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Dyna Glide ModelsSuper Glide, Super Glide Sport, Super Glide Custom, Dyna Glide Convertible, Super Glide T-Sport, Dyna Glide Police, Dyna Switchback, Low Rider, Street Bob, Fat Bob and Wide Glide.
I lived with this vintage "ripped machine" custom paint scheme for almost 5 years...I never liked it but it got a lot of compliments.
BEFORE
I got bored this summer and stripped it to bare metal and started over...and now it looks like this...two base coats of midnight blue with a light coat of clear metallic over that and a few clear coats over that all polished up...
AFTER...
I have never tried to paint anything with a HVLP gun but I get bored easy and like to try new things...
It is a blank canvas right now until I can come up with something
If that's your first attempt at painting, you got real talent.
yes...and no.
Truth. I have never sprayed paint using a siphon or HVLP spray gun.
I started out in late June intended to do it with rattle cans in gloss black but I was too impatient to wait for it to fully dry in our high humidity so I kept messing up and the more I worked on it, the more I just could not wrap my mind around black. I had finally finished the fenders by the end of July but kept messing up on the tank so I just stripped it and started again.
I got a cheap $12 Harbor Freight HVLP gun and kept messing up because I couldn't get the spray adjusted so I set it aside and went back to the automotive paint store and after some teasing, got a better model and some quick lessons on setting up and adjusting it...by that time I had made every mistake possible...including dropping and denting the rear fender. I pretty well knew what not to do by then...
So, this is the almost finished product of my very first painting attempt using a compressor and spray gun but it took many attempts and failures to get this far...and I know where every blemish is and scratch is...
The tank only has two clear coats on it and really needs at least a couple more. I was holding off on putting on more until I could decide what needs to go there...purple pearl ghost dragon? I got a pair of stencils around here somewhere....
I'm having a hard time believing that is your first time painting. It looks really good. Good job man. To be honest I really like the paint that was already on it but I know how it is. Either way it looks like you found yourself a new skill. I found a starter kit for powdercoating online and I really want to get into that and possibly start doing it on the side. Maybe you could start taking sidework painting?
I have played around with bondo and used rattle cans painting small aircraft parts back in my avionics days but never sprayed paint on anything using a spray gun and compressor. I watched some youtube vids and it all just fell into place.
I have an old shop compressor so I got the attachments to use it to paint, set up a temporary paint booth in the garage and just did it. I went with lacquer after the epoxy rattle can failure because it was cheaper and easier to use (and fix my frequent dammits) than epoxy paint.
I washed it all with soapy water and 2000 grit, power buffed it with Turtle rubbing compound, followed by Turtle polish compound and finally a good coat of Turtle Wax...and a boatload of man hours...to get it this far.
The fenders have three thick coats of clear but I only put two thick coats on the tank so far.
I have looked at blue Harley Davidson medallions and stick-on medallions for later SG models and all kinds of things but nothing had jumped out at me yet...My neighbor, who rides a WG, said he would paint purple pearl ghost flames on it but it didn't look right on the test panel. I did a bar and shield logo using the metallic clear mid coat on the test panel and it looked good, but when I got one on the tank, it just looked too common so I took it off.
Whatever I decide, I really do NOT want to be down that long again...I missed riding all summer learning how to paint.
Looks pretty cool. And a nice looking bike....except for the tube running running down the side of the motor.
On the back burner...it was time to change the breather filter and I haven't stopped in and picked up another at Advance Auto yet...and I ain't about to plumb that back into my carb until then just to make it look better... .
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First try at painting...
