GENTLY DOES I T
It’s an overused cliché but a scooter’s only original once. It may be that the sticker scheme won’t stand the test of time but I’m not alone in seeing repainting as the last resort. The ‘patina’ look originated in the Volkswagen scene and over the past few weeks I’ve spoken to a few VW enthusiasts who thankfully share my opinion. Their advice is that when attempts at preservation don’t work it’s always possible to change the approach and move on to a respray but once original paint has been stripped it’s impossible to put the clock back.
Unlike conventional paint preparation, the key to good patina is starting with the least intrusive method possible.
This means soap and water and if that doesn’t work move backwards through the normal preparation sequence, starting with finishing compound and then on to progressively coarser grades of wet and dry paper. Once the desired finish has been achieved the normal polishing process is followed. Although I occasionally went so far as 600 wet ‘n’ dry, my most successful results started with 1000 grit followed by 1500 and then 2500 paper.
These grades gave a satin finish but I like my patina shiny, so I followed up with G10 finishing compound. For the final glaze I have a rather unusual preference, natural beeswax. I’ve tried all sorts of wax but beeswax has consistently given the best results.
It dries crystal clear, contains no rubbing compounds and polishes to a beautiful finish. It isn’t cheap, but a little goes a long way. As a bonus it also makes the garage smell fantastic!