Back in Black

After drafting a plan of action, all that's left to do is load up the air gun with paint and get after it.

I test some of the smaller parts --- and a part I might not even use --- as the first victims. I botch the spare wheel cover by coating it too thick with paint. It has a pretty obvious run. But once it's there, you can't sand the paint. You have to wait until after the clear coat is on. So I just don't worry about it. I may not even use the spare tire cover.

I have the hang of it by the time I paint the headset and the horn cover.

I wait a day and to paint the panels and the rear floor boards and the front fender. I have trouble getting the sprayer to work, I mess with it for about 20 minutes and by the time I get it working again, the paint has been in the gun too long. So it comes out in stringy streams on the front fender. Oh well. I reload the gun with fresh paint and keep adding coats to the fender hoping the paint will smooth. It does, to some extent.

I hit everything with clearcoat, and re-spray the head set. I also wet sand the spare tire cover and the glove box door because they have runs in them. The head set finish is a bit hazy, and the glove box door is better but far from perfect. The front fender is OK on the top, but a rough disaster on the sides. It'll have to be wet sanded and shot again with clear coat.

The panels come out OK. The paint is even, but the clear coat isn't. I may just leave it alone. It's shiny and durable. That really all I care about. As you can see, the spare cover came out looking marginal at best. Still, it's black and shiny. It will repel rain and cover the spare tire for years to come.

By the way, I wear a resperator, goggles and a ridiculous pair of disposable overalls when I paint. You should too, if you're dumb like me and decide to paint a scooter in your back yard.