Will try and read tomorrow.

Bit tired, been fabbing.

I empathize with you. But if you get thru reading it all, and we (the group) tend to go off track now and then, you will pick up quite a few things that will help you avoid some pitfalls. There are seldom any straight paths directly from A to ….. So i never expect one anymore.

MikeV

PS: Look at Lou’s latest shift on his “Alcoa”, as Cranky named it.

Thanks MikeV,

15 more pages!!!

Crumbs.

Love the exhaust and the swingarm.

Like the headlight mounts.

Painting:

I hate to admit this, but it has taken me about 14 years to recognize and correct an error in my ways. Priming and base coats were satisfactory, but clear coating has always defied me, finally resulting in the dreaded “solvent pop” malady early last year when i went to a new air compressor. My last effort looked like the milky way was before me.

Then i decided to read again how to paint. And in a flash i understood that i had been using pressures that were way too low. Even for HVLP guns. Passable for base coat, but awful for clear coat. I survived the 2011 build of the #8 IOM Pantah replica with beginner’s luck (winging it and $20 Harbor Freight guns) and continued down that path, like a mule.

Finally i found some simple two-minute instructions on how to read, understand, and use the pressure gauge on the paint gun. The difference between static and working pressure. Shocking. Duh!

Below are photos of: two painted in 2013; and three in 2025. The difference is evident. Neither are buffed. And now i hope to do even better. I have a lot of resprays to do. Paul will envy them. MikeV

Well done Mike!
You are right I am envious of your painting skills!!
I guess you also had the weather cooperating as well, humidity is a no fun when trying to g to put clear down.
Paul

Yes, that ran thru my mind too. And i tried different brands of clear, and slow, medium, and fast hardeners. And extended the time between coats to the maximum recommended. But nothing really changed until i got the working (trigger squeezed) pressure set/reading at around 30 PSI. Bingo.

I am still amazed at how long i looked before i found two guys who simply demonstrated what “set” the pressure regulator to a certain PSI actually meant. It just gets glossed over on most videos. Even the two books about painting cars that i have provide little explanation.

MikeV

At first I painted all my bikes, from the small parts, frame, bodywork, rims, but I find all the initial preparation so boring, that I decided not to paint large parts..
So good job.,Mike

Yep......Mike, you have improved, that tank looks beautiful. I have never picked up the painting skill. When I was a teenager I use to work on some cars with my Dad. He could lay some pretty good paint jobs down. Back then he used lacquer on everything. He said he couldn't paint for crap, just lay enough paint down that you had something to work with. He said his paint looked a little better that average job because of the post paint steps.....all the wet sanding and rub out. He once painted a 63 Corvette in our 2 stall garage.....just hose down the floor to keep the dust down

Clay