Modern Vespa

I have both in my arsenal already, and for the fender I did use 600 prior to paint I think. But yes there are more edges and contours on the cowl.

Are you going to rattle can it?
If so, I posted on the How to Paint thread.

Yup, same as the fender. I did see your post on there, thanks! My dumpster fire version of paint was definitely like your too heavy version. It took a few tries but I found that same balance of how much to do at a time like you showed.

green and red pads, both. The red pads should be used on any areas that you can't get a good surface prep with the 320 grit and the green when you're wet-sanding with 600 grit.

You'll want to do a wet sand with 600 grit on the primer before laying down your color coat, too.

Before Eastwood fast etch
After Eastwood fast etch

The primer ended up a shameful mess due to insufficient prep - but I already fixed it some. I admit I don't give a rats ass if the inside has dirt in the paint but this was a bit much even for me. If you don't smooth the surface enough even tack rags will leave lint behind and then you have a mess. A tiny bit of effort with sandpaper and a quick extra layer make it more my level of ok for a cowl inside.

Nice work!

Progress always feels so good on painting. Gotta love it.

Yes it is fun. I thought the fast etch was easy to use, and I'm just trying to get paint on the back so I can get down to the real work on the outside. It's very zen to do the prep work, I dig the slow pursuit of perfection (or maybe the slow pursuit of good enough? 🤣)

Yup.

I pursue Perfection. I rejoice when I produce Adequate.

lookin good.
Did you pick up the moduko posted thrift shop VNB to add to your collection?

Nope, I have greasy's VBB to put together anyway, and not much more storage room. As it is once I finish this px I will have to sell it or my ninja to pull the vbb down from its rafter hiding spot. I can probably get by for a while by building it in sections - fork, engine, body all separate and put each back up as it is done, until I want to assemble it.

Etch primer and first layer of filler primer down. Ready for bondo.

Nice work!!!

(Watching for pointers as I'm getting ready to do some white p200 cowls.)

I just give Perfection side eye and drink on the regular with Adequate and his roommate Chloe C. Nuff.

It is one of those perfect San Diego days, the primer dries as fast as it goes on. When it's like this it ok to primer outside. There is a bit of dirt in there but it will be fine as I work the sanding process and the extra layers that will happen after bondo.

Looking good. Will be using this for reference. I have the exact same job to finish but might be spring before I can rattle can outside.

I really should be focused on engine into the bike but I felt like this today.

Next steps (in no particular order):
-fork drop and rebuild brakes / paint fork, etc
-engine swap
-floor repair underneath (rust treat and owatrol oil + wax), easiest with engine out
-straighten floor and reinforce
-change all cable outers (probably during fork job)
-new tires

I have a ton of unused vacation at work so I decided to take off Fridays through November and December to work on it.

I do have the Stella fork to keep it a roller while doing the fork rebuild.

Can you block-sand it with 400 and post another pic before you do Bondo?
Looks like you have a bump there. That won't go well with filler.

Yeah why not? Guide coat applied. Will try the 400 block sand soon.

Were you planning to put Bondo on top of that? My two cents: 1. You'll need to sand with a heavier grit than 400 for Bondo to adhere; 2. Forget the Bondo, it's too heavy for that application, use a glaze or a lighter filler.

Couple of high spots

Hammered them down but made a bit of a mess using the hammer with marking feature. By the time I fixed those marks, more exposed metal.

Now with primer back on but needs more layers. I ran out. Also more dirt in the primer. Ugh. Windy day today = ought not to be doing primer outside.

On a piece like this I think your block needs more flex than mine has. I'm better off with a smaller one that's more flexible. At any rate I think a bit of a clean up and some primer, then bondo.

I can be talked out of bondo and into something lighter. I need to go get more primer anyway, there's time to adjust the plan. Recommendations for the product?

Glad you knocked down the high spots.
You're going to need filler there for sure. Glaze is for the little things, like Bondo bubbles and gnat landings.

So what grit before bondo, seems like 400 is too smooth, so 220 or 320?

I use Scotch Brite. Body filler loves primer. Adhesion between those two will not be an issue.

Sweet, even easier

Do whatever you like, but filler won't stick to primer long term. Bondo needs a coarse tooth for good adhesion.

That's what I started out saying I would do! Nobody liked that idea. I did grab some glaze tonight also. Have to think on it.

I'm talking about a flowable filler, not the spot repair stuff for pinholes. Hard to see from the pics, but it doesn't look like you need more than a couple of skim coats. The thinner the better. I like this stuff:

Mike put me onto the evercoat for my GL's legshield and we all saw that it worked well, not because of the skilled operator!

Nah, don't be modest chandler, you got skills. Using the right product helps though.

Ok I will get some! Now what do I do with my $13 can of bondo?

Thanks, Mike! While I've gotten lots of practice, good materials, diligence, and LOTS of reading, watching videos, general learning, and taking the advice offered have made a huge difference in getting me from Zero to Minimally Capable.

Also, a willingness to stop, roll back, and re-do if I'm not satisfied with the results until I get it right. I figure that I'm probably nearly double the materials budget on both rounds of paint & body work on the GL as a result, and other than the pinholes on the glovebox door, I'm very satisfied with the results, drips n' all.

Next up will be the VBB, which is going to get the Bare Metal Treatment as well, because when my father-in-law and his buddy re-did it, they used way too much bondo for my tastes, so I seriously doubt their work was up to my standards. I'm seeing a nice, bright yellow-orange single stage on it, followed by a danger-fast motor, but geared for acceleration more than top speed (other than making sure I can join the 60/8 club on it, of course).

Wow, it says to sand down to bare metal.
Not a chemist, but I'm guessing the reason I've had such (decades long) luck with Bondo over primer is that I apply filler within the window where the primer is still in its "acting as a glue" stage (not cured). The solvent in Bondo (xylene) may also play a part, since that's a solvent to the primer as well.
Only issue I've had was over bare metal

A can of Bondo deserves a place on any garage shelf. All kinds of uses. Long shelf life.

We used to repair patio furniture with it for about 10 years or so. Problem was, the dye I used to color it would fade in the sun. Then the "why is this corner pink?" calls would come in. After I quit, they came out with a wood colored version. Same stuff, just wood colored.

Engine out. Scuffed away the crusties with scotch brite and did the fast etch and now the owatrol oil now. Waiting for that to dry to install the engine.

2 new tires on the Stella rims, which were less crusty. Not sure why I bought S83's. Engine on the floor awaiting installation.

This owatrol oil is still tacky 12 hours later, not sure if that's normal. It does say it could take 24h to dry. It's a weird product, kinda smells like turpentine, maybe more like a shellac or something.

I would like that engine back in today to have a roller but I'm not sure it's gonna happen.