Preparation

Preparation is done using a plastic media blast, followed by sanding with 40 grit paper to provide a superior surface for paint adhesion. On tanks or panels that have had any customization done, metal work or are in need of body work, All Metal body filler is used. It is an aluminized filler I have been using for more than 25 years. It has properties similar to lead. While it can be harder to work with, it has never failed. After sanding, all parts are cleaned and handled with protective gloves to keep any body oils from contaminating the bare metal surface. They are then coated with a metal etching chemical and epoxy primer to assure maximum bonding of paint to metal, followed by a primer surfacer. A guide coat is applied before block sanding the panel to achieve a perfect surface. Primer surfacer is then re-applied to these panels before final blocking. They are then wet-sanded to guarantee a premium finish.

Base Coats

All that preparation comes alive when the base coats are applied. Only PPG and House of Kolor paints are used. Numerous special effects can be done in the base coat to make your paint one of a kind. The base coats are then locked down with clear and sanded to provide a good surface for additional artwork. It also adds to the depth of the final look. A minimum of three clear coats is used when there is no artwork.

Artwork / if applicable Various types of artwork, such as airbrushing, murals, striping, and graphics are now applied. These are all sealed with an inter-coat clear. This provides a barrier between the layers of artwork as well as locking it down. The inter-coat clear has very little film build to avoid too much paint thickness and is sanded to provide adhesion for more art or topcoats.

Clear Coats

Clear coats are applied over all artwork to seal everything in and bring out the various effects of the paints applied like metallic and pearls. The clear is sanded absolutely flat so you feel nothing but a perfectly flat and smooth surface. Two more flow coats of clear are applied to provide enough UV protection for a shine that will last for years to come. After an infrared baking cycle (bikes only), the final clear coat is ready to be sanded and polished.

Sanding and Polishing

The surfaces are sanded with 1500 & 2000 grit paper. Polishing is a three-step process. They are machine-compounded to remove the sanding scratches, then polished to a super high luster. A final glaze is done by hand to give your paint the slippery, smooth, final touch only this level of detail can provide.