Roberts build/respray, any tips for paints etc

Take it to Vaz in Hither Green for a media blast.
Will take a little while but won't cost the earth.

I'm firmly of the belief that any rattle can finish can only ever be "good for a rattle can job". Spray cans give away control of so many variables, that they simply can't compete with a proper compressor setup.

However...

• Once it's back in your hands, DIY it thusly...
  
• Key it up with 120grit and red scotchbrite.
  
• Then blow it off and degrease it with a quality panel wipe.
  
• Soon as possible after sanding it and keying it, prime it with an etch primer, then an epoxy primer... the spray practice will familiarise you and the higher building epoxy primer will be forgiving at the next stage...
  
• Key it up with 600 grit and grey scotch but try not to break through the primer back to the metal.
  
• Mask off any area that you don\t want to get colour and clear on
  
• Take your time applying the main hue. Warm, your paint in a bowl of water. Shale for longer than you're told. Keep it warm in the water and clean the nozzles regularly. Take your time and don't try and do it all in one coat; aim for two or three.
  
• SpayMax clearcoat next... all over the bike as instructed. Clear it as if you were finishing the project off.
  
• Let it cure, then with a wet 800 or 1000 grit, gently remove the peel, flatten off any overspray or dry spray and get the surface smooth and dull everywhere.
  
• After another cure... a week... yo've given the bike an "interclear coat"... you've protected the main colour underneath and you've given an even uniformed surface for the design to go on there... and you've had some clearcoat practice.
  
• Get your shapes in place for stencilling. Washi tape isn't designed for this purpose so swerve it. Buy some wide crepe tape and slap a bit onto a clean cutting mat , grab a scalpel and use it to freehand those shapes... they don't appear as though they need super precision. Make sure your lines are clean and there are no burrs or frayed edges.
  
• Pop your home made stencils on the bike... and try to arrange them in order to hide any imperfections on your previous layer!
  
• Mask off the rest of the bike with a less expensive automative masking tape or automotive masking paper.
  
• Gently paint in your stencils... don't go overboard... use minimal paint to avoid building big edges or lips of paint product... especially with the white. I'd recommend a couple of dusts of white before you apply that dusty pink too.
  
• Once you're happy it's dry, carefully remove all your masking. If you have any high-build colour edges, you can use a piece of crepe tape to glance it over the work and remove excess paint build up.
  
• Once you're happy, get a new can of clearcoat and go again on the whole bike. You should have had some practice now and feel a bit more confident.
  
  

If you feel compelled o detail and polish it, tag me again and I'll talk you through it.

There are loads of other ways to tackle this, this way isn't definitive... its just a simple approach that gives you a couple of "safety" stages to relieve some pressure.

Good luck.