I had planned on painting the Dnepr Saturday, September 10, but Mother Nature already had plans for all-day rains and high winds. She made up for it the next day as the temps were in the low 70s, with sunshine and a nice, steady breeze – perfect for painting.
Before Saturday’s rains I was able to hand-sand all the primed pieces, first with a 360 grit then a fine 600, per the paint manufacturer’s instructions. The 2-part urethane paint was mixed at the recommended 3:1 ratio of paint to activator, then loaded into the paint gun. The paint was much thinner than the primer. This stuff is also nasty to breathe, so I donned my respirator and safety goggles and tested the spray pattern against a cardboard box. The pattern was a perfect oval, so I moved on to painting the parts.
The paint went on very well, with no running. All parts received at least 4 coats of paint, using nearly the full gallon I had. In the end, the painted surfaces were quiet smooth – better than I had expected. I’ll be away for the next 2 weekends, which will give the paint more than adequate time to cure before I wet-sand and buff the paint to a high gloss. When the buffing is done, I’ll work on the white pinstriping on the fenders and sidecar body.
The pictures are difficult to see, since the bright sun was in the way, but you’ll get the idea. Hopefully soon I’ll be mounting the front fork and rear swing arm then installing the new wheels, then setting the engine into the frame. The project now enters the fun stage – reassembly.
