Hey guys, Looking for any advice.......I'm a relatively handy and knowledgable guy. Construction guy and do most of My mechanical work. Getting ready to put a 21" wheel / tire combo on my Fatboy and Ultimately want to change to a Heritage type front fender. I have the 2 tone Paint scheme and have been looking for the same color scheme heritage fender, but haven't had much luck with one in good condition so I am curious about a few things....

* If I decide to get a fender and paint it, I have found the proper decal for the fender, would I be best getting a Raw fender and doing the entire paint job from Scratch or can I get a Vivid Black fender, and then apply the decal and lay down the silver, and then clear coat the entire fender ?

* Also started Looking at a Quick Release Bat Wing Fairing so the same question would apply. Is there a big difference in painting the Fairing due to it being Fiberglass as opposed to the Tin of the Fender ?

Any Advice / Direction is greatly appreciated. And just so anyone wondering knows, I understand that I don't have experience in painting of this sort really, but it is just a fender that, if it didn't turn out well, could be re-done relatively easy, so I don't mind learning and experimenting.

Thanks Again

 

I'm not a painter. That's my brother's job. I've done some and it came out OK. Just OK.

This could get expensive for a fender unless you already have a decent gun and shop materials.
The tips I have are:

Wear a respirator. A paper dust mask isn't a resperator. You're not going to have good ventilation to start with. Protect your lungs.

You need ventilation but this gets tricky. Just putting a box fan under the garage door is going to do more harm than good to the paint. Try to diffuse or filter any air you're introducing into your painting area.

Clean the painting environment. If your garage doesn't have a finished ceiling, staple plastic to the exposed trusses over where you're painting. Do NOT paint outside.

If there's sanding dust all over the place, sweep and blow it out. wait at least an hour before you start painting. If it's a broomed concrete slab, I'd wet it before starting.

You need a TON of light from every angle. Some tube fixtures on or close to the floor will help.

Think about how you're going to hang or stand the part. is the hanger going to get in the way? can you get to all of the surfaces from different angles?

Prep is everything.The paint will not cover up anything, it will make dings,sanding marks and uneven body work more obvious.

When you think it's enough, sand a little more.

Use NEW 3M tape.Don't use the old masking tape on your bench.

Practice on an old fender first. Laying paint isn't as easy as it looks on TV.

Make sure the paint is spraying BEFORE you get to the part. Begin your sweep about 6 inches before you get to the metal.

Don't rush and don't lay the paint too heavy. sanding out drips, sags and runs can get ugly.

Watch some youtube videos and search google for garage painting instructions and tips.

Understand that the odds of it matching so it looks like OEM are slim the first time you try it.

Good luck!

 

Thanks BoonDock, Most of that stuff, with my construction experience, I am aware of, but good reminders. Was actually gonna set up a little booth with some Negative Air similar to what we do for many abatement jobs and such. Filtered openings for the air entering to filter any dust and so on. I have a Half face mask for the lungs. Some of the basics I know and know I would have to work with and practice, such as the spray technique and not laying it too thick. My biggest question is should I get an already painted Vivid black Fender and prep it so that I Lay the silver on it, or get a bare fender and paint the whole thing ? How long between and how many coats of Paint would be needed ? I'm thinking a couple coats of each (Primer, Paint and Clear coat) at the least. I guess the other thing I want to get 100% in my head is the wet sanding....... I see alot of threads and talk about the grit of the wet sanding for the different steps.

Well, thanks again for your input.

 

"Use NEW 3M tape. Don't use the old masking tape on your bench" ... ALWAYS!!! ... and remember ... Cleanliness is super important.

 

I hear ya Uncle Larry...... We use the green frog tape from 3M alot so that it doesn't leave a residue and comes off easy as well. Clean and patient will be my challenges.....I can be clean, and I can be patient too, but tend to want to move onto the next step sometimes sooner then I should. Or sometimes take some of the Cleanliness issues for granted. Then I end up with a "damn, shoulda done this or that" moment.