Clear coat buffing...

CBRAWR · 06-04-2007, 11:16 AM

Is it possible to buff a clear coat by hand? Also..what products are needed?

Artistimo · 06-04-2007, 11:26 AM

Well, it's possible to walk across the country but I'd rather drive, you know? lol For all the money you'd spend on equipment that won't even work as well you'd probably just want to take it to a shop that does a lot of bikes and see what they say. It's not like they're painting it or anything. Tell them you'd wash it really nice and they could buff it for you. If you have scratches, etc., you can have some or all of them sanded out and buffed. I'm guessing you're trying to save money, but I don't know what your bike looks like so it's hard to say. I bought a cheap orbital buffer from Walmart maybe ten years ago. Tried it once and haven't used it since.

CBRAWR · 06-04-2007, 11:39 AM

no actually its fresh paint, got some orange peel and the tank isnt as shiny as i'd like...the swing arm is shiny but still a tad bit of orange peel...its not the whole bike that im doing, because the plastics are not on the bike anymore..just the tank and swingarm...im sure the frame will turn out better

Artistimo · 06-04-2007, 02:33 PM

So someone painted this stuff for you? Or did you do it? Urethane or rattle can? If it's urethane this is really not an at-home job without the right materials. You'd want to sand that out with 2000, maybe even some 1500 first if it's really bad. Then it needs to be buffed but the Walmart stuff isn't going to work that well if you have to sand it. And orange peel needs to be sanded smooth then gone over with a good orbital buffer . I wouldn't know what to tell you about rattle can though if that's what it is. It would probably sand through very quickly.

CBRAWR · 06-04-2007, 03:04 PM

its the new laquer system from duplicolor, and i did it myself

Snow986 · 06-04-2007, 03:42 PM

The orange peel is probably in the base not the clear so i dont think it will really help take that away.

94rf900r · 06-04-2007, 04:29 PM

soem pics will help. if it is in the clear adn you want to do it yourself def buy a buffer go to harbor frieght i'm sure they have something for cheap. as for compound try soem of that perfect it II shit i think its made by ppg try googling it or something but thats the proffessional shit it should turen out well

CBRAWR · 06-04-2007, 05:59 PM

ahhh fuck! i just finished up the frame and ended up being just shy of having enough paint to finish it.....so now im gonna have to go spend another $20 for color and probably another $20 for clear just to finish off the frame....

94rf900r · 06-04-2007, 11:28 PM

sounds like your having a fun time

Artistimo · 06-05-2007, 11:18 AM

Ok, well I wouldn't use a high quality buffer on that anyway because they are designed to work with urethanes which are harder than what you're using. I have no experience with the lacquers you're using but I would guess it's going to be soft so you might be able to get a cheap buffer and go from there. Also, Perfect It is about 20 bucks a quart depending on where you get it from. Try buffing on an inconspicuous area first to test it out before doing the whole thing.

CBRAWR · 06-05-2007, 11:56 AM

well i've got the problem somewhat worked out.....this is my first "real" paint job and when i did the tank i dont think i had enough clear coat on it....i was trying to use as little as possible so i had enough for the entire bike but i went ahead and just got more clear while i was buying the other can of color........ive sprayed the frame completely and put more color on the tank after i wet sanded and so now i just need to clear both of them and ill be done *YAY!!!!!!!*

-T-O-O-L- · 06-05-2007, 03:52 PM

For buffing: wet sand scratches etc with 1500 grit then wet sand entire piece with 2000 grit. After that I use an attachment buffer pad on my DA sander and apply Finish Cut by Wizard, after that I apply Shine master by Wizard by hand and thats it.. its kind of a lame process but it helps a lot.. as for orange peel yeah it might come out if the orange peel was caused by the clear but if it was caused by the base or primer you're in trouble. Just try to buff it out as nice as you can. A variable speed buffer will make your life easier.. and wizard is the way to go for sure for buffing compounds. Expensive but worth it. Each bottle is about 20 bucks. Good luck