Topic: Orange Flake - Placed my paint order today

[LesterPiglet]

I think if I had his equipment/facilities I could make a pretty good effort. I've done a couple of very good tanks using only aerosols or those hobby sprayers you attach a gas can to. A decent compressor and a gravity fed gun would be a great help.

[chewbacca5000]

I think if I had his equipment/facilities I could make a pretty good effort. I've done a couple of very good tanks using only aerosols or those hobby sprayers you attach a gas can to. A decent compressor and a gravity fed gun would be a great help.

It's the result that matters.  If you can get the desired result with a can or hobby sprayer then go for it.  Maybe I will try a hobby sprayer myself.

[LesterPiglet]

It's very time consuming and can be expensive.

[chewbacca5000]

It's very time consuming and can be expensive.

I got some pics I will post tomorrow of a chain guard where 1/4 is super smooth and the rest has lots of orange peel.  The smooth was very close kinda like the photo above.  I am thinking having the gun too far away causes dry spray and is creating an orange peel.

Having experience with a particular type of equipment or technique seems to the difference.  I bet the guy in the video with his experiencing could use my little Harbor Freight gun and do a decent job.

Surprised non of the painting gurus are chiming in.

[Geeto67]

I started to write a reply to this and then got called away, by the time I got back it's up to two pages!

craft glitter has been used since the 1970s for the dry flake method (the flake buster method). I have a planet blue sidecover that someone shot blue craft glitter over in small amounts to "punch it up". Looks nice from far away, up close the glitter is too far apart and it looks like a kid's craft project (which I suppose it was).

However, I have an NOS 1975 cb750F Sunrise Orange Flake tank and if you look at the flake it is tiny. Really tiny. So tiny in fact that I don't think the dry method was used - I think it is a wet metallic silver base with candy over it. I'll try to get a pic of my tank this weekend so you can see - it really isn't as "flaky" as one thinks - I think because the color has such great pop to it in the sun that people think it is more metal flake than it is. I also have an original set of un-faded 1973 sunrise orange side covers and if you look at them the flake is much bigger but still I don't think it is as heavy as people think.

DonDirtBiker used to sell accurate paint kits for the flake, base, clear. If you want factory correct I would try and find him and see if he still sells.

However - who says it has to be 100% factory? the nice part about this hobby is that it isn't like the corvette hobby. There isn't a 100 point restoration judge sniffing the seats to make sure the correct glue was used or deducting points because you don't have 1957 tires. to that end go wild. use heavy flake, add effects, get creative. want that looks a little better than factory? use a bigger flake and the correct tone candy - it will really punch it up.

I personally love heavy flake - you just don't see enough of it out on the street. Sure you see it in the mags and at shows but honestly it is like a little treat when you see it in the wild. Little kids love it, super heavy metal flake anything will make their day - esp a motorcycle.

[chewbacca5000]

Thanks Geeto67!

So you are grooving on the orange disco tank?  That's cool.  I think this would look good on a frame for a custom or cafe.  I am not stuck on original, but would like to have the skills to do a variety of paint jobs.

Here are some pics 1st is a fender using the ruined Red Roth Metal Flake .004 baby size and I got to say with orange candy underneath it almost looks like flake apricot.  I like this small flake much closer to what I see on original paint.

Next is part of a chain guard that is super smooth I was only a couple inches away with my HVLP spray gun.  Getting the paint to go down smooth is my biggest concern right now.  Any pointers here would be appreciated.

This is sliver roth metal flake baby, but I was 6 to 8 inches away and if you look close you can see what looks like pits probably from dry spray.

Just a scratch on an original sunrise orange and I think your are right it is closer to a shimmering silver base that a flake. There are flake I can see them, but they are super tiny.  I bet .002 would work out great.

Thanks!

[jamesb]

Thanks Lester!


I am giving this another go around to see if I can better control the appearance of the flake.  Still using the same Martha Steward Flake, but this time I added a regulator like in the video.  Wow what a difference!  Instead of looking like a disco ball now it is just a little sparkly.

1st pic is my homemade flake buster, 2nd is a little flake with the regulator, and 3rd is full coverage.  From the recipe is only 10% flake to paint and by looking at a scratch on an original tank there is sliver between the flakes.  Hopefully I am on the right track.

now how well did your mini flake buster work i was going to buy one but my son was thinking about doing something like the one you made he has to make his own for the flake i want on my chopper it's a little bigger than the bass boat flake.

[tango911]

That video is great.

this is my second attempt on painting my CB750 tank and sides after i spent 400$ on a bad paint job.
I said screw it im learning myself.   I spent $40 on this job by spray bombing it.  Duplicolor "metel specks" Copper on a light base and a couple coats of spraymax 2000. Leaves me alot of room $$ wise.

[stereosilence]

I think I got cancer just watching that guy paint and clear his stuff with no mask and bare skin! Hope he wasn't using isocyanates! 

[chewbacca5000]

Thanks Lester!


I am giving this another go around to see if I can better control the appearance of the flake.  Still using the same Martha Steward Flake, but this time I added a regulator like in the video.  Wow what a difference!  Instead of looking like a disco ball now it is just a little sparkly.

1st pic is my homemade flake buster, 2nd is a little flake with the regulator, and 3rd is full coverage.  From the recipe is only 10% flake to paint and by looking at a scratch on an original tank there is sliver between the flakes.  Hopefully I am on the right track.

now how well did your mini flake buster work i was going to buy one but my son was thinking about doing something like the one you made he has to make his own for the flake i want on my chopper it's a little bigger than the bass boat flake.

Getting the pressure control regulator really made this a handy little tool.  If you are going with big flake I think it would work out pretty good.  If you go a big job like a car I would probably just buy the flake gun.  What look are you going for anyway?  The tank I did was 100% coverage.  The original flake I thinks is only 10% by volume with some going as low as 4%.

[harisuluv]

That video is great.

this is my second attempt on painting my CB750 tank and sides after i spent 400$ on a bad paint job.
I said screw it im learning myself.   I spent $40 on this job by spray bombing it.  Duplicolor "metel specks" Copper on a light base and a couple coats of spraymax 2000. Leaves me alot of room $$ wise.

Wow @ that tank.  Can we get some more details?  Like what you used for the undercoat?  Did you paint the stripes or are those decals, and if they are where did you get them?

[Stev-o]

Tango's tank looks great [his restorations do too].
And did you buff the Spraymax?

[orange550]

That video is great.

this is my second attempt on painting my CB750 tank and sides after i spent 400$ on a bad paint job.
I said screw it im learning myself.   I spent $40 on this job by spray bombing it.  Duplicolor "metel specks" Copper on a light base and a couple coats of spraymax 2000. Leaves me alot of room $$ wise.

Looks awesome.

What was your "light base"

Was the black and pins paint or decals?

Thanks!

[Stev-o]

Betting they are decals but from where? look good...

[jamesb]

Getting the pressure control regulator really made this a handy little tool.  If you are going with big flake I think it would work out pretty good.  If you go a big job like a car I would probably just buy the flake gun.  What look are you going for anyway?  The tank I did was 100% coverage.  The original flake I thinks is only 10% by volume with some going as low as 4%.

I'm shooting for the 70's look my 71 Buick lowrider is covered in bass boat gold flake I'm the type if your going to use flake go for broke.the mini flake buster sparked intrest because of the youtube videos it looks like it would be simple to use especially on tanks and fenders.i showed my son yours and he is going to make one. what did you use on your mini flake buster creation i really didn't see much difference than yours and the mini.
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[chewbacca5000]

No idea how the mini flake works.  Mine is just a vitamin bottle with an T-connector with one end plugged up.  I then drilled a hole through the lid and am using a rubber grommet to seal things up a bit.  I then drilled a hole in front.  The air pressure goes down to the bottom of the bottle lifts the flake up and blows it out the hole in the lid of the pill bottle.  Try to post a better pic with the lid of.

The video above sucks it up.  I don't think it makes a difference what ever works for you.

[jamesb]

does it work good. i think i'm going to try to make one this weekend

[Geeto67]

Thanks Geeto67!

So you are grooving on the orange disco tank?  That's cool.  I think this would look good on a frame for a custom or cafe.  I am not stuck on original, but would like to have the skills to do a variety of paint jobs.

Here are some pics 1st is a fender using the ruined Red Roth Metal Flake .004 baby size and I got to say with orange candy underneath it almost looks like flake apricot.  I like this small flake much closer to what I see on original paint.

Next is part of a chain guard that is super smooth I was only a couple inches away with my HVLP spray gun.  Getting the paint to go down smooth is my biggest concern right now.  Any pointers here would be appreciated.

This is sliver roth metal flake baby, but I was 6 to 8 inches away and if you look close you can see what looks like pits probably from dry spray.

Just a scratch on an original sunrise orange and I think your are right it is closer to a shimmering silver base that a flake. There are flake I can see them, but they are super tiny.  I bet .002 would work out great.

Thanks!

colored flake is always a dicey proposition when you are shooting over a color that is is not an of the same family. Twice as dicey when that color is a candy. The color of the flake will "tint" the base color - the stronger the light the stronger the color shift.

typically you don't want to shoot flake over candy, you want to shoot it under. Candy is a top coat, and an expensive one at that, you get its maximum effect when it covers the flake. the effect you get shooting flake on top is that the flake is not only highlighted - it will appear floating, like leaves on the surface of a pool. when flake is under the candy it is harder to see the individual flakes at a distance. To me having a different color flake on top always ends up looking like the part is dirty when it is really just an effect. Pearls on the other-hand are awesome on top of candy but that has a lot more to do with the reflectivity of pearl powder - it is a soft reflection and therefore not seen unless in almost direct light.

shooting candy over chrome is also kinda iffy. You need a good smooth but scuffed surface for paint to stick and you just don't get that with chrome. It looks good now but don't be surprised at how easily it chips, peels, scratches, etc....A chain guard is a highly abused part so I wouldn't expect it to last - it is the kind of thing you used to see on show bikes back in the day but not on bikes actually ridden. shooting metalflake over chrome is also dicey. In indirect light it looks good but in direct light you have reflectivity of the guard competing with the reflectivity of the flake - the end result being that it looks like you sprayed candy over a dirty part.

I think it is great you are experimenting and you should do more.

I was watching a rerun of fast and loud on discovery channel last night and saw this:



this is a good example of colored metal flake over a same color solid base coat. Didn't look like a candy as the base - in fact I think there isn't any candy in it at all.

[Geeto67]

I forgot to add....the way I always learned it - you want full flake coverage. You want as little as possible space between flakes. I was always told space between flakes looks amateur, a real effects artist wants the paint to do the work.  If there is to be space you want that space to be the same color as your flake - the reflectivity of the flake should be doing the heavy lifting of the effect.

But there are no rules to these things. you kinda have to do it, look at it, get other people's opinion in real life, etc....

[chewbacca5000]

Thanks Geeto67,

I really like that green metal flake over the green base everything just pops. Yes, your right I am just doing some experiments with some cheap paint. I will keep plugging away hopefully I will get the hang of it.  Trying to get the paint the right thickness so is still a challenge.  Any rules of thumb for paint viscosity would be appreciated ie. base, candy flake etc...

[tango911]

The stripes are decal, i had them made.  I have several copies too i thought about selling them,  they are glass break backing, as in, you can take it on and off to get it just right, then once you put pressure on it to get all the bubbles out, its perm.  theres also a cross hatch underneath to allow air to escape easier.

I did not buff that out, there was so little orange peal that time i left it. The sides looked just as nice.

The base was a silver ,  next time ill use a white, i think it will be more orange if i do that.

im still learning, how to paint, that was my second attempt. Im not very patient but mainly just trying to save $$ 

That video is great.

this is my second attempt on painting my CB750 tank and sides after i spent 400$ on a bad paint job.
I said screw it im learning myself.   I spent $40 on this job by spray bombing it.  Duplicolor "metel specks" Copper on a light base and a couple coats of spraymax 2000. Leaves me alot of room $$ wise.

Looks awesome.

What was your "light base"

Was the black and pins paint or decals?

Thanks!

[Ausmithe]

I love seeing these posts about people tackling the paint on their bikes at home. I keep toying with the idea of doing the tank and sides on one of my 500s. The other 500 is already Sunrise Orange Flake and still looks pretty decent, so I really want to go with a Candy Gold on the one bike. I've seen a lot of mentions of Dondirtbike and his paints in the forum, but I've had no luck getting a response from him. Has anyone bought paint from him lately? Every reference to his paint has been very complimentary and I'd really like to get that Candy Gold color correct.

[Geeto67]

Thanks Geeto67,

I really like that green metal flake over the green base everything just pops. Yes, your right I am just doing some experiments with some cheap paint. I will keep plugging away hopefully I will get the hang of it.  Trying to get the paint the right thickness so is still a challenge.  Any rules of thumb for paint viscosity would be appreciated ie. base, candy flake etc...

when you say paint viscosity  do you mean actual flow or buildup? because you are shooting flake in the dry method it is going to appear thick - no two ways about it. by the end you may have put 6 coats of clear with flake on it just to get the effect (not counting the top coats of clear which may bump you to 8 ). If yu are worried about clear building with the dry flake method switch to an airbrush - some of those modern HVLP guns pour enough paint mist in the air to do a whole car door in 2 passes - way overkill for a bike.

as far as base is concerned you don't need much. one or two coats of base (you can stagger these too like black for the first coat and then metallic silver for the second if you are doing a stock style paint job). Candy paint tone and depth relies on how may coats you lay down so that is more to taste. I am not seeing any tiger striping in your candy work so you have already overcome the hardest thing - overlap. too many people think of candy like regular paint where they can touch up a mistake by just adding more paint - such is not the case with a candy. remember you always want the passes for your next coat to run 90 degrees to the passes for your previous coat to avoid buildup along the same paths. same with spraying wet metal flake or metallic.

Good Prep and good post makes a good paint job. there are guys who get show bike finishes out of cans of rustoleum and brightside yacht paint - it is all in the surface you are spraying on and how smooth you get the paint afterward. The best painters I know sand between nearly every coat (that's also the secret to the 30 dollar single stage poly paint job). The dry flake metal flake method is awesome for a beginners confidence becuase if the flake is heavy enough you can hide a lot of small screw ups. Actually the only thing that will make it look horrible is an angry sea of waves which is hard to get on a bike since there is not enough real estate.

[Geeto67]

tango911,

great job but you reall should have "cut" it after final coat. It may look good to you but I can see the smallish orange peel in your pics and usually that means it is much greater in real life. a 1000 grit wetsand and a good machine buff and glaze will fool everyone into thinking it is a $1000 job instead of a $40 special.   

[Geeto67]

chewy: one more piece of advice  - if you are worried about your candy technique try spraying a clear piece of plexi and then looking at it from the otherside or passing a light behind it so you can see where you are running thin or overlapping too much. Glass works too.

I got my airbrush chops with candy painting lexan model car bodies - both small and complex and not the least bit of fun. really got to see where I was not paying attention. When kit RC cars were popular in the 80's and 90's (and I was a kid) I would buy tons of clear bodies at swap meets for next to nothing from people who got in over their heads with their kits.