An Electric Scooter Community on a Mission to Stamp out Transportation Mediocrity.

Micro mobility projects built using electric scooter components.
By dustydog256
#5874
Whiteferrett wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:04 pm
Colburn wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:00 pm
Whiteferrett wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:54 pm
Got it all painted turned out great... Bird letters disappeared after the third coat. Image
Image
Image
Real nice ! How did you remove the battery from your other auctioned scooter? They’re not using a T25 or other screw
It looked like a hex bolt but I ended up just leaving it on because I didn't have any hex keys of the right size. I just have the es4 and a m365
the bolts that hold the battery on are t10 security bits, the bolts that hold the mounting bracket to the frame are like a 2.5 mm hex if I recall correctly
By rmnhsd
#6037
Best way is to sandblast but most people don't have a blasting cabinet so second best would be a wire wheel on an angle grinder, followed by a belt sander and finally sandpaper by hand if you're really cheap- but that will be a pain in the *ss and take forever. Failing to take it down to bare aluminum will result in poor adhesion and the bird letters showing through.

When you paint make sure to use thin coats or it will drip!

If you want it to look really nice a clearcoat as the final layers will make it nice and shiny.
#12256
Supplies:
-Dual Action Orbital Sander: $20-40

-Sanding Pads: $6-10 (220 grit and 150 grit)

-Paint Stripper or Thinner: $10 Per Whole Scooter (I used QuikStrip Aerosol, with one can being About $10 but I heard Gel Based strippers work better and are slightly cheaper)

-Wire Brush: $1-5 (I used manual, but on a dremmel or something would be a little faster)

-Rag: Should have some lying around...

-Water: Samesies


Process:

1. Prep: The prep step of any process is the most important factor in producing good results. Make sure all stickers are removed from target surfaces. Wash or wipe down surface to rid of loose dirt and dust. Gather needed resources, yada yada..

2. Sand: Use orbital sander with 150 grit sanding pads to remove top layer of coating on piece. You should have the sander on a medium/medium-high setting. Highest settings can gum up the paint on these. This step should easily remove the lime/lyft/scoot/voi/bird/etc. logos. This should also dull the colours too. Try to take off as much of the top coat as possible as it will make the stripping agent work better and faster.

3. Stripping Paint: Before applying the agent to the surface, be sure to remove all sanding debris from it. I suggest a microfibre cloth if you have one, but any should do. (The cloth should be DRY)
After the surface is properly wiped down, I suggest you suspend the part on some string or small rope/wire. I used old para-cord I had in my tool bin. Once it is suspended from any painted surfaces that could catch overspray, don protected latex or nitrile gloves and it is ALWAYS recommended to wear a respirator when using dangerous chemicals. A ventilated area is best. This stuff will burn your skin if leave it on for long. Now generously apply the lacquer thinner/paint thinner/paint remover and leave to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.(An hour should yield far better results.)

4. Clean Up: Now, the paint should be mostly dissolved. Use the wire brush or a scraper to test an area of the surface. If it doesn't come up easy enough, it may need more time or more stripping agent. (this is likely because of rushing Step 2)
If the paint comes off easy enough to remove with wire brush/scraper, then proceed to mechanically agitate the paint off. The paint used seems to be lacquer based so it may come up in plastidip-like chunks. Scrub until almost all is separated from base. Now, using a new wet cloth, wipe down/wash the piece. If needed, you can rinse it with a hose outside. Once the chemical is removed, and most of the paint is removed, you can now move to the final step...

5. Touch Up And Polish/Scuff: With the piece cleaned and dried off(the stripping agent is flammable!), use the Orbital Sander with the 220 grit pads to polish the piece(metal steering column for example) in long, slow strokes on medium-high/max setting (I had a 2 amp Orbital Sander, cheapo $36 from Harbor Freight). Use slower smaller movements with slightly more pressure on spots with residual paint. When polishing, you should see the metal becoming a sparkling silver. You will be done when the entire surface is uniformly the same texture and colour.

6. Painting: At this point you could throw a clear-coat over this to seal in the look to prevent corrosion. Alternatively you can now paint whatever you want with a primer, color, clear-coat, etc..
The scuffing of the metal with give this piece's paint layers exceptional adherence for a quality finish.

~~If you you found this breakdown useful, you can add me on the discord or email me @therealgryox@gmail.com~~

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