Painting your kit

[kev93_10]

I was planning on taking pics of the painting process for my pedal kit instructions but thought I might aswell bung them up here aswell.

Before I start, I'm no master painter. This is just how I do it and get good results. Hopefully you will too,

Here goes :

Tips :

1. Shake the spray can for donkeys. It really needs to be well mixed.
2. When finished, turn the can upside down and spray until just gas comes out. That cleans the nozzle and means the next time you use the can it's in good nick.
3. Do it in a well ventilated area or you might die.
4. If you get fluff, hair, etc stuck on the paint.......wait until it is fully dry and gently pick it off.

First things first, you need to clean the surface to be painted. You need to degrease and "key" the surface for painting. There's a bazillion ways to do this and a bazillion and one products to assist you. I use this :



It's cheap and safe - which is cool. It's also handy because it degreases and takes the "shine" off te surface at the same time. That makes it a lot quicker.

What you're after is a slightly dull finish like this :



From now on, don't touch the surfaces to be painted as your fingers will leave dirt/pish/grease on the surface.

Set up a "booth". Mine's a flat cardboard box on the floor!

I like to elevate the cases as they stick to the cardboard and are difficult to get off unless you damage the painted surface. In the pic below I've used small plant pots to lift them during the painting process.



You need to start with primer. Again, there's a bazillion products available but I use regular Halfords white primer.......like this...........



First of all, shake the can for ages. Then shake it a wee bit more. It really needs a good mix. Then spray in short bursts abotu 6 inches away. Try to "mist" the paint on so that it bonds immediately and doesn't run. Runs are very bad and look really bad.

Try to create as light a coat of paint as possible. You don't have to get 100% coverage as we'll be applying lots of coats. From experience, trying to get 100% coverage in one coat inevitably leads to runs in other areas. Anyway, after the first coat leave it for about 20 mins. Then repeat the process. Continue repating the priming process until...........

[kev93_10]

......you get a smooth even coat that's run free. Aim for something like this :




Then it's the fun bit. Colour.

The colour paint is the same stuff from Halfords. I used that stuff for years and had great results. The colour below is a custom colour I had made earlier in the year. It's almost the same stuff as Halfords but is mixed to my colour specs - so don't bother asking what colour it is!

First coat on.........



Anyway, repeat the process of priming. Short, fine coats until you get the desired finish.

With the colour stage it's essential that you take your time and leave it to fully dry between coats. Take your time and wait. You'll get an infintely better finish as a result.

Hope this helps!

K