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How to paint the plastic

7K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  romannumal 
#1 ·
I have painted medal a few times but I have never painted plastic. I am getting ready to paint my FLHT and there are 2 plastic side covers and a plastic fairing on it. If I sand off all the shine and then base paint and clear coat them like I do the medal will the paint stick ok or do I have to do something else to them since they are plastic??? Thanks for any info on this. Lou
 
#3 ·
1. If your pieces are already painted (factory paint job) Clean with water based cleaner followed by solvent based cleaner, sand reclean and paint.
2. If they are already primed, then sand clean and paint.
3. If they are raw plastic, clean, degloss, reclean then apply plastic adhesion promoter and paint.
It is recommended to follow the paint system you are using recommended procedures.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Clear used over paint is very similar to glass, it's highly non-porous. Therefore simply sanding is a gamble, as paint needs something to bind into (like porus metal or primer). The different paint companies make an adhesion promoter designed to stick to these clears before recoating. I believe your plastic parts are clear coated. Even if they are not painted but molded with color throughout, an adhesion promoter is still cheap insurance against peeling. As small as these two pieces are there is a product called "Bulldog" adhesion promoter in an aerosol can. Works well. Do a google search and you'll find them..Good luck
 
#8 ·
If you are painting on plastic - you NEED an adhesion promoter if you want it to stick for more than a few weeks/months...

Now if the plastic has already been painted (and hopefully done properly) you can get by with scuffing the clear and painting over without a promoter.

If going over bare ABS plastic, scuffing is usually not enough...
 
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