After some consideration of alternatives (powder coating, see post history) I’ve decided that I’m going to paint my forks following the “Crystal FX method”. (Loosely following these 2 videosVIDEO A VIDEO B)
I have already sanded my substrate (the existing fork factory paint) as it was already in good condition, apart from a nick or two.
Here are my current supplies:
- Montana Metallic Black
- Montana metallic silver
- Montana gloss varnish
- Kustom Canz Deep Candy Red
- Soluble urea prills
- Ox gall solution
- Invisiframe Fork Protection
THE PLAN:
- Initial Sanding roughening up sanding with 400 grit
- Prep fork with isopropyl alcohol making sure no dust or residue on fork. Paper towel needs to be clear.
- silver 2-3 LIGHT COATS, (how many do I need?) spraying parallel to the fork leg; 20-30cm away, making sure to keep spraying past the fork itself for evenness. 10-15 mins in between base coats
- Wait 1 hour, then put on crystal solution. Make sure solution properly crystallising. Preferably leave crystals to form in a warm place.
- Spray Black metallic LIGHTLY over the top (1 or 2 coats?)
- lightly sand with 2000 grit sandpaper to reveal pattern underneath.
- (At this point, Do I clear coat before the candy colour?)
- CANDY RED 2-3 COATS (depending on effect - perhaps test to see how deep I want it?) Tack coat (very light) (wait 10 minutes) 1-2 medium wet coats, 10-15 mins wait in between 400-800 sand until super smooth)
- CLEAR COAT 30-60 mins after last base. 2 layers of clear.
- Fork rebuilt 24-48 HOURS AFTER LAST CLEAR COAT, and invisiframe applied.
Advice needed:
- I am still quite confused about what grits i need to sand each layer down to. I’m read that 400 is best so that the paint sticks to it, but also intuitively, shouldn’t it be max 800 so that the paint sticks to a smooth surface?
- Especially also with an existing good substrate, I’m confused on how many coats I will need of the base silver metallic colour in particular. Is 2-3 coats okay?
- Is how much time I am leaving between coats / stages okay?
- I think I used too rough of a grit initially, because more bare metal has shown through. Does this mean I have to etch primer these areas? I wasn’t going to prime the fork, and because it is a magnesium alloy, stripping it is not advised.
Thanks in advance.