A blog about motorcycles, motorcyclists, and motorcycle shops

Musings on riding and working on bikes, and observations as I travel and visits bikers, riders, motorcyclists, events and shops

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Update: Sportster rattle can paint job: Prep Day One

Last night I started sanding my custom Sportster's rear fender.  This is my third motorcycle to re-paint primarily with rattle cans, and I've learned the hard way to sand at least an hour longer than I think is necessary.  Time spent sanding pays a huge dividend in how the final project looks regardless of the paint used.

So last night I spent about an hour rough sanding the rear fender.  It's really beat up from having different bags mounted on it while I have commuted and traveled on this motorcycle.  Also there is wear and tear now that the bike is 14 years old.  I started with 150 grit sandpaper to feather the area my neighbor stripped to weld the tab back on, and some deep chips in the existing paint.  I moved to 325 grit for the last few minutes as most the deeper marks are coming out.

I also picked up some plastic sheeting at Home Depot for my "redneck paint booth" I'll make using a pop up.  Don't know where I got that idea, but think it will work well instead of masking off part of my garage.

I'm shooting some video and pictures and will add them as I go to complete this motorcycle maintenance/customizing project.

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