PAINT, Tech post on laying out flames/masking

[Tuck]

Every painter has there own method of masking... mine has developed from useing masking tape, to gerber mask, to a liquid mask... back to good old masking tape

all in the name of "QUALITY"

its all about the line and how it flows, and how to keep the paint from flowing beyond that line. (BLEED THRU)

Here is my method, right or wrong its the highest quality method I've ever used.

You start out with blue fine line by 3M 1/8" tape b/c its easy to form to the curves. Some people like crape tape, there are many other options but with this method blue fine line works great.

so say your going to flame your traditional fat tire chopper that you ordered parts for from Jesse

First thing I do is adapt my buck to fit the bike parts to hold them secure.

This is KEY.
anybody tried to wetsand a bike tank in your lap? you get the picture http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Plus when it comes time to BUFF the bike your buddy isnt holding it down on the table wearing a face mask to keep the compound out of his eyes...

I'm going to SKIP the bodyworking part of this... lets just say that the bike was bare metal... etched, tank sealed and primed then skim coated, primed with surfacer and painted tripple black. Then wetsanded with 600 WET...

as it sits the clear is wet sanded. I'll get into some products later down the line so hold on.

Now we begin the magic

I play with the tape, usually go thru a few rolls with different layouts...

The layout is the most important thing... expensive paint will only amplify crooked lines and a bad design!!

try and tie it all together like a theme...

I do the layout in 1/8" blue fine line as mentioned above. I make sure that its as symetrical as possible and that the lines are as smooth and flowing as the flames... no STRAIGHT LINES here or there...

So heres the first pic.

After you do the layout in blue fineline you cover it in 2" masking tape so that its flat and smooth as possible. You will see the blue tape thru the masking tape.

[Tuck]

you use an exacto to cut out the flames.. you can see the fine line...

DONT cut thru it...

if you cut thru and into the clear those marks will show in after its cleared the final time.

[Tuck]

once you completely cover your work.. take the time and cut out the flames and this is what the work will look like...

you can adjust things from here...

[Tuck]

if a line is to FAT, you can slim it up w/more blue fine line and tweak it once you see it how it will actually look on the tank/fender

here is a pic of the Buck i use to paint with to secure the parts

NOTICE the tire... it inflates and deflates to fit the curve of the front fender or... it normally used for the rear fenders on say a Sportster...

everything else is either bolted down or hung on a rack.

I jam the parts // the underside first.. then mask them off and paint the outers...

[Roothawg]

Man you are the ginchiest.......

[Tuck]

before you start to paint your panels... you need to spray a test panel.

On this bike im useing kameleon RED to GOLD and Kandy Pagen Gold, with some flake and gold myan pearl as a shadow color,

I'll post pics of it painted when its finished

i was getting burnt so i decided to start this post to take a constructive break...

notice this test panel

it was sprayed with kameleon... the whole thing across...

then divided into squares, each square as it goes to the left is another layer of kandy...

you can see the effects of the kameleon wear off... BUT in the sunlight the HUE of the candy changes and looks deeeeep...

[Tuck]

heres another shot of that test panel, the candy really makes the dull kameleon look so rich it gives me woood...

[Tuck]

now that you have it down on how your going to lay out your color, go to work and spray... with what??

well i use a gravity feed HVLP Sharpe and the most precise tool

The IWATA

they are the best air brush you can buy... (as far as im concerned) http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif best quality for the money...

[Tuck]

make sure you remove any animals from the shop as HAIR, CAT HAIR can ruin all the time you just spent getting to where you are...

[Tony]

Hey Tuck..
Thanks for the little lesson...


Rat....

[Tuck]

I have my airbrush set up with quick disconnects, this is nice on a big project with more than one color, useing multiple air brushs... I just hook this line to my air hose... and quick connect to the brush...

[Roothawg]

Dude will you sign my nipple? You rock..........

[Tuck]

I used to guard all my techniques deemed as "secret" lol...

there isnt enough artists in this world

there needs to be more

so get cracking... I have been influenced by many different people... some sign painters in my local area are always sharing info... we Trade ideas, "secrets" to make the jobs work! Some on the hamb here... say Moriarity, Paso John, art tech from Foiled Again.. and others who have had paint posts or answered paint questions ive had in the past...


One thing I think really helps in smaller jobs like this is SPEED CLEAR... used with DCX 8 hardner and Enhancer.. you can wetsand this in 1 hr if its in a warm environment or under a lamp...

it speeds up the whole process, locks up fast and reduces your chances for RUNS (we call this hanging curtians)

[bobbleed]

Nice Work. Your pretty neat.

[Tuck]

the enhancer is an acid that speeds up the cure rate of the clear.

I'm going to stress this once in this post... this shit is not to be inhaled, any of it... its not to be taken lightly, read all PSHEETS, Materials handleing etc and make sure you wear a mask and its well ventilated... isocinates get you once...

once...
and your alergic to it for life...
i mean...
ONE SLIP UP IS ALL IT TAKES and your within 30miles of a bodyshop and you get PHYSICALLY SICK.
DONT FUCK AROUND

ok.. so this acid speeds it up and makes the clear look as deep as "my favorite hamb member here" ass... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Tuck]

this hardner is the most expensive hardner...

most people dont use it........

but i swear by this, it works BETTER and its worth the extra change

You mix the clear 4parts clear to 1part harder to 1 part reducer

[Tuck]

I add HOK candy intensifer to DBU 500 to "make my own" candy... its CHEAPER and works awesome.

[Roothawg]

Do you paint gassers? How bout really rough sedans?

[Sam F.]

i think tuck works for PPG!!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


j/k..thats all i use too!

[Tuck]

FLAKE you add to the clear... 4oz. to a quart. and its nice to have a big selection... it usually looks the best say... White flake over White, or black flake over black etc... I'm trying to build up as mush as PASO JOHN, some of which I got from him...

[Tuck]

lol root http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif and yeah butt renyolds im just partial to PPG, but love HOK, just not the $$$$

So heres some ways of saveing some money on CUSTOM PAINT http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Buy pearls at your local art supply store. Art Materials in Minneapolis buys pearl in BULK and divy it out in these little jars and sell it for next to nothing.

It works GREAT and you can get some sweet colors...

[Roothawg]

Pearls at your local art store??? What is it? Liquid? Paste? I have never heard this......do tell.

[Tuck]

Ok... class over for now.. LOL

I could go on and on.. but i need to paint this bike. SO

TO BE CONTINUED

and im only skimming the surface... just wanted to share some knowlege so ROOTHAWG can get going on flameing his own damn car cuzz I KNOW YOU CAN LAYOUT FLAMES!!!! IVE SEEN EM...

Tuck

[Tuck]

root,
its powder just like HOK or PPG

you add it to DBU 500 base coat or CLEAR...

[Roothawg]

Hey Ryan how bout a tech-omatic?
I like this post......even though Tuck is a girly painter.

[Hackerbilt]

Roots right about Tuck....
I even saw his pussy in one pic! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif LoL

Fantastic info and tips Tuck!
Like you say...Isocyanates MUST be respected.
I didn't, and now the paint gives me problems. I get depressed and MEAN for days after using CENTARI! I'm not safe to be around...all piss 'n vinegar...spoiling for a fight. NO paint...no problems! Weird stuff.
I stopped spraying 5 or 6 years ago and haven't had a single relapse. That stuff frightens the crap outta me now!
Melts your brain!
Mad PAINTER disease...?

Bill

[Tuck]

yeah my pussy's name is RACHAEL... shes supposed to keep the damn mice outta my shop but a mouse found its cat food and loaded up some 4x4 steel tubes with about 5pounds of it... right under her nose.

BILL that SUXX
the first truck I "custom painted" in tech school my buddys dad stayed up all night and watched, refused to wear a mask... the next morning... after inhaleing an unknown amount of PPG 2020 clear... HE WAS F'd up and was sensitized to it... anytime we sprayed it he got what we called a hangover... but similar symtoms as you described.

Mad painters disease... yeah.;;;

I buy the disposable 3M masks, make sure they fit your face... a beard or goatee suxx. I get a new mask like the package recomends about every 40 hours of use. I always try and put it back in the zip loc bag.



USE THEM!
tuck

[The Fidgiter]

I painted RED flames on my car once (spray bomb...looked real good though[see avitar]) without a real mask...my snot was RED for a couple days.

[poorboy]

cool post man. looks like a good candidate for the Tech-O-Matic!

[D Picasso]

indeed, great post. nice job. a good followup would be to detail how to make a perfect matching pattern for symmetrical flames using a pounce wheel and powder. like the pearl tip, too.

[chopolds]

Great post, Tuck. Nice design on the flame job, too! Are you still going to put the gold candy over the Chameleon, even though you begin to lose the color shift effect? It does have a nice look, in a way.
Just to clarify a point or 2, Tuck said you can make your own candy with HOK's Koncentrate. To make a standard strength candy, you use 8 parts clear to 1 part concentrate. You can also double or triple strength the candy if you are painting door jams, edges, or artwork where you don't want a thick paint build-up that the normal amount of candy produces. You can use the Koncentrate in a "base-coat" formula clear, too. This is good for artwork, as it is very fast drying, and you can tape over it in a half hour, or so. But you still need to use a finish-coat clear on top of it, to get protection from the elements, and have a high gloss.

[CAS]

Tuck...thanks for the tech. Your method of flame layout is exactly how I was taught and have been using on all my projects. I appreciate the tips on the clears and accelerators. I usually use PPG product, however there are sooo many and the guy I buy them from doesn't know much. Post any more tips you can think of.
I'm trying to catch up on my flake collection as well. I picked up 10 jars of Metalflake Gowble and 6 jars of Metalflake Spindrift. You can never have enough flake!

[Tuck]

Picasso~ i dont like useing that damn POUNCE method... lol... but your right it would be a good demo. I'll add that later~

right on chopolds... thanks for adding that. I have some more stuff ill post later CAS! as far as PRODUCTS... so you can play.

OLDS,I'm still going to use that kandy, the kameleon will pretty much be untouched thru most of the tips... kandy over most of the flame from the base of it up/ does that make sense? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ill post more pics later.

this is why the hamb bone ROCKS

so now to start your very own candy flamed fridge,http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif pratice on the one in the house.... OR find a round top and get goin... anyone in my local area I have SEVEN round tops and ill gladly donate one to a good home!

Tuck

[Tinbender]

GOOD SHIT! Thanks Tuck!