Stripping and painting forks...

[Danzio]

Need some advice on stripping and repainting my fork legs.

standard nc-30 forks with upgraded internals (unsure of whats in em) just know there good! and looking at refurbing over winter time.

there a greyish colour now, and looking to keep the same scheme.
recomendations on stripping tools/solutions and then repainting tips would be great.

primer for the metal needed?

etc etc, im sure you get the pic.

cheers.

[MexicanGringo]

I used black 2K with clear coat and it looks great. Primer was a 2 part filler primer which is designed for alloys and can build up a thick layer to hide surface imperfections, the metal casting of the forks is quite rough so once the standard paint comes off you need to build a thick layer of primer to get a smooth surface.. Paint stripper bubbles the old paint off very easily.

A moderately cheap spray gun will work fine with suitable compressor capable of supplying enough air, but dont buy a super cheap spray gun.
Gravity feed guns are more common and easier to work with i think.. Try get a gun with a 1.6mm or larger nozzle otherwise thicker paints dont spray properly.

Dont spray when its wet and dusty,and clean the fork metal with benzine before spraying.. Also spray thin layers at a time, wait a few mins for it to flash dry then spray more, this avoids streaks. obv mask anything you dont want sprayed. You also need to "bake" the paint to dry it properly, sunlight works fine or an oven, but wait for the paint to semi dry to avoid dust getting on.

I sprayed the plastic brackets for the mudguard on the forks, just make sure they properly aligned first.. And this stuff is pretty noxious so get a decent respirator with org vapour cartridges, 3M make a good one. & eye protection

[Neosophist]

As above really.

Be careful with chemical and try not to breath in any spray, especially 2K.

Nitromorse is good for stripping the lacquer / paint off the fork legs, just leave it to sit for 5 mins first then wire brush / scotchbrite it off.

[Danzio]

duely noted about the chemicals, my neighbour has a decent spray gun as he's always spraying body panels for his 2 classic cars he has, i'll ask if he can give me a hand.. shouldn't be cheeky tho and should prepare them for spraying/painting myself first!

i can lend a decent mask and goggles from my mates dad who works in a power station...so thats that..

where can i aquire benzine to wash them with from?

cheers lads.

[MexicanGringo]

Any solvent will do except paraffin(kerosene), but benzine leaves no residue at all.. Get it from any hardware store.. Obv dont touch the metal with your hands once cleaned cos youl leave oil marks.. A nice trick to make this easier is to insert a rod into the cavity at base of shock, support it and the top of the shock, then you just rotate the shock on the rod as you spray

[DanHam]

Get some decent gloves if your using nitromorse, it doesn't half make a mess of your skin.

[Danzio]

thanks for the spinning trick gringo, i'll give it a go that way.

and danham, hopefully i'll not be using it at all, and if i do, i'll keep that in mind, cheers bud..i like my skin!