I started with the autobody courses and learning to spray paint and body work in the late 1970s as a wee lad because there was no way I could afford to pay someone else. I have never paid anyone to paint anything for me except once a insurance job on the wifes pickup fender bender. (And had to fix some of the other shops work as a result)
Much has changed from the old days, Lacquers and the old catalyzed enamels much of you are familiar with are long gone in the US and actually illegal to sell. Modern enamels, and Polyurethanes are now the norm and went "High Solids" a long time ago. (Very little solvents and minimizing overspray. Old system was about 20% of the product ended up on the sheetmetal the rest was vapor and overspray, High solids are much more efficient)
I have done some contract jobs for several shops and businesses.
(Cars-motorcycles and industrial equipment and back in the 1980s-90s used to do some acft)
But mostly I was doing my own shop work for jobs I took on for others as either full or partial restos on customer vehicles or vehicles I built to sell.
My fav colors are a dark blue with cream white accents, or several shades of what I call "Resale red" and varies from a very dark Brandywine candy to a regular candy apple red and usually offset with Alaskan white accents or scallops and often gold pinstripping. My favorite color products are House of KOLOR and have taken classes from the grand master Jon Kosmoski
See:
http://www.houseofkolor.com/homepage/I have done a lot of BSAs and the Candy reds lend themselves quite well to mid sixties BSA unit twins and singles, and did a few in a solid guards red (Spitfires). I dont do many cars anymore but did the FILs MGB 2 years back and he wants to do his MG TD this winter so, I wanted to do it in British Racing Green but he is strongly opposed. We have the wifes 1969 Chevelle coming up next year sometime and again a hot debate is ensuing about color choice. We agreed on the base color but differ on the rally stripes and I am of the opinion that one should allow the artist to choose,. She does not agree.
If you like, I have multiple projects to be painted this winter and would be happy to post a tutorial and photo series on the process. Ill even make it BSA centric although some of them are unit models, But I want to get the paint done on my 51 A10 project this winter so we can highlight that one as well.
I tend to do most motorcycle paint jobs in batches as from a time/labor standpoint it is more efficient so typically its 4 bikes at a time + or -. But it costs the same for heat, cleaning, prep, and only marginally more for tape and masking, materials, sanding so, Taylors "Economy of motion" applies.
Hammerite is a bad bad, foul word to me. What that means here in the US is a rubbery nasty rattle can paint that I have strong feelings about. I had a few that DPOs had sprayed and it is highly unpleasant to deal with. Usually if metal parts then chuck them in a chemical bath and remove the shit. But I have a 68 BSA 441 Roadster here that the DPO had painted the frame, fiberglass body work and even the chrome bits with Silver Hammerite as well as some Deer horns and named the bike "Bucky" I am De-Sodomizing it presently.
While rattle cans have their place, I have no use for it on a painting basis for vehicles, It fades badly in even moderate sunlight and the mere suggestion of petrol-gas-oil or brake fluid it dissolves into a gooey mess. Its just a exercise in disappointment.
