Project Springer: Paint Part 2

01. After spraying several coats of inner coat clear and letting it dry, Mike prepped to apply some silver leaf roses to the tank. To start, he used a sheet of low tack conform/transfer paper and stuck it to the top of the tank. Using a pencil, he then sketched out a grouping of three roses. Once he had the roses drawn to his liking, Mike used a scalpel blade to lightly cut the outline of the grouping so he would have a template to match up the other side.

01. After spraying several coats of inner coat clear and letting it dry, Mike prepped to

If you were with us last issue, you watched as Mike Ramirez of Buck Wild Design Studio showed us some of the steps of how he lays down what he calls an old-style paintjob. In that article we covered the process of applying the basecoats for this style of paintjob, which included, silver, transparent blues, black, kandies, and mini metal flake.

One of the key things Mike pointed out in that article was to think many steps ahead so that the following stages in the process would still have room to fit and flow with the contour of the surface. To achieve the ’60s/’70s lowrider look he was going for and help the overall style of the paintjob look right, the basecoats were a combination of paneling, thick and thin lines, and tape shades/fades.

Moving onto this next part, Mike showed us some basics on finishing off the old-style paint project with some intricate details like airbrush work, silver leaf, scroll work, and pinstriping. HB

02. With the outline cut out, he flipped it over and aligned the placement of the template so it met up evenly with the left tank. He then traced the template onto the transfer paper on the right side tank half.
02. With the outline cut out, he flipped it over and aligned the placement of the templat
03. Next, Mike filled an airbrush with some Quick Dry Gilding Size. The Gilding Size acts as an adhesive for the silver leaf that will be applied. Gilding Size is used to apply gold, copper, metal, or any type of leaf material.
03. Next, Mike filled an airbrush with some Quick Dry Gilding Size. The Gilding Size acts
04. With the transfer paper still in place, the Gilding Size was sprayed to the areas where the leaf would be applied. When applying the Gilding Size, Mike says you want to apply one light-to-medium coat. Too light of a coat and the leaf wont stick; too heavy and it will take longer for the Gilding Size to dry to a workable level.
04. With the transfer paper still in place, the Gilding Size was sprayed to the areas whe

05. If applied properly, Mike says you should be able to lay down the leaf in about 30-40 minutes (depending on the temp of the room you’re working in). You want to wait until the Gilding Size is tacky to the touch but doesn’t disturb the Gilding Size. If you apply the leaf too soon it will tear/separate, and if you wait too long, the leaf won’t stick properly.
05. If applied properly, Mike says you should be able to lay down the leaf in about 30-40
06. When it was time to apply the leaf, Mike removed the transfer paper and laid the leaf onto the surface where the Gilding Size was applied. The leaf is very delicate and needs to be applied as flat and even as possible across the surface.
06. When it was time to apply the leaf, Mike removed the transfer paper and laid the leaf
07. Mike says this is a very tricky stage because if you screw up, you’ll have to sand off the leaf and Gilding Size and possibly risk sanding into the base layers.
07. Mike says this is a very tricky stage because if you screw up, you’ll have to sand of

08. With the silver leaf applied to the top and front panels of the tank, Mike used a cotton ball to lightly burnish (smooth out) the leaf. This process also helps knock off the excess leaf that runs past the glued edges. You don’t want to touch the leaf with your hands or finger at this stage as it could smudge.
08. With the silver leaf applied to the top and front panels of the tank, Mike used a cot
09. Here’s a look at the top of the tanks with the silver leaf applied. It’s important now to wait about 30 minutes or so to let the leaf adhere before moving on to the next step.
09. Here’s a look at the top of the tanks with the silver leaf applied. It’s important no
10. After letting the leaf setup, Mike used a rounded rotary grinding point covered in a soft pad and wrapped in velvet to engine turn (overlapping swirl pattern) the leaf. Using his fingertips and light pressure, Mike pressed the tool against the leaf and spun it 360 degrees. He did this across the entire piece of leaf.
10. After letting the leaf setup, Mike used a rounded rotary grinding point covered in a

11. The engine turn technique gives the leaf a machined looked. Like a diamond, the finish helps catch and reflect light.
11. The engine turn technique gives the leaf a machined looked. Like a diamond, the finis
12. Next, Mike used a Kafka Script Liner size number four to outline the roses in black. He used black so that it would tie the roses in with the primary colors of the finished project.
12. Next, Mike used a Kafka Script Liner size number four to outline the roses in black.
13. After applying a couple more coats of clear and letting them dry, Mike pulled out the rose template he’d made and placed it over the top of the silver leaf. The clearcoat will prevent the transfer paper template from peeling up the silver leaf when it is removed.
13. After applying a couple more coats of clear and letting them dry, Mike pulled out the

14. Next, with the delicate touch of a surgeon, Mike lightly cut and peeled up pieces of the rose template so he could begin airbrushing the roses onto the silver leaf.
14. Next, with the delicate touch of a surgeon, Mike lightly cut and peeled up pieces of
15. As sections of the roses were peeled away, Mike used the airbrush to hit the edges with some black. This is how he created the shapes, contours, and shadows of the rose petals.
15. As sections of the roses were peeled away, Mike used the airbrush to hit the edges wi
16. It’s a slow process but you can see how the combination of the paint and negative space in the silver leaf help the roses start to take shape.
16. It’s a slow process but you can see how the combination of the paint and negative spa

17. Here’s a comparison between the finished roses on the left side and the template outline on the right.
17. Here’s a comparison between the finished roses on the left side and the template outl
18. To match up both tank halves, Mike traced the finished rose design onto some tracing paper, flipped it over, and using some carbon paper, traced it onto the left tank half. He then went through the same process to airbrush the roses onto the left tank.
18. To match up both tank halves, Mike traced the finished rose design onto some tracing
19. With the silver leaf and roses complete, Mike began working on the last few details: some freehand scrolls and pinstriping. He used chalk to sketch out some ideas.
19. With the silver leaf and roses complete, Mike began working on the last few details:

20. For the scrolls Mike used some light-blue outlined in black. Scrollwork and pinstriping take a lot of time, patience, and practice. You’ve got learn how to steady your hands and to create smooth, steady pulls of the brush to get nice flowing lines.
20. For the scrolls Mike used some light-blue outlined in black. Scrollwork and pinstripi
21. Mike also used some Bone White to create thinner lines to accent the blue. Mike says his technique is to use the brighter colors for thinner lines. He also says the thinness and thickness of the lines are important as you want them to flow organically with the rest of the paintjob.
21. Mike also used some Bone White to create thinner lines to accent the blue. Mike says
22. To tie in the side panels with the top of the tank, Mike used the Bone White to lay down a thin line between the black and the blue. This helps give the finished paintjob a more uniform look.
22. To tie in the side panels with the top of the tank, Mike used the Bone White to lay d

23. Last but not least, you gotta leave your mark. Satisfied with the project, Mike signed off on his work.
23. Last but not least, you gotta leave your mark. Satisfied with the project, Mike signe
24. After some final clearcoats and finish sanding, the sheetmetal was mounted onto the Springer. Sparkling in the sun, the miniflake gleams like a gem while the blues take on a nice light hue.
24. After some final clearcoats and finish sanding, the sheetmetal was mounted onto the S
25. From the tight lines, paneling, and fades…

26. …to the silver leaf, airbrush, scrolls, and pinstriping Mike created his version of an old-style ’60s/’70s lowrider paintjob. As we stated before, the key is to plan several steps ahead. To evenly distribute the various colors and techniques so they would all complement each other, Mike says he knew what his last step was going to be before he even started the first step.
26. …to the silver leaf, airbrush, scrolls, and pinstriping Mike created his version of a
27. The finished product is clean, classy, and gets attention—exactly what we wanted for this Springer project.
27. The finished product is clean, classy, and gets attention—exactly what we wanted for