Painting Plastic Advice ???

[SHADOWPLAY288]

I'm planning on painting my blue plastics with black Krylon Fusion on my 08 WRX250 Yam. Anyone have ideas on the best techniques for this ? I've been told to lightly sand the plastics 1st ( lite paper or emery ? ). Next , 1 lite coat of black? Then lightly 'wet sand' ( lite paper or emery ? )and finish off with final coat(s) ? Clear coat to finish ? Any help would be appreciated , does this sound right ? How long in between coats ? Never attempted a painting project on such a new bike so I'd prefer not to not screw it up ! If the black plastics were cheaper I'd just do that but........... thanx DJ in NYC/Albany 09

[MAVEN]

I havent painted cycle plastics, but I always use a grey scotch brite pad to scuff stuff when I paint taillights or any other plastic

[nsh29]

it will look great once you get it done...

but the problem is the paint is only so thick, so any scratches will go right on thru to the blue, while the blue plastic is quite thick so the scratches in the plastic remain blue.

I think you will end up loving it until you drop it or hit it, etc, and then you will wish you either bought the black plastics or never painted in the first place.

I did my handguards with fusion and it looked great. I wanted to see if it would work well enough for the rest of the bike, but man after a good scratching it looks pretty shitty.

[ApTard]

yea , scuff it with grey scotch bright pad. Just take the shine off don't go crazy.

[toten]

it will look great once you get it done...

but the problem is the paint is only so thick, so any scratches will go right on thru to the blue, while the blue plastic is quite thick so the scratches in the plastic remain blue.

I think you will end up loving it until you drop it or hit it, etc, and then you will wish you either bought the black plastics or never painted in the first place.

I did my handguards with fusion and it looked great. I wanted to see if it would work well enough for the rest of the bike, but man after a good scratching it looks pretty shitty.

that's why you do a TON of THIN coats. if you're willing to spend all day doing thin coats it should come out pretty well. that's also why you want a bunch of layers of clear over it, so it doesn't always even get to the black paint.

[SHADOWPLAY288]

Do you wet sand in between each of the multiple thin coats (i'm planning on a half dozen coats ) ? Time will not be a factor as the bike will be out of action ALL WINTER ARGHHH !!!!! Is there a special 'plastic' clear coat or is it all the same ?? Thanx everyone,I'm feeling good about this project !! Already have the graphics picked out. DJ in NYC/Albany 09

[SMR 510RR]

Scuff the surface with some scotch bright like others have said...Make sure to wash after with hot soapy water.

Here is a tip that a friend of mine gave me for rattle can spray jobs on plastics. It works super well.

Get a large bowl of warm/hot water, hold the can in there for a couple min. after you are done shaking the hell out of it. Put the piece you are working on in a large cardboard box with one side open, grab your wife of girlfriends hairdryer, shoot in in the open end and try to match the temp of the piece with the paint temp. Make sure to hold the can about 10-12 inches away, most people that dont paint often screw this step up. Just put enough paint on it so that you can see it get glossy...dont add any more or it will run and you will be screwed.

Wait a day between coats, you can do it faster but if you have time i would wait longer. If a coat is not dry yet and you paint over it it will never fully dry and if you stack a bunch of them up you will be able to mold fingerprints into them...Trust me, i have dont it.

[FasYankee]

Go to a local sign shop, ask them for a couple quarts of frog juice. It's a 100% UV resistant clear coat that remains super pliable when it dries and is self leveling. There are thorough instructions on the can. BE SURE TO WEAR A RESPERATOR! This stuff is super duper wicked bad for you, it makes regular spraypaint look like deoderant spray. You can get it in rattle cans as well.

As the others stated, multiple thin coats is best.

[apa]

I just did this on a tank cover. Sanded ......probably too much as it looks rough after primer and painting......primer....and several coats of White Krylon paint. It still seems like it will scratch very easy.

[1sik450smr]

krylon works great just done mine on my ktm from black to white

[SHADOWPLAY288]

Thanx 4 all the excellent advice !!! Plan on black plastics with these graphics. Always liked the Yamaha Retro look. A throwback to 2 of the greatest racers of their era/sport : 'King' Kenny Roberts (YAM) and Bob 'The Hurricane' Hannah (YAM) !!! http://graphicmx.com/shroud/yamaha/yzf06retroslide.html The Black with White stripes graphics