impact on the finish of any paint. In summer, when it is very humid and extremely hot, the paint tends to become rough and caked immediately after spraying. This happens because the thinner component flies off immediately after spraying. This is the reason why the open-air work in the middle of summer is easy to fail. On the other hand, in the cold environment of midwinter, the paint film after painting does not dry easily, so it cannot be said that workability is good. This is the reason why it is advisable to avoid working in mid-summer and mid-winter as much as possible.

Even if you are working in the open air, it is best to use a temporary booth like a plastic house or carport, as mentioned above. When the wind blows, dead leaves and garbage scatter, and in the summer, mosquitoes and small insects often stick to the surface. When such a problem occurs during painting, the best way is to stop painting, let it dry, and polish it off after it is completely dry. What I thought during the work this time is to spray clear paint to stabilize the paint film even during the work depending on the situation. For example, after painting the pearl, we need to add the line before adding the line. This is because the clear film does not make the pearl layer uneven. It is also said that the pearl adhesion will be improved by this procedure.

Homemade paint is undoubtedly difficult. However, the sense of fulfillment after the work is something you can never get with any other work. We were lucky to be able to borrow the Isamu paint lab this time, so we were able to work in the best possible environment.

When you get a second motorcycle in a tired condition, try to revive the condition by maintenance and get satisfaction by painting it yourself.

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