Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Whew!

I knew 30-60 days was too long. OK so I've got turtlewax polishing compound (and scratch remover). Will this do for the buff after the 1500 grit?

Looking at the finish I think you're right. I can see the orangepeel texture under the final clear on the rest of the bike. Whoever did the last paintjob must've sanded and buffed the clear and not the paint just like I'm planning to do on the fairing. I won't be happy unless they at least have the same visual texture. The orangepeel is really noticeable on the fairing as it is.

So, sanding that final layer of paint would really give depth to the finish once the clear is on and finished. Oh well, there's always another time.

Lightly wet sand, dry... polish/buff wet too? Circular motion?

I've got the pads for a buffer (someone stole it) that I plan to use by hand.
I also have some Microtex polishing towels that I got at walmart. Use those also? What sort of motion? Circular?

Then rinse and air dry I suppose. Then back on the ride!

Using that may take more work. It is probably finer than you really want, being designed for the average Joe to use without damaging the paint. You have graduated beyond that by painting your own faring, and there is no turning back now!

I use 3m super duty rubbing compound, applied with clean fingers, or a terry buffing bonnet. You rub in small circles until you feel the compound go from gritty to a broken down powder. It's hard to describe, but you'll feel the compound break down as you rub. Just keep rubbing until the reflections appear. Use pretty significant pressure...more than you might think at first. Machine buffing is different... here's a photo of my bike, in the shade after machine buffing with Kit Scratch out. It is probably similar to your turtle wax...suitable for final buffing. I'd recommend you do the faring by hand, though.

I'd already started by the time I checked for the post. I wasn't impressed at first. I wet sanded with the 1500 four times. Used the compound three times. There was an overall improvement in surface texture. It really smoothed out after the paper. The compound really didn't start to show real luster until I started using it out of the container straight- no excess water on a barely damp polishing cloth. Then it took two goes at it while breaking a sweat to get it close to where I wanted it. I almost despaired before that.

Never achieved the original gloss that was so deep, clear and amazing. This looked smoother and probably matches the rest of the bike better (which is pretty glossy) but I was hoping for the deep gloss. Perhaps my materials and lack of expertise let me down. Maybe another polishing round would have put me right there. Anyways I'm pretty impressed and thanks for the advice. I'll do exactly as you described in the next case: I know exactly what I want to paint-




This really took very little time and would have been less I suppose with the proper sequence of grit and compound. I think anyone with the time should sand between coats if they are doing a big project. I can see how it'll be worth it. Pics to follow in a few days.

Sun PM:
Here are the pics. I wish they were better. They come close to doing the job justice.









The fairing now looks like it belongs on the bike. Before so so. Thanks!

There were a few crackles in the finish before I polished it. I wonder if that is a result of too many coats of clear too fast. Polishing seems to have addressed some of it.

In a couple weeks I'll pull it back off and give it another good polish to try and deepen the shine... then I'll wax it.

Looks good in the photos . You can still use the 3m superduty. And, you can polish the rest of the bike with it! I use it on guitars, too. Anything with a few coats of paint on it. Get it at one of the auto parts stores.

Make sure you wait a month before waxing. You can probably leave it on the bike, too. Remember, First crack at this. It gets easier with practice.

ronboskz650sr, you are a legend! I have been having huge amounts of problems with painting the bike, orange peel etc etc, and no one has been able to give us any real good constructive advice.

Finally! I may actually get the bike painted and on the road before the summer completely goes!

Thanks for all the info!
S

A legend, Wow. Thanks! I think the one single thing I can advise is this...Be aggressive in this process. It's just paint, and if you sand or rub through it, you can reshoot. Agressive sanding and polishing give you the information you need about where the limits are with the paint you're using. In most cases, people don't rub nearly hard enough when hand polishing, or they don't move the buffer slowly enough because they are afraid of burning through. When you are new at this, you need to learn where that point is. In some cases, with enough coats of paint, the shine will appear first, and you will just amaze yourself. In others, (particularly on sharp edges and contour lines) you may be headed back to the spray gun or can for a touch up and retry. In every case, the compound has to break down to get the final shine. If it didn't, you aren't done.