Ironlak Gloss Black - should be able to sand, prime and paint.

Yep, frisket is the way to go. Frisket off the DE logo for red paint airbrush or spray can, then frisket off the non-black art and paint the black with straight up krylon rattle can. Nothing wrong with that. Then follow up with matte clear spray to lock it in. Looks good for a small amount of work (the frisket is thse time consumer) and the clear will make it much more durable, and you don't have to deal with sanding lead paint. That is the fastest way to do it for non-CQ clean up. Just go easy on the amount of paint or you'll end up with noticable raised edges and you can't really knock those down. The clear spray should hide a little of that. Also when you clear, if you can, lay the side you are clearing up so it can spread out evenly. Same goes for the black paint if you can. Keep from developing drips.

Should he prime the puttied parts first, prior to spray painting?

Yes. For black it isn't totally necessary though. It usually covers fine. But I always prime anyway. I figure it doesn't hurt.

Is there a spray primer one can use?

Yup. Grey rattle-can primer for wood is fine. Some colors are paint & primer in the same can. I've had mixed results with those though. Generally I use the separate cans. The better results are probably just due to the amount of paint being put down though, plus you have the ability to sand if necessary. I am no expert in this area though, this is just my personal limited experience.

definitely primer. if you don't the color will match but the sheen may not. you may want to clear the whole machine after you've finished touchup so everything will have the same sheen and not look splotchy

good luck!

oh, and do multiple thin coats of paint. Sand after you primer because primer is kind of rough.

If you don't primer you run the risk of it flashing; especially with black.

^^^^^ What he said, just don't lay on the paint thick. It will drip and won't dry right. Multiple thin coats spaced several minutes apart always looks better.

Sounds like a good plan, just take your time frisketing and masking stuff off.

On my Funhouse it had some edge scuffing so I bought some "true blue" Krylon... sprayed some on a paper plate & used a foam brush to blend the paint. Looks good to me.

Patience is paramount! Do not get in a hurry. Make sure to protect anything you don't want overspray on. When you paint, begin the spray sweep before the surface and past the surface. Don't worry if it covers splotchy the first few passes. Don't go right back over a sweep you just did (trust me, you will want to very badly).

Never hold the nozzle down and go rapidly back and forth. Trust me, never, ever, ever!

Make sure your primer matches the type of paint you use, and make sure the clear also matches the paint or you will end up with crinkle-finish.

Don't use too much pressure when cutting the masking. Exacto blades are cheap. Swap it out if it starts cutting roughly. Use care when sanding not to damage the edge of your masking.

When you go to remove the masking you *might* want to go back over the edges with the exacto. Sometimes the paint wants to pull up with the masking.

Take some befores and afters for us, and good luck!

I'd LIKE TO do this to my wh20 but I don't know about matching the blue.

Another poster mentioned Krylon's True Blue above. I wonder if that's a good match?!

Just prime a scrap piece of wood and try it out, and keep in mind all pigments change over time and that you have two choices - matching to the current faded color (What I usually end up doing) or try to get it back to the original vibrant color it was. Either method requires you paint the whole damn thing anyway if you don't want to notice major tonal differences from one area to the next, so it is up to you.

Thanks.

My thought is that if I could land some head decals I would just patch, prime and paint over the old screened ones... then add the decals.

Decals probably won't hold over rattle can paint well, not even if it is cleared either. I'm sure someone here has the answer to this one.

Thanks.

My first idea was to purchase a paint spray gun and get a really good match... but the spray paint just sounded sooo much more easy. Alas, will probably not look as good.

Bomber can paint is a bit overthinned (by design) when it dries it has a high shrink rate as the solvents evaporate, leaving thin mils, and will highlight any sandscratches.... A small compressor (@least 20 gal) and a HVLP gun will be enough to spray automotive grade paint on that.

See, I don't own a compressor to use with a spray gun. That's my problem. That's why the spray paint idea looked ideal.

High temp engine enamel has better build/shrink compatability but offers less colors... If your thinking Krylon I would seriously recommend multiple sand/prime cycles ending with 3 coats of clear then sand with 800grit before spraying your color.

No its an high temp paint used for headers and engine parts (obviously you don't need to exceed 1500deg)on your pin, but it has a ceramic makeup which helps with shrinkage and coverage.... You can find it at most auto supply places, and yes even Wal-Mart.