Shovelhead Rattlecan Repaint Part 1

Thanks again to a good friend. This time for helping me paint.

Time to actually repaint this set of tanks. I hate paint and painting. It's a lot work, it's never perfect, and the only thing(s) that can happen to it are bad.


Wet sand first. Remember Lummie's trick.


All the shiny stuff is gone.


Knock the loose stuff out of the bad spots.


A little bit of glaze in the bad spots.






Carefully shave the extra stuff.


Wet sand(with 800) and re-glazed as needed until you can't feel the bad spots.


A fiberglass spreader helps near the end.(AKA blocking or block sanding)


Wipe down with a damp cloth.


Now wipe down with mineral spirits.




Ready to prime.


This is a little different than how most folks would do it, but the plan is to use the existing two-tone pattern and do the silver stripe last. We will have to move the tapeline between color coats.


Taped down the middle of the two tone line.


Right tank now.


Now here's a little trick for a clean tape line, spray just enough clearcoat on the tape so that the clear seals the tape line and color will not creep under the tape.


Mask all the openings.


A light coat of primer first.


Then several light coats of primer.


Right tank gets the same treatment.


When the outside is dry, do the inside of tanks.


This is the only part that I actually painted.


The primer is just a bit rough and dusty, so it needs just a "polish" with a dry rag or burlap. This should work like a tack cloth without anything sticky on it.


Full masking of the lower color panel.


A quick wipe down with a barely moist mineral spirit rag.


Color time. A light coat first.




Oh man this tank still has bad spot right in the middle of the right tank. ugh.



More block sanding


More glaze.


The left tank got the same prep and a light coat of color.


Then more color until done.


Pull the tape. I must say that gray and black together is still neat. But it's going back to blue. The two stripe we made here has potential as well.


The right tank is all better now and is ready for color again.


Looking good.


Pull that tape.


We ran out of time, but we're really over half way there. Re mask, shoot the blue, then clear, and then the stripe. We are still thinking about how to do the lettering.