German Paint Job

[artelagro]

I came across this tutorial whilst browsing YouTube

For me it was interesting to watch because I have the same job to do on my Atlantic but I dont speak a word of German. Are there any members who can understand and advise of any special materials or processes used here?
Thanks in advance,
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

My German is feeble at best, but he really wasn't doing anything special. All it was, was that any cracks or damage were repaired with epoxy, it then had a great taping job, then a good sanding and prepping job followed by an application of primer paint and then the black paint.

The painting part is actually easy if you own a good spray gun and a spray booth, its the small stuff like a clean epoxy job, good taping and covering and meticulous sanding and cleaning of the surface and lots of time buffing it that is going to make it look good. Its things like multiple super thin coats of paint instead of 1-2 thick coats that separate the ok jobs from the excellent jobs. Hours of buffting would not surprise me, and depending on the paint used, maybe several layers of clear might be needed for that ultra glossy look.

 

[artelagro]

Thanks for your informative reply Jerry.

I am currently washing the Atlantic piano keys and pallets, so there are now only five tiny screws holding the body in place. I will then have the bass cover, the grille and the treble side body ready to paint. I have never had the best of success when spray painting car parts but was hoping I could put a lot more care into these three small items. Youtube is a great teacher once you separate the genuine from the bull and this German film looked as if it was in the former category.
I cannot warrant buying a spray gun or booth so this will be an aerosol job within a cardboard box. I have plenty of spare time, now all I need is some weather (without midges). I will post photos as I progress but my fear is that I finish up with a paint job that attracts attention ‘Did you paint that yourself?’
Thanks again,
Ca canny,
Garth

 

[Soulsaver]

Good to hear you're back in the saddle, Garth. Make sure you ease y'self in.. and don't get breathing in them thinners.
Take care.

 

[JerryPH]

Likely your biggest enemy is dust. I used to paint a lot of my car's engine or brake parts and the more care I took to prevent dust, the better the results. I always had a dust free and clean garage, but I would always clean and remove all the dust I could before starting out a project. Then I would use cardboards and a table and create my "paint booth" which I kept immaculate until I was finished with the project. I covered the paint booth walls with wax paper, then carefully tape off my part so paint doesn't go where it is not supposed to and removed any dust again and then primed it with several small coats or quality primer, let it dry, remove the wax paper, cleaned down the area, added fresh wax paper, painted several thin coats, let dry, repeated the cleaning and new wax paper process, sprayed on the clear coat layers.

Patience and several thin coats gave the best results. Clean out the tip of your spray can after each use (hold it up side down, spray until no paint exits, about 2-3 seconds).

You know, if the celluloid is in 1/2 good condition, all you need to do is buff it, yes? Now if you want to make it all fancy, that's something else.

That German video was frustrating... Anyone that can spend 12 minutes of a 20 minute video on taping, is just talking because they love the sound of their own voice... lol.

 

[artelagro]

Soulsaver, thanks for your concern. I have cleared out the ones which had been giving me grief by not moving and now have a relatively clear bench. Progress is slow of course but at least I am moving. You mentioned in a previous thread that there may be a case for a 'dedicated Atlantic section'. I hope to produce quite a number of photos and details before the summer is out.

Jerry, I am listening and if the results are not forthcoming I can always try, try again. They are all small pieces and should be ideal for experimenting on. The grill has been bashed in a couple of places and the body has been heavily scratched (I am being polite here) so a complete repaint is definitely needed.

Who says you can't have fun with a £80 squib. Watch this space,

Garth

 

[JerryPH]

You can most certainly have fun for that budget, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing the successful results of your efforts. Wise move, the small parts are indeed the ones you want to start with.

 

[wout]

Hello! Basically what is going on is: a instrument builder got this instrument second hand and it had been repainted and repaired by someone who had no idea what he was doing, so he is showing what went wrong with painting (like that they didnt cover the levers so they had to be cleaned to function) and that there is some sort of filler in the grill and then how he is going to fix this so it is proper again.

 

[artelagro]

Thanks wout, that makes sense now. I am slowly progressing.
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

Pictures would be nice... (hint, hint?)

 

[artelagro]

Have patience Jerry. One day everyone will understand the term 'Ca canny'.
Garth

 

[Theo]

I re-sprayed a accordion for a customer last year. After some experiments on spare bits of celluloid I discovered that cellulose paint can be applied direct to celluloid. No primer is necessary and the paint bonds very securely. I could bend my test pieces back and forth till they snapped and there was no sign of the paint film cracking or peeling.

I also learned that aerosol cans are much harder to work with than a proper spar gun!

 

[artelagro]

Appreciated Theo, keep 'em coming.
We are learning.
Garth

 

[JerryPH]

Have patience Jerry. One day everyone will understand the term Ca canny.
Garth

I again looked it up just to make sure... I understand now. :lol: