Air Art - The Paint Process

The Paint Process:

Many people are surprised at the cost of custom painting using automotive urethanes. This section helps explain what you are paying for in addition to original artwork. First of all there is the cost of the materials, next, there are many hours spent preparing any item prior to spraying any paint. Then there is the time and skill required to apply the graphics and artwork to the project. Finally there are many hours involved in the finishing process. Below we have attempted to give you an idea of the work involved in producing various items that we paint frequently. We will start with Motorcycles but you can just skip down to Masks, Helmets, Guitars and Others just by clicking on the words.

Motorcycles:

The first stage is crucial to the end result, proper metal prep, bodywork, primer, and base color application is the key to durable, dead straight, show quality work. Once the base color (s) are applied, there is a minimum of 2 wet coats of a High Solids 2 part clear coat applied to protect the work for the upcoming stage. The clear is then wet sanded to provide a smooth flat surface and the mechanical tooth required for the graphics, airbrush art and final top layers of clear to adhere to.

The second stage of the project is the application of the graphics and airbrush work. This stage is usually amounts to about a third of the project for an average graphic or paint scheme. Radical graphics and detailed murals, which can take over 100 hours to complete, are another story. Depending on the number of layers of graphics and artwork, additional layers of protective clears may be required during this stage.

The final stage starts with 3-6 coats of clear, however much is required to totally bury the graphics. Once the final clear coats have cured properly, the next step is the color sanding. Color sanding is just wet sanding with extremely fine grit papers to flatten the surface and remove any imperfections. We normally start with a 1200 grit sandpaper progressing to 1500 grit then moving up to 2000. The cutting and polishing process is next and requires buffing with cutting pastes gradually progressing to a swirl remover or final polish. When done properly your paint job should have the reflective appearance of wet glass.

There are many variables that affect the amount of work and cost that go into any one or more of the 3 Stages of the paint job. Add in variables like molded frames, pearl and chameleon base coats, semi and fully transparent candies, flakes, dry pearls, chrome paints, extreme graphics and intricate art work you can see why a full paint job can range anywhere from $1000 to $5000 or more.

Masks:

The first stage is the disassembly and preparation of the mask. All components are removed from the shell including the cage, straps, foam, clips and fasteners. The shell is then prepped for the primer coat. Some masks require bodywork to repair chips and other damage while non fiberglass masks require a coat of adhesion promoter prior to 2-4 coats of a 2-part polyester primer. The primer is allowed to cure for 24 hours then wet sanded smooth prior to applying the base coat.

The second stage of a mask project is the graphics and artwork. Depending on the amount of graphics and the complexity and detail of the artwork, this stage can take the greatest amount of time to complete.

After the graphics and artwork are complete, the mask is sprayed with 2-4 wet coats of a hi-solids urethane clear. Once the clear has cured, it can be sanded and polished if required. Unlike the custom bike and automobile market, mask clients usually are not as concerned about a little orange peel, therefore unless sanding is required to fix flaws in the clear, masks do not always require the color sanding and polishing steps.

The third and final stage of a mask project is the re-assembly of the mask. This stage starts with attaching the cage and putting all the strap clips back in place prior to gluing the foam back into the shell. Once all the protective foam is in place the straps can go back on and the mask is ready for delivery.

Motorcycle Helmets:

Motorcycle helmets require significant preparation prior to any paint application. Full face helmets require significantly more preparation than half helmets and beanies. All helmets must be taped off properly and all stickers and factory decals are removed (with the exception of the DOT and Snell stickers which are also taped then cleared over during the clearing process). If the helmet has plastic vents that can not be removed, they have to be sprayed with an adhesion promoter prior to applying a primer sealer.

Once the primer sealer has cured properly the helmet is then base coated and ready for application of the desired graphics and artwork. Depending on the complexity of the design, clear coats may have to be applied between graphic and art layers. Once the design is complete the helmet is then sprayed with 2-6 wet coats of high solids clear then left to cure for the color sanding and polishing process.

Guitars and Drum kits:

Guitars and drum kits are usually given to us in a disassembled state. The first step to prepping a these types of instruments is to smooth out and blemishes or damage that they may have. They are then sprayed with several coats of a two part primer sealer and left to cure.

Once the primer sealer has cured, the base coat, graphics and artwork can be applied. As in all other custom projects, the complexity of the design and the materials required to pull off the design are major factors in the cost of the project. After the design is complete, the parts are then sprayed with 2-6 coats of high solids clear to protect the product and give it that deep shine. The last step is the color sanding and polishing process.

Others: Cars - Trucks - Boats - Recreational Vehicles - Welding helmets etc...

At Air-Art our slogan is "anywhere paint will stick" and we have painted too many different objects to list. Most any item can hold paint if it is properly prepared and a primer or sealer can be applied and adhere to the substrate. Basically most custom paint projects can be broken down into three-stages.

Stage 1 - The preparation stage - any custom paint job is only as good as the care and effort taken in the preparation of the project.

Stage 2 - The paint stage which includes the graphics, artwork and all the included clear coats required to protect the project between multi-layered graphics and airbrushed designs.

Stage 3 - The finishing stage which includes the final few coats of clear then all the sanding, cutting and polishing required to produce the show quality finish.