How to Paint Hot Rod Flames on your bike

The basics of painting custom flames.

Materials Needed
3/4 inch masking tape
1/8 blue fine line masking tape
600 and 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper
X-acto knife
Orange and red paint for the flames
Black paint
Pre-cleaner
Touch up gun
Airbrush (gravity fed dual action preferred)
Clear coat/hardener
Variable speed buffer/ buffing compound.

Flames or any other graphics should be applied on top of an existing base clear paint job. Painting on top of a clear coat allows you to simply wipe off your flames and start over again should you screw up.

Step 1:
With your 600 grit paper thoroughly wet sand the clear coat on the part your about to paint.

Step 2:
With your fine line tape, lay out the shape of your flames, working from left to right. Use both hands to pull and place the tape into place, lifting it up and repositioning it when required. Be sure to pay attention to the over all shape and the balance between the positive space of the flames, and the negative space which makes up the background. If it seems tricky, don’t sweat it… you’ll get the hang of it with a little practice.

Step 3:
Once you’ve got the fine line tape in position and you’re happy with the layout, burnish it down thoroughly to prevent the paint from bleeding under the edges when spraying. This is especially important on the overlapping ends.
After the fine line is burnished down nice and tight, grab your roll of 3/4 inch masking tape and start masking off the negative areas carefully butting it against the edge of the fine line tape. Be careful not to leave any gaps between the masking tape and the fine line.

Step 4:
With the flames carefully laid out and masked, it’s now time to paint the flames. Mix up some orange paint and load it in your touch up gun. Spray on a couple of thin even coats, just enough to cover. Once the orange base dries, load up your airbrush and add some red highlights to the tips and outer edges of the flames.

Step 5:
Once the paint has dried, carefully remove the masking tape, pulling it in the direction away from the painted surface to avoid lifting paint from the edge of the flame. Once the masking tape is off, carefully remove the fine line tape, again, pulling in a direction away from the painted flames.

Step 6:
Dab some pre-cleaner on a rag, and clean the tape residue from around the flames where the masking tape was. It goes without saying but…Be super careful not to hit the freshly painted flames.

Step 7: Time now to bury your flames under some clear. Apply as many coats needed so that the flame job is completely covered. If you can feel the edges of the flame job through the clear when you run your hand over it, you’ll need to spray another coat or two.

Step 8:
Once the clear has dried, wet sand it flat with 600 grit. As you sand, ridges will appear in the clear. Keep sanding until they disappear and the clear is smooth and flat. Now wet sand it down one more time with 1500 grit.

Step 8:
Beg, borrow, or steal a variable speed buffer, a foam buffing pad and some buffing compound to bring your flame job to a gleaming mirror finish.

For a complete guide to custom paint and graphics go here