January 12th, 2010, 05:01 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Bre
Location: Bay Area, CA
Join Date: Dec 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 15
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cracked fairing? broken tabs? plastic fix paint prep how-to as requested
ok I'm painting my gfriends ninjette, she's breebles, I'm josh. I know it's confusing but I'm using her account on here to share some info.
it's pretty much done, just need to buff and polish the clear coat. I did lots of plastic repair so I can help people with ?'s on this topic. I'm a painter by trade, but I mostly restore homes. bikes is a side thing. anyways I am using the new PPG waterborne stuff for the base coat and using a 2 part urethane clear (Omni 2.1 mc262/mc267). love the waterbase paint, it's the best auto paint I've ever used. for the plastic repairs I used this stuff: 3M 05895, Automix EZ Sand Flexible Parts Repair Kit. it is amazing stuff. I learned a lot about plastic repair. and some evercoat polyflex plastic filler, for gouges and whatnot. that stuff is great, too. very strong, but you can bend it in half without it cracking once dry. I even made my own peg/mounting boss thing(not sure what the proper term is) out of random materials and jb weld and attached it using the automix stuff. it's super strong! here's what the bike looked like before: here's the photoshopped plan: between clear coats here's one of the newest pics from the last clearcoat still in the spraybooth: an example of the damage: both sides are split at these corners an example of a small crack, it ends where the drill hole is the stuff: both sides of the fairing had cracks in the top corners of the fairing where it curves around. to fix I drill holes and grind in grooves like stitches for the filler to sink into. so on top when it is sanded flush you are left with a good amount of product holding it together. on the back side it can be built up so this is unnecessary. on the crack on the flat section in the middle I grind in a v-shaped channel over the crack for the filler to sink in. drilling a small hole in the end of the crack stops the crack from spreading further. fixin: primed: I also used the 'ding king' to pull a dent in the gas tank. I love this tool! it works great. I fixed a tab first using the automix by digging channels, filling, etc. it held up great and even took a fall without snapping. after the fall I had to reattach another tab, which I did using another technique I learned about. I plastic welded it together w/ a soldering iron and then melted a piece of squiggly mechanic's wire into it for strength. this seems to have created a pretty strong bond. we'll see down the road if either fails... the wire method: here's both tabs, bottom one attached w/ automix. I also attached that peg I made out of random stuff and jb weld w/ the automix. I stuck it on there with a bit of wire, then ground in grooves in the peg for the filler to sink in and hold it on better. I used a dremel sanding drum, filled it with the automix then wrapped it around the peg to make a base. it ended up being very strong, I can't pull it off. hope this can be helpful to people doing plastic repairs. any ?'s just ask. |
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January 12th, 2010, 05:12 PM | #2 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: J.G.
Location: Austin
Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): '09 zx6r Green/Black, (ex-)Diablo Black '09 Ninja 250r Posts: 959
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Nice write up - bike will look sick once finished.
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January 12th, 2010, 05:18 PM | #3 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Bre
Location: Bay Area, CA
Join Date: Dec 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 15
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thanks! I'm gonna wanna ride it, too.
I actually dig this bike, it's fast and light. what else could you want? my bike is a 71 cb750, but I'm redoin a bunch of stuff, will be a bit 'fore it's done. I have a cbr, too but I'll prob sell it to buy parts for the cb. so we'll both be riding this lil toughie for a bit. |
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January 12th, 2010, 05:21 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Chris
Location: LA
Join Date: Dec 2009 Motorcycle(s): 250r Posts: 199
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Great write-up...are you using a spray gun and compressor if so what kind?
Last futzed with by Chubbs032; January 12th, 2010 at 06:32 PM. |
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January 12th, 2010, 06:25 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Rick
Location: Alexandria, Louisiana
Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much.
MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14
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Great write-up. You realy know your stuff. Can't wait to see the end product.
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January 12th, 2010, 06:37 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Ken
Location: Indio, CA
Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 3
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Good, interesting details.
With the different bikes I've had over the years, I've always been curious about plastic repair. I guess that's out of necessity! I like the poster too!
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January 12th, 2010, 09:08 PM | #7 |
Live Life
Name: Don
Location: Lincoln, NE
Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Green SE Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
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Great write up and pictures Josh. Thanks especially for the product information. It will be a big help to a lot of people.
You should open your own account when you get a chance, were always glad to have more minds working the problems the group comes up with.
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January 12th, 2010, 09:32 PM | #8 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Bre
Location: Bay Area, CA
Join Date: Dec 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 15
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this is still josh-
thanks you guys. glad I could help. yeah, I'm using a compressor 5hp. 26 gal. it does just fine for painting or even using a da sander. I'm using a harbor freight HVLP gun. it works fine as long as I keep it clean. obviously at some point I wanna get a better spray gun, but it works great for the price. (about $40 on sale) I used to have a good quality HVLP setup and it wasn't that much better. had to sell Bre's workin late. I'm hand polishing the clear while watchin movies. I know that sounds crazy, but I'm waiting to get a lambswool attachment in the mail for the random orbital, and I just want to do some of it now so I can show her what it'll look like when done. it's pretty labor intensive, but I got Predator and Predator 2 to keep me company. the 1st starring our governator, who once road my bike (a cb750) in Terminator. fun fact! |
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January 12th, 2010, 09:45 PM | #9 |
stuck on Honda
Name: joshua
Location: with Bre
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1971 CB750 K1, 1989 CBR600F Posts: 9
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ok, I just did. so this is me. feel free to ask any painting questions as well.
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January 12th, 2010, 09:47 PM | #10 |
stuck on Honda
Name: joshua
Location: with Bre
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1971 CB750 K1, 1989 CBR600F Posts: 9
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actually, that's Bre in the poster! her ex did that for a show flyer. I happen to like his art.
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January 12th, 2010, 10:24 PM | #11 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
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Great thread!
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January 12th, 2010, 10:52 PM | #12 |
no joy
Name: Six
Location: Cali
Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 2006 636 Posts: 408
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nice work welcome to the boards-
Hows that duplicolor? I heard good things about it. any tips on buffing the clear? thanks- |
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January 12th, 2010, 11:57 PM | #13 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Paul
Location: Roanoke, VA
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Candy Plasma Blue 250R Posts: A lot.
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Thanks a bunch for the thread/info. Hope I never need it but almost sure I will at some point.
Must see pics of the finished bike though. Gonna look slick!
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January 13th, 2010, 03:00 PM | #14 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Bre
Location: Bay Area, CA
Join Date: Dec 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 15
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Am I a lucky girl or what!!
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January 13th, 2010, 04:08 PM | #15 | |
stuck on Honda
Name: joshua
Location: with Bre
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1971 CB750 K1, 1989 CBR600F Posts: 9
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Quote:
as far as buffing clear- one tip is I've noticed- air power is not as constant as electric. I didn't want to actually buy a polisher cuz I have so many different sanders and crap that I figured I could make something work. I have a really nice dewalt random orbital sander with variable speed, I am going to use a lambswool attachment with that for most of it on the low setting. little stuff by hand. but I have used my air die grinder or a drill in the past, chucked up to a foam pad or foam buffing ball(mother's makes them, at the auto parts store, looks like a pom-pom or loofa) I have an awesome Mac tools die grinder, but I like the drill better, it gives you constant speed. the air tools get faster as you move away from the surface and can cause probs if they go too fast. never use a 'polisher' w/out variable speed. you want to go relatively slow. use a polish that says it's for clear coats. for the average person w/ average tools the drill/mother's ball combo works pretty well. to start with though, you have to wet sand a bit, some people call it color sanding or color blocking. depending on how bad your finish is you can start with 600 grit or 1000 grit. I would only use 600 if it's really snotty or you have a run. it takes that much longer to polish out. use water w/ a drop of dish soap. try to use some type of backing pad for your paper. a sanding sponge if you have one, a sanding block(the rubber kind) maybe for flat areas or just a scrap of flat rubber. avoid edges/corners/pointy parts! you can go through em pretty fast and have to recoat. get the area wet that you're going to sand with a clean sponge/rag, whatev. go slow, make lil swirls. you'll see the surface dull and the low areas/craters will stay shiny, keep wet-wiping it down to get the muck off and avoid scratches from stuff gettin in there. your paper will last a lot longer if it stays a bit wet. it helps with the clogging. you can figure out ways to keep it cleaner and make it last longer. sometimes I use a putty knife or compressed air. when you see most of the shiny spots go away you can start workin your way down the sandpaper chain. use 1000, then 1500, finish with 2000. again be REALLY careful of edges/ridges/corners. |
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January 13th, 2010, 04:16 PM | #16 |
no joy
Name: Six
Location: Cali
Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 2006 636 Posts: 408
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good deal JOsh thanks!
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January 13th, 2010, 04:26 PM | #17 |
stuck on Honda
Name: joshua
Location: with Bre
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1971 CB750 K1, 1989 CBR600F Posts: 9
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another lil tip. to make a sanding pad out of a sheet of sandpaper.
good for tight spots or when you don't want to use something else as a backing pad for some reason. take a sheet of sandpaper, or 1/2 , 1/4 sheet. fold it in half. use a putty knife or screwdriver handle or something to crease 1/2 of your fold, so just to the middle. tear the crease, just to the 1/2 way point. fold each side over the other so that every sanding side is facing a paper side, this way it stays in one piece and doesn't move around or fall apart as you're sanding. you end up with 2 surfaces and can refold to use the other 2. here's some pics to show you what I mean. this sounds silly but it makes a huge dif compared to just folding a sheet of paper in 1/4s the normal way. and it gives you a nice little pad. example using a 1/2 sheet: |
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January 14th, 2010, 11:09 PM | #18 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
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January 30th, 2010, 12:19 PM | #19 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
Location: Newnan, GA
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.
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Thanks for the info. You seem like the guy to ask about painting questions, but I'm not ready to ask just yet.
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January 30th, 2010, 06:20 PM | #20 |
stuck on Honda
Name: joshua
Location: with Bre
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1971 CB750 K1, 1989 CBR600F Posts: 9
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so , she's finally done. kinda. I still have to do the 'ninja' kanji on the sides and put on the bar-end mirrors. we got some really cool block offs from JDA custom. they are polished aluminum and say ex. cool! I just got leds for the asian cycle flush mounts in the front. cool because you can't see the bulbs. the signals have clear lenses so it looks nice and clean this way. I'll post a couple more pics after I put on the leds and the bar ends. and when I do the kanji bit.
here's some pics for now: |
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January 30th, 2010, 06:42 PM | #21 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Paul
Location: Roanoke, VA
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Candy Plasma Blue 250R Posts: A lot.
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That looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing
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January 30th, 2010, 06:45 PM | #22 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
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Looks great!
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Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered) |
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January 31st, 2010, 01:48 AM | #23 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
Location: Newnan, GA
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.
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No mirrors?
You seemed like the one to ask. If someone wanted to, say, paint the headlight cover with the same color as the surrounding fairing to reshape it, how would they go about doing it? What if they wanted to extend the fairing color onto their windscreen a little too? Like this... Also, I see that you have fitted plates where the mirrors go. Are they custom? That's what the previous-gen needs to look really nice... a paint job like yours, a non-square headlight, turn signals like yours, and something other than those stalky two-piece staggered mirror arms. Oh, and the fender eliminator like yours with a false cowl-line seat cover from CustomSeatCreations. Is there a kind of "reflective undercoat" to reflect back in the light that hits the paint-covered portion of the headlight lens so it can be projected back out by the reflector? |
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January 31st, 2010, 06:11 PM | #24 | |
stuck on Honda
Name: joshua
Location: with Bre
Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1971 CB750 K1, 1989 CBR600F Posts: 9
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Quote:
you can paint anything if you prep it right. glass is definitely tricky, though. a rule of thumb is to think about the smoothness of the surface and if you put a sticker on it would it just peel right off or stick good. make sense? the surface needs to have 'teeth' for paint to grab onto and bond with. if it is too smooth it will just peel off. you can give a surface toothiness by sanding or using some kind of etching solution. for your idea I would think about getting colored latex decal/sticker paper stuff. I think if you could stretch it a bit you could cover the headlight, then cut out the shape you like. if you really want to paint it you can but ask the guy at the paint store what kind of primer he suggests for glass. I'm not sure about that. or check online, someone has done it before. and if you want to do it short term, to see what it looks like- don't prep at all, just spray on paint and let it dry. you will see how easy it is to scrape it off afterwards. as far as the windshield, just prep it like normal. it should paint just like the rest of the plastic. anything you paint you should scuff sand first. the prep work is 90% of painting. and it's what will make it last and look good. use green or blue tape to make your lines (green is cleaner, blue stickier) and if you have curves like in your example then get 1/4" green tape to make the line. it's a lot easier. then use the wider stuff and masking paper to fill in the rest. push down your tape well along the edges. there are a million other little tips, but it's stuff you learn from trial and error. good luck! Last futzed with by PainterJosh; February 1st, 2010 at 02:35 PM. |
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February 2nd, 2010, 04:36 PM | #25 |
North Alabama Mtn. ryder
Name: Nate
Location: Alabama
Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Posts: 537
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that paint looks great!
nice muzzy, that'd be cool if you put her nickname on the can
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February 2nd, 2010, 06:51 PM | #26 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
Location: Newnan, GA
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.
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Thanks for the tips!
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October 9th, 2013, 02:55 AM | #27 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Dino
Location: San Francisco, CA
Join Date: Jun 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Kawasaki EX250(Bright Yellow) Posts: 441
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I thought this was worth bringing back!
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