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Learning how to airbrush and paint also means learning production procedures and methods. Prepping of metal parts (and other materials) can be just as important to a job, as the artwork itself! As an example, this article deals with prepping a stock (painted) motorcycle gas tank Prep methods vary with different products and materials and it is best to refer to each manufacturers suggestions for the use of their products.
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www.outlawzairbrush.com
ANOTHER AIRBRUSH HOW-TO PRESENTED BY
Shane Baker, of Baker Boyz Designs Inc is an accomplished custom painter aswell as a twenty year veteran of the autobody industry. He can be found applying his great talents and flinging paint at Special FX Autobody in Edmonton Alberta.
The first stages in prepping anything for primer or paint is to make sure you have a clean surface to work with. So wash it down with a good soap and water then degrease it with a good automotive degreaser. We us the Standox silicone remover. Then plan out your project.
This will remove the coarser scratches in the metal. Then we go over all the remaining areas that we could not get with a sander by hand with 400 grit sand paper and a red scotch brite pad to make sure everything is sanded properly.
From there we spray on the sealer in two coats allowing it to flash between coats.
Once this has all been done the tank is ready to be cleaned again with silicone remover and then go into the paint booth.
Once in the booth the tank is blown off and re-cleaned. Then it is tack ragged to remove all remaining dust. Once this is done it is ready for etch primer. Here we use reactive etching primer (1 part primer to 1 part activator). This is applied evenly with a spraygun in two coats letting the primer flash in between each coat.
Now apply the base coat (according to manufacturers specifications) and you are ready to add some airbrush magic!
What we will be doing is stripping the paint off the tank Since there is no damage on this tank we will be going with a wet on wet application that will be discussed later. We are using an air grinder with 120 grit sandpaper on it to strip the paint off the tank.
Be very careful not to create to much heat because you can cause the tank to warp. Always remember to wear the proper safety equipment when doing any job.
Once the tank is stripped to metal we then use an orbital sander to go over the tank 3 more times using a finer grit of paper each time. We will start out with 120 grit then 240 grit and finally 400 grit.
Prep a Gas Tank for paint
by Shane Baker
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The sealer is mixed*: 3 parts sealer to 1 part hardener with 10% reduction. (Using a "fast" reducer) After about 15 min the sealer is ready for the base coat. *using Standox Non Stop in this case.
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