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Painting Exhaust Pipes....

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  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Has anyone seen painted exhaust pipes?  By painted I mean NOT just black/monotone but actual colours!

    I'm thinking to doing a Mexican Blanket look on the Sporty (just because its different).  Black near the headers and then fadding into the rainbow colours.  VHT have the colour palette so thinking it might look cool. 
    240_F_158137868_K3cHBECkq1PacghV5vpIRGpeITtIxI87.jpg
  • steelo
    steelo
    2 years ago
    You’ll be the belle of the ball at the next big rally 😃 
  • WideglidingNZ
    WideglidingNZ
    2 years ago
    I think the colour(s) will fade/discolor after a couple of rides i would imagine 
  • skirtster
    skirtster
    2 years ago
    It's only paint it can be removed.
  • 408
    408
    2 years ago
    Or this

    rainbow pride.png
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Cheers guys...
    1.  VHT Paint comes in a LOT of colours and the distributer is here in Melbourne so I would pop down and see him directly (he also does PJ Chain lube as that's why I found him originally)

    2.  Pipes are not chrome as its all custom fabbed except for the first 8" at the heads which are factory.  I was thinking about a short chrome shield at the heads end - basically a cut short stock shield as Im not sure even VHT would hold up at the pure exhaust temps.

    3.  Skirtster is right... Its only paint so nothing to lose really.  

    4.  @GGuser... nah that pattern looks gay - a bit like the LGBTIFUCKEDIFIKNOW colours.  I like the blending look in the mexican blanket so might simply do sections of the pipe in that effect with say black in between.

    5.  Plan "Z" is to buy a chroming kit from Casswell and DYI a chrome finish.  I mean, how fucking hard can it be...lol
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Nice.... Ill try to photoshop the look tonight on my GIMP model
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    So, Picture a stock Sporty picture from the Harley website.
    Import it into GIMP which is a program like Photoshop but free
    Then tweak the picture until it looks like what you envision for you bike project... Then as you build the bits you update the GIMP picture with the results and continue to the next bit to build. 

    In my case I'm up to the pipes. (Seat/Handlebars/New Tank/Paint are all done).  Pipes are mocked up and tack welded as we speak and now As I finish the making a mounting system Im pondering not chroming them but painting instead.
     
    2009-Harley-Davidson-Sportster-883Low-13.png
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    That's fine not insult received.  
    Im a visual chap so need a picture to go by otherwise I'm lost and floundering.
    Painted it myself - figured it would be something good to learn!  Bloody good fun in the end and am now looking to paint the OEM tins in something equally as funky so I can swap and mix things up - or maybe sell them to help fund more things... 
  • GGUser260
    GGUser260
    2 years ago
    Quoting tussuck on 05 Aug 2022 05:49 AM

    So, Picture a stock Sporty picture from the Harley website.

    Import it into GIMP which is a program like Photoshop but free
    Then tweak the picture until it looks like what you envision for you bike project... Then as you build the bits you update the GIMP picture with the results and continue to the next bit to build. 

    In my case I'm up to the pipes. (Seat/Handlebars/New Tank/Paint are all done).  Pipes are mocked up and tack welded as we speak and now As I finish the making a mounting system Im pondering not chroming them but painting instead.
     

    2009-Harley-Davidson-Sportster-883Low-13.png
    What about trying to replicate the heat discoloration that occurs in titanium exhausts? Might not look as random as the rainbow but could give the illusion of having titanium pipes?
    263464751947-8_600_grande.jpg
    9377695_5_TL.jpg
    Ti_ano.jpg
    cool to hottest colour change
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Yes used an airbrush after I had taped everything up to lay down the Kandy colours and the black sections.   Process was:

    Primer, Silver Basecoat, Silver flake (1000micron), Base Kandy all over, then did the tape masking and laying down the darker Kandy colors. 
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Quoting tussuck on 05 Aug 2022 05:49 AM

    So, Picture a stock Sporty picture from the Harley website.

    Import it into GIMP which is a program like Photoshop but free
    Then tweak the picture until it looks like what you envision for you bike project... Then as you build the bits you update the GIMP picture with the results and continue to the next bit to build. 

    In my case I'm up to the pipes. (Seat/Handlebars/New Tank/Paint are all done).  Pipes are mocked up and tack welded as we speak and now As I finish the making a mounting system Im pondering not chroming them but painting instead.
     

    2009-Harley-Davidson-Sportster-883Low-13.png
    Quoting GGUser260 on 05 Aug 2022 06:28 AMedited: 05 Aug 2022 06:46 AM

    What about trying to replicate the heat discoloration that occurs in titanium exhausts? Might not look as random as the rainbow but could give the illusion of having titanium pipes?

    263464751947-8_600_grande.jpg
    9377695_5_TL.jpg
    Ti_ano.jpg
    cool to hottest colour change
    I was thinking along those lines as well... Would be easy to emulate I think.  

    But thought that you see these a fair bit around as well and wanted to have a crack at something I have not seen yet. 
  • Jay-Dee
    Jay-Dee
    2 years ago
    Quoting tussuck on 05 Aug 2022 05:49 AM

    So, Picture a stock Sporty picture from the Harley website.

    Import it into GIMP which is a program like Photoshop but free
    Then tweak the picture until it looks like what you envision for you bike project... Then as you build the bits you update the GIMP picture with the results and continue to the next bit to build. 

    In my case I'm up to the pipes. (Seat/Handlebars/New Tank/Paint are all done).  Pipes are mocked up and tack welded as we speak and now As I finish the making a mounting system Im pondering not chroming them but painting instead.
     

    2009-Harley-Davidson-Sportster-883Low-13.png
    Just as well you explained that. I wrongly interpreted you were talking about a model of the Gimp from Pulp Fiction, I was thinking WTF.
  • John.R
    John.R
    2 years ago
    The Gimp from Pulp Fiction and the vision for these pipes certainly have one thing in common 😂
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    I mentioned the vision to my 'artistic director' (the wife) last night and she was very firm in the view that my vision is essentially fucked....lol....  She wants them chrome - so that might just be the excuse I need to invest in a chroming kit.

    The preview in GIMP looked like shit too, so I may have to adjust the plan.  I still like the concept of painting, but maybe mexican Blanket is too far out there!

  • 408
    408
    2 years ago
    I reckon you would have trouble with loss of adhesion of the underlying paint when removing masking tape.
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    So - after careful consideration and negotiation with the Artistic Dept. we have agreed that Black pipes with a pattern or pin stripping in a metallic gold paint or leaf is the way to go.
    She had a good argument that the pipes should not try and out-do the main paint job, but rather support the overall styling. 
  • John.R
    John.R
    2 years ago
    Call me a cynic, but that's not gonna hold up to heat of an exhaust 



  • tussuck
    tussuck
    2 years ago
    Cynic!
  • GGUser260
    GGUser260
    2 years ago
    Quoting tussuck on 08 Aug 2022 08:33 AM

    Cynic!

    Did you get around to finishing those pipes?
    A photo would be great!
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