Spray painting a bike frame...

[MJ_1993]

has anyone done this before? i have a vague idea thanks to wikihow and a dt teacher. but he said he knew little about it and to askaroundfor info etc.

thanks.

[Antloony]

Not done any spraying for years but one thing I was told by an old mate of my dads who was a panel beater was to get a good finish make sure the preparation is spot on. Make sure you remove all traces of grease and oil as the primer or paint will never take to it.

Not much help I guess but it'll get you started in the right direction.

You could always use the hammerite approach though and just slap it all over with a 4" paint brush thats been used so many times its only got half of its bristles left....ah takes me back to my childhood...

[MJ_1993]

i see. thanks, any advice is welcome!

[Andrew G]

I sprayed an old steel track frame for my old fixie. I used car aerosols from Halfords as you get a nice choice of colours (Fiat racing Red is a nice dark red which I used). The advantage of these is that they are made for spraying metal, will protect the frame well, and get a enough cans for a couple of coats of clear lacquer too.

Key things:

- Strip the frame completely of everything, bottom bracket the lot.
- Anything you can't remove (e.g. my frame had a riveted enamel headtube badge) mask up very well and neatly.
- Rub the frame down with sandpaper of rough and then finer grades of paper to give a key. You don't have to remove the old paint just give a key and if there's any rust on an old steel frame use a wire brush to remove it.
- put masking take in the holes (seat tube, bottom bracket etc) so that it's stuck to the inside of the tube and sticking out, then fill the hole with newspaper to avoid any paint getting in the tubes and more importantly on any threads.
- Make sure you spray in a very well ventilated area which is as dust free as possible. I used my garage and thoroughly swept and put down dust sheets before even starting.
- You need to get to every bit of the frame so suspend it from something, I rigged something up with 2 step ladders and a bar between them and hung the frame from string in between the two - string through bottom bracket hole.
- Wear a mask and goggles and one of those cheap painting romper-suits you get from DIY stores.
- Spray a coat of primer on. Spray in even smooth strokes from about 15-20 cm away to avoid any drips.
- Once the primer is dry sand with a very fine grade paper and wipe clean to remove any dust or other deposits.
- Spray first coat of paint on using the same method as the primer - smooth, even, etc.
- Leave to dry, sand with very fine paper, wipe clean, apply second coat of paint.
- You'll need at least two coats of paint (which I used) but a third will give a better finish.
- Once all coats of paint are dry then apply the clear lacquer in the same manner. You need at least two coats of lacquer but I'd recommend 3 or 4. I did two and it wasn't as shiny as I'd like.
- Be patient. You have to prep each layer properly and make sure there is no dust anywhere. I had a bit of dust get in when putting the lacquer on and it left a small rough patch on the top tube. Annoying but I wasn't going to sand it all back and buy more lacquer so I left it as it wasn't that noticeable.

Pick your colour wisely. White or black will show any imperfections up very clearly and they'll jump out at you. I chose a dark red as it gave a bit of leeway for standard of finish without being as easy to spot.

If you give it a go good luck, take your time, be patient, and make sure you do all the prep at each stage.

Alternatively call Mario and give him £100-£200 depending on what you want done . - [url]http://www.cycle-finishes.com/[/url]

[MJ_1993]

and for carbon wikihow said to sand it down mildly??? any ideas on that?

andrew, thanks mate. absolute hero. so then snoop, is your stelvio alloy or aluminium? =P

hmm i was thinking white and royal blue? i might get some bling such as gold chain, gold handlebar tape etc etc.

[Andrew G]

[quote="Mo Jaffer"]and for carbon wikihow said to sand it down mildly??? any ideas on that?.

[Snoop Doug]

Awwww, you're gonna respray my ole Stelvio

Afore ye change the course o destiny. Just think. That bike's done:

Triathlons (team ones)
London to Brighton
Wallington to the Wirral
Mont Ventoux
Southern Counties 10, 25, 50 and 100
And more club runs, commutes, TTs and general hoofin about than you care to mention...

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Last time I sprayed a frame (in my mum and dad's conservatory), and several spray cans, felt very light headed and the room started spinning round, then I was walking on the ceiling....weird....I think people pay good money for that. ..........but I had a nice red track bike with paint runs all over the place

Guru P

[Andrew G]

Hence my comments about well ventilated, wearing a dust mask, and smooth even spraying from a reasonable distance .

I expect you got paint on the furniture as well .

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote="Andrew G"]Hence my comments about well ventilated, wearing a dust mask, and smooth even spraying from a reasonable distance .

I expect you got paint on the furniture as well .

[kieran]

too much hassle and probably not saving much money compared to Mario Vaz, where I got my track bike resprayed, a quick turnaround and a pro job, no worries.

[Ivor]

Has anyone used Armourtex? googled Mario Vaz and most comments/reports seemed unhappy.

[Marky Mark]

I would like my Aly winter bike sprayed in Addiscombe colours to suit the kit.

Surely it must of been done before! me me me me me

[MJ_1993]

keiran the thing is, i have like a 12 week holiday to kill after gcses. and unless you want me to be spray painting walls, bus stops and bridgs

dw snoop i'll do my best to make it look good. no promises though!

[Snoop Doug]

Mo, it's yours now mate, have fun with it, purple and gold stripes maybe??