Heat + Freshly sanded automotive paint = Glossy Smooth Goodness

[HseLoMein]

So I am in the middle of repainting my bike and i have been working on painting the rear fender. Well i am wet sanding the fender with 400 grit, 800 grit, very five steel wool, this painting is been going on fir serveral weeks now. Well i decided that after sanding i will bake the fender, to cure the paint and get rid of all the VOC's. So after sanding i dry it, and place it in my homemade oven ( its really just a rack and 520k BTU propane heater under it).

I bake the fender on a low heat setting for 45 minutes. Everything looks fine When its done i look at the fender, there is no more acetone smell, paint is fully dry, im happy. Well i got a suprise of a life time when i flipped it over. The part of the fender that was closest to the heat is ULTRA smooth and glossy, and when i mean glossy, you can see your face and all colors in it. A woman could put on makeup with the reflection. I am very impressed.

Well i decided that i want the whole fender that glossy so i sad the finder again with 800 grit sandpaper. and this time i place it in the oven and move the rack one level lower, also i turn the heat up. After another 30 minutes of baking the fender is ready. Taking it out it looks better than what you get put of a factory or body shop paint job.

Mind you it is super glossy and i have yet to put a clear coat on the finder yet. I will be baking exeverything from now on.

I dont have picsw up yet, but i will put them up once i get home tonight.

 

[thegnu]

Just a warning baking your paint that way has the possibility of causing a fire , in the autobody world we use radiant heat , absolutly no chance of ignition that way , be cautious I am sure we all would hate to hear your home burnt down .
Gary

 

[2door]

Gary makes a good point. Paint fumes can be volatile/explosive. Professional paint shopes use sophisticated ventilation systems to evacuate the fumes from the heated areas for that reason. There are fire department regulations that govern the process and they do that for good reason.
Be very careful and watchful of your operation. And, check your home owner policy to see if you're covered. A pretty paint job won't do you much good if you don't have a garage/house to park it in.
Tom