Painting Brake Calipers

Darn, that stinks. Read the booklet that comes with the paint kit. I believe that you gotta wait 5 days to recoat once you pass an hour dry time. At least thats what my kit said. I know I waited the 5 days for the final coat on the front left caliper because I missed a spot which I didn't notice until it was dry. Don't worry Adam, just do really light coats every fifteen minutes, I mean really light. You won't get runs that way. The last coat should be the heaviest. The important thing is the time spacing. 15 minutes another light coat, and so on. You'll be a pro by the time those are done, trust me.
 
As the motto goes, "Practice makes Perfect"

I waited 15 minutes here on the one that shows the picture. It was when I removed the painter's tape that I had some areas that didn't get coated. I was just trying to lightly build up those areas and that was my demise.

As for instructions, your looking at them. The aerosol does not come in a kit rather than just in the standard 5 colors.

These calipers are also a spare set, so it is my learning set anyway (as I am laying the foundation for when I go to paint my bike). I've sprayed all kinds of material, but this just proved that I don't remember all the do's and don'ts.

BroHay
 
BroHay, that is Duplicolor, right? I think you said it was earlier in the post. My problem was that I was painting mine in the house. I guess the lighting is different so I didn't see the spots I missed until the paint was dry. Thats why I had to wait the 5 days. I was tempted just to go ahead and paint them but I didn't want to find out later when they were on the bike, that the paint was peeling or something. So out of fear I waited. See if you could take some pics of the caliper outdoors in the sunlight. Mine looked different from in the house to outside the house. They seem a bit darker outside, which suits me fine. Good luck with the painting.
 
No, my problem resulted from a touch up after I had "finished" the project (similar to the brake fluid on yours, but my was caused by poor masking).

I was just trying to cover the original area that was bare and didn't stick to the same 15 minute window, plus allowing the caliper to fully cure before I applied additional coats.

You Live, You Learn, eventually you die....

BroHay
 
You can say that again. I gotcha now. I washed the bike today and changed the oil and filter. I rode upstate to Bear Mountain with my friend Ray,(Canonfuji) from FZ1OA. He's not on regularly. At 12 noon, my son texted me to say that school was letting out early at 1:00pm. That cut my ride short. I ran back down to pick up his helmet and rode back up to the school to pick him up. I had promised to pick him up today on the bike. It's over 60 degrees right now so I may run out again.
 
See, karma.....I got to razz you about still riding up until this week.

I just got some new body parts (skunk from Corvus on FZ10A) and trying to track down an upper to paint to complete the ensemble.

Take the existing blue, and play with it to perfect my painting before I repair the skunk.

Glad that you are able to be out and around and enjoy the weather.

BroHay
 
Are you saying that your going to keep the skunk paint scheme, but make it Blue/Silver instead of Black/Silver?? That would probably be a one-off. I've never seen one done that way. Think about it.
 
Well, pending my return, from a business trip to the middle of nowhere, I should have the calipers complete and ready to install with the new Fren Tubo lines and brembo sintered street pads (front only) by this weekend.

I'll then go to work on the rotors, radiator guard, considering the front forks as well as well as painting the exhaust header (the things you find while walking up the painting isle in PepBoys). I must be crazy :tard: from all the paint fumes I've been inhaling b/c I cannot seem to stop myself!

As for the Paint Scheme..... I'll stick with the traditional skunk theme on one set of body work and paint the frame/engine black. On my present bodywork that I'll give a stab on painting, I'm either going to go blue/black, cooper/black, or blue/white. I haven't made up my mind officially yet for the final color scheme.

BroHay
 
Sounds great Adam. If I were going to paint, I'd probably go with the Copper/Black scheme, but thats me. Don't let me steer you in one direction or another. Go with what you like. Post some pics after the weekend for us to see. Have a great day.
 
Well, long time coming for my completion, but I've been traveling ALOT over the past two weeks and haven't had much time to complete the calipers. I'll get some pictures up tomorrow to show the end result.

I used paint thinner on one caliper and kerosene on the others and my vote would be for the kerosene. It just seemed to do a better job of removing all the old grit/grime with less effort than the paint thinner.

I thought that I was on to something with the aerosol cans, but it just ended up taking more time. It is a balance between the light coat and enough to cover to achieve the end result that I was after. If not, then you will get an inconsistent finish that leaves part of it glossy with other areas having a spotty finish.

If one does decide to use the aerosol version, take time to mask. Not only cover the cylinders inside, to prevent overspray, but also mask the sides that the pads come in contact with. This may not be an issue if using factory supplied brake pads, but with the new Brembo Street Sintered Street pads, I have a tiny bit of rubbing that may/may not affect operation.

Make sure to keep the area clean of any debris! I was spraying in my garage using a coat hanger to keep the caliper elevated, and I still managed to pick up bits and pieces of debris that led to light sanding and more coats and also a cleaning of the gargae (yea....even more work).

I'm thinking that the caliper kit that Billy used is a better approach to achieve the end result. If it weren't for the fact that I had a spare set to work on, I'd probably have gone to the nut house for the amount of time it took me with not being able to ride.

BroHay
 
Hey Adam, Good Morning. Don't be so hard on yourself. I am sure they look great.

It's gonna be 51 degrees here today. I am getting Richie ready for school and then I am heading over to Jersey to both Harbor Freight and CycleGear. CycleGear has the GoPro Wide Camera and is holding it for me. I'll post some pics in a new thread when I get home. It looks like an awesome camera with excellent video and 5 megapixel stills. Have a great day buddy!!
 
I am anxious to see the calipers. As for rubbing, I know you can just take a small piece of sandpaper wrapped around an ice-cream stick or something similar and just rub it down a little. It will be fine after that. I did the same on the first caliper not thinking about it at first. It was a simple fix. Waiting for the pics.
 
Darth Maul Calipers.....

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So, here are some pictures of the Brake calipers. I'm still not completely happy with them for the camera shows still some of the problems that I was experiencing (but it is not like you can see it unless you get up close and personal).

But I did go one step further and paint the top side of the retaining clip to match b/c it just didn't look right (to me anyway) with it in its natural form.

Depending upon how I feel, I may do the other set at a later time, but right now, I just want to get on to the next project and get all of the controls/accessories mounted.

Rizoma bar (but still on the hunt for a Suburban Machinery bar)
Fren Tubo brake lines (with black fittings)
Yamaha Tuning Fork Resevoir Cap
Pazzo Levers (Black)
Custom LED signals
Pre-Load Adjusters (black)
Brembo Sintered Street Pads (installed in calipers)

BroHay
 
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I think they look great Adam. I don't see any imperfections in the photos. I think the contrast with the red brake pads look awesome. Those are Brembos Pads??? I can't wait to see them mounted. Good work Adam.
 
FZ1riderNY said:
I can't wait to see them mounted.
Click to expand...

That makes two of us! Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Next painting endeavor will be the radiator/guard and contemplating painting the lowers of the forks. Then play around with the HVLP and possibly tackle the frame and engine.

Too Many projects and soo little time.

BroHay
 
Wow, I'm behind in my updates.....

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When I go to get the tires replaced, I'll pull the rotors and paint the centers and edge. It will be a cheaper alternative to buying some knockoffs @ close to 300.00 (front/back). I'm also considering painting the lowers on the forks (maybe the beginning of blackin' out the FZ??!)

Going to try and work on the rear this weekend to get the caliper/line installed.

.....more to come (w/o the 1 1/2 month lag)

BroHay
 
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Oh, and if you haven't considered it, look into upgrading the pads/lines. The benefits have been phenominal!

Brembo Sintered Street with Fren Tubo lines (Thanks Aaron! aka Va_rider)

Adam
 
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