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This month's Cover Scooter - Step by Step

On embarking on this project we realised we would be able to show the degrees of hard work that lie behind the stunning artwork which can sometimes be taken for granted.

Layer upon layer of hand-applied paint doesn’t happen quickly, nor cheaply. The preparation beneath can, in some cases, be as involved as the artwork visible just below the transparent lacquered top-coats. I don’t use the term ‘artwork’ lightly either, as all the subtle shading and blending, often freehanded, takes years of patience to develop with more than a hint of alchemy and magic woven in for good measure.

The T5’s metal parts laid out after blasting. In bare metal you can see exactly what repairs need to be made.

 

 

 

 

 

This illustrates how a guide coat shows low areas of bodywork. The pitting left by rust and repairs on the floorboard and the spot welds along the seams left by the factory will all need to be filled before any colour layers are added.

 

 

When the surface is deemed to follow the contours as stamped out in Pontedera, the bodywork is ready for a couple of coats of primer filler which will then be flatted back with a fine wet and dry paper...

 

 

 

• Read the full feature in Scootering magazine - March 2012!