Bicycle Mechanics - need advice on stripping paint off frame

hi people,

i have bought a frame that has chrome on the forks and seatstays and the main triangle and headtube is painted but looks worn and is looking tired. underneath the paint is bright silver metal all over and although not as satin smooth as the chrome is really quite attractive. the frame is a montagner which is italian (passarella) and it is pantographed on the top of the sloping fork crown and on the upper seat stays. it has gippieme dropouts and i was told it was columbus tubing but i have never seen main tubes like this - whilst it's not a definite ribbed tubing there is definately 4 slightly raised profiles that run along the tubing which are discernable to the eye. it probably is raised 1/2 a mm and is the same on all three tubes.
what id like to know is there a way to strip the paint and will it be difficult. will i need to coat it with gel coat to prevent it from rusting or could it leave it on its own. i like fiddling and think it would look hot. is there a way to strip decals as i'd like to keep one near the seatpost that reads " cicli MONTAGNER, Passarella (VE) - colorado springs, 1986 - primato mondiale squadra 4km - tempo
4,15,18 media :57.806 km/h ". i know that it refers to some time trial but 4 km's ?????

anyway, any advice or ideas would be appreciated or information on what my frame would be made of. there was a decal but it has been taken off but it was oval in shape - taller than wider.


???? thanks ,

Dupe,

the paint of your frame is easily to remove, i did it with mine two months ago.
I don`t know the english name of the process, but its with airpressure, sand and a tube, the sand smashes against your frame to strip the paint off.
You have to strip your frame from all parts and cover the holes and treads of your frame as protection against the sand!!! (very important)
After that you can choose between powdercoating and original painting, i have a two layer coating and i`m really satisfied, it`s not as shinny as paint but it`s much tougher!
I`ve replaced my decals for new one, so i can`t help with that.

Mark b.

You may have a frame that is chromed all over, then painted over the un-polished chrome.
Does the bike have any vintage value which would make is wiser to keep the original paint job ?

Dont rush to strip off the paint. Check if the frame is chromed, then see if modern paint jobs (like IMRON) can be applied over chrome. De chroming is a messy process.

thanks michaelw,

its all starting to make sense to me now. your mention of unpolished chrome put everything in place. yes it is chrome and for the fact that they were going to paint over it makes sense becuase paint will probably adhere to the surface better if its unpolished. my ambition is to document (photos) of the frame and decals and strip the paint which is getting pretty rough then polish up the chrome. i doubt i will find decals as they were such a small manufacturer but the seat stay and fork are both panagraphed. i figure on two things : 1) if it has any worth surely an original paint job on its last legs cant be that much more of a premium and 2) the whole chrome effect would look good as well as make sense - why add weight by chromeing everything then painting over it.

the frame rides a dream and it will be a keeper for me. the one thing i would like to know if anyone has directions to iformation or a site on historic frame tubing as im still trying to figure out the type and manufacturer of the tubing. it shouldn't be too hard considering the 4 slightly raised sections running along each main tube.

also any sites for referencing the frame builder??

I'm thinking about painting my new trek. The red, white, blue, and silver just don't suit me. Matt Black with almost no logos would suit me much better. Specially in the city. I've thought of sandblasting it but I'm wondering if sandblasting is safe on an aluminum frame?

Things don't add up here and I think you are heading for disappointment.

Manufacturers do not chrome frames simply to paint over them. Unpolished chrome is an industrial (and costly) process used to provide a hard surface for better wear properties.

I think you have just had a look at a shiny piece of steel underneath what was painted.

You can remove the paint with a hardware store variety paint stripper, steel wool, and hard work. You will find a nice shiny frame underneath.

Be prepaired to paint it quickly aftarwards, or the bike will probably start to corrode within a few days.

You can paint it yourself with primer and good auto-body spray paint. If you really want a nice look, then have it painted professionally.

If you really want your bike chrome plated, you could have it chromed. It will probably cost around $500-$600+ for the frame alone. Sure, you can get whole bikes at Toys-R-Us for $99.00 which are chrome plated. Those bikes are made in China with no pollution regulation. This is the USA. Chrome plating is expensive.

Go to www.oldroads.com or the restoration forum at www.schwinn.com and ask for advice on repainting a bike.

Good luck

Mike(y):

Certain older bikes were chrome throughout, but only the fork ends, and sometimes the lugs, were polished. My early 60's Torpado is all chrome.

Please forgive the saddle. It has since been replaced for a Brooks B-15

Oscar:

Oh sure, Oscar, there were many all-chrome bikes (ever see a Spaceliner?). I have a couple myself. They still make all chrome bikes today.

My point is that it is highly unlikely that the bike would be chromed AND then painted by the manufacturer.

Also, all the chrome I have ever seen is decorative shiny chrome. The dull chrome that was mentioned has little decorative value and is an industrial grade chroming. Thus, I think it is more likely that our friend above is mistaking shiny steel with chrome.

Heck, I could be wrong, but it would be regretfull if he strips off the paint in hopes of finding chrome only to find steel pipes.

Mike, my dude - My Torpado is all chrome with factory paint. I've shined it up where some of the paint has chipped, and sure enough it's chrome. I've seen Schwinn World Voyageurs chrome throughout with that Sky Blue and Whatever Yellow. I suppose the chrome layer was considered protective.

Most of these that I's seen are lightweights from the 70's. Dupe's bike is from the 80's so I wonder.

I know you're a prolific repainter. How many do you have under your belt?

OK, Oscar. So, well... Hmmm. well then, Never mind!

Chrome under paint. Well, OK, then. If you say it's so, then I'll have to believe it.

How many bikes have I painted? I'm not sure exactly, but the total is somewhere between a gob and a whole bunch. Granted, I don't re-paint new bikes, so I haven't stripped paint off of a new bike to find chrome underneath (unless it was house paint on chrome). Still, I have owned, ridden, and seen a lot of newer bikes and chrome under paint just doesn't seem natural. It just 'aint right, by gum!

It is hard to understand why the manufacturer would paint over chrome unless it was to give the paint a certain luster. The old space-age bikes like the 1960's Spaceliners had silver paint as a base and candy apple red painted over that to give it a real George Jetson look.

Ah well.

My local bikeshop has a display Bob Jackson frame with all the goodies BJ can offer. Its a bit over the top, but includes chromed lugs and dropouts, with a clean paint line. The paint in applied over the chrome. Its not something a big factory would ever do, but specialist builders with a chrome fetish have been known to.

See
http://www.bjacksonusa.com/

Well, there you have it again.

I'll be danged.

hi fellow pedalers,


i feel so bad for starting off this topic and i haven't even got around to stripping the frame. a cyclists life is always surprising and i have aquired an older colnago master piu frame that has not only stolen some of my components but also all my time and money.

so my bike that started me asking questions in a quest for chrome glory is now for sale. my frame is a montagner (cicli passarella) it measures 55 cm seat (c-c) and 56 cm top tube. it features pantographed sloping fork crown, top of both seat stays and the bottom bracket. ive never seen a sleeker job on any rear stays than this one. the paint features a very interesting red/white/blue paint job that is neither perfect nor is it so scratched up that its an eyesore. there are no dents or chrash scars. the tubing is made by oria and features very light ribbed longitudinal detail and the dropouts are by gippieme. the tubing is used by many manufacturers including pinarello and torrelli. the lugs are very pretty in detail and have hearts cutout in most of them. all the stickers are intact including one which is in reference to a speed/tt world record set in colorado springs in 1986 on a montagner frame. it dates from the early 90's and features braze-ons for two bottle, pump peg, front derailler, brake cable giudes, routed bb cable guides, and of course downtube shift bosses. it is an ideal tight geometry and loves to sprint and do fast criteriums. it always draws more attention from fellow cyclists than my friends rides with their exotic materials and fat tubes. there is only one bike i know that is like it and is for sale (good reference picture) although older with not as pretty paint.

@
http://www.bikeseller.com/vintage-bike-museum.htm#montagner%20speciale

it is a truly beautiful frame and as a whole the bike is a dream to ride and i wont be giving it away unless im assured that it will be ridden and preserved by a lover of italian bikes.
the frame is now for sale with or without components (ultegra 9 speed derailleurs, cassette (12-21) and flightdeck compatible shifters, dura-ace 170mm 53/39 cranks and bb, 105 headset and 3ttt bars and stem, mavic gp4 rims with stainless spokes , campy front hub and 105 cassette hub. low mile conti sprinters are in perfect condition and hold 170 psi all day. white look arc pedals. all attached. the only thing needed is calipers, seat post and seat) . if anyone is interested you can email for details.
mine comes from australia and has seen new york since spring and as a precaution i treated it with weigels frame saver just in case. i dont race ( in fact im a smoker) and the bike is used for easy rides (more show than go). no frame manufacturer can afford to make them like this anymore. BE DIFFERENT.
dupe@mac.com

ben

I have the same bike, it has a Cinelli bottom bracket shell.
The tubes are GM 0.0, designed by Oria for Francesco Moser's hour-record bike. Oria claims the ribs increase rigidity by 15%.
The decal refers to the Czechoslovakian pursuit team win with this frame at the '86 World Championships.
Luigi Montagner handbuilds frames, is a former racer, and built frames for several Eastern European national teams.
In 1988, with the devalued dollar, Bicycling quoted the frame at $605 !!!

also, the tubing is externally ribbed, double-butted chrome-moly.

:twitchy::twitchy::eek:

I'm not one for resurecting ancient threads but, there's so little info around on that tubing, and I had to add this incase someone else has thoughts of refinishing something with that tubeset.

:eek: DEAR GOD DONT SAND IT OR SANDBLAST IT! :eek:

Thats not chrome, thats actualy completely plated with nickle. Send it out to a reputable refinisher who is familiar with a chemical stripping process that won't harm the finish under the paint.

I had a D'accordi that was made of the same stuff. Too bad it was way too small for me, it was one beautiful bike.

My 1973 Lambert was made of chrome moly tubing painted white. Over the years, most of the paint flaked off leaving a fairly rust resistant grey satin finish. Could that be what you are seeing on your frame? I would be reluctant to sand blast a bike frame as it would erode the tubing. A better choice would be blasting with glass beads which cleans metal very nicely without eroding it. Areas that you wish to protect from bead blasting, like a threaded bottom bracket, can be covered heavily with wheel bearing grease which can be cleaned off after blasting. I do not know of a method to remove decals but you will need to do so before the bead blasting ruins them.

Just to throw in another confirmation that you can sometimes find chrome under paint, I have a 1986 Schwinn Voyageur that is painted green (I believe it is called British Pine) from the factory that is chromed under the paint.

For some older frames, it seems that when they wanted to have chromed stays (as my bike has) they would sometimes polish the stays, and then chrome the entire bike. It does offer rust resistance in case of paint scrapes, even though I do believe that it does hurt the ability of the paint to adhere as well as it would to the chromoly tube without the plating.