Alt Bike Culture - Spray Painting a Frame

Hey all,

Hope this is the right place to post this... I'd really like to paint my Kona Dew Deluxe matte black. Not really a fan of the copper colour. Is this even remotely a good idea? What paint could I use that won't chip or flake off? And how should I protect the components? I don't really have enough expertise or trust myself to take everything off in order to paint it, so I was going to wrap everything I didn't want painted in newspaper and tape it.

Am I a total idiot who should not be allowed anywhere near a can of paint?

Thanks guys. :p

Hey all,

Hope this is the right place to post this... I'd really like to paint my Kona Dew Deluxe matte black. Not really a fan of the copper colour. Is this even remotely a good idea? What paint could I use that won't chip or flake off? And how should I protect the components? I don't really have enough expertise or trust myself to take everything off in order to paint it, so I was going to wrap everything I didn't want painted in newspaper and tape it.

Am I a total idiot who should not be allowed anywhere near a can of paint?

Thanks guys. :p

Yes.

The frame has to be stripped of all components if you want a good paint job.

"Durable" and "spray can" don't go together. You can get a nice finish with a rattle-bomb, but it won't be very durable. Bike manufacturers use catalyzed auto paints for their frames. Novices should not mess around with catalyzed paints.

Could I spray over it with some kind of a lacquer or finish after painting?

Could I spray over it with some kind of a lacquer or finish after painting?

Sure, but anything that comes out of a spray can will not be anywhere near as durable as the factory finish.

If you have a spray gun and an air compressor, use a basecoat followed by a 2 part urethane clearcoat. Go to a local car paint supply or try www.automotivetouchup.com

If you have a spray gun and an air compressor, use a basecoat followed by a 2 part urethane clearcoat. Go to a local car paint supply or try www.automotivetouchup.com

Without the hardener, it'll be no more durable than a spray can job. Hardener is deadly toxic and should not be handled by a novice.

this paint job is 6 years old and its all rattle can, its all in the prep work i would sand it down with 600grit just enough to scuff the finish. take the wheels off and tape off the rest use blue masking tape. stick to car laquers flat black in itself is not durable so add flat clear itll gloss a little bit but it looks good
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Lownslow302/DSCN58801.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Lownslow302/DSCN58811.jpg

Check out some of the car painting books in your local bookstore or library. Most of the techniques are pretty much the same. Some people have even gotten their bikes painted by car painting companies.

If you do strip it down, you may be able to locate a place near you that will give it a flat black powder coat. I've seen the results of just such a venture and it was pretty nice.

The last time that I painted a frame I removed all of the components I could, taped off the ones that I couldn't, and used a paint remover, wire brush, and sandpaper to take the frame down to bare metal - I would never do that again. Paint remover sucks, actually, it burns, even the organic environmentally friendly stuff I bought, and, it turns out that the original paint would have made a much more durable base coat than the primer I used. I painted the first time with flat gray, covered with matte clearcoat. total of about 8 layers, and let it dry in the sun, and my basement for about 3 days before I touched it..... That paint chipped off like crazy. This brought about a couple of benefits:

* A willingness to paint it again a different color/shade (the next time I didn't strip it first, and painted with a ceramic engine paint)
* A lack of caring as to the appearance of the bike, and a lot more general enjoyment of just riding it and not worrying if I dinged it up.

All that being said, there's a couple good, long write-ups here that you can search for that will explain how to get the very best out of a rattlecan job, and why that's just about the worst choice you can make if you want a good, durable paint job.

there is a stick in Classic and Vintage on frame painters...it also has a lot of hints for painting.

Another option is to get it powder coated the desired color

taking part of is the way to go for a neat job.

has anyone had any luck going to an auto body shop and piggybacking a bike/frame paint job onto a regular car paint job?

like, getting your bike frame/fork to the painter, and when they have a car to paint, get your bike painted at the same time...hopefully on the cheap...

has anyone had any luck going to an auto body shop and piggybacking a bike/frame paint job onto a regular car paint job?

like, getting your bike frame/fork to the painter, and when they have a car to paint, get your bike painted at the same time...hopefully on the cheap...

That's a fantastic idea. I bet they'd be willing to do it for pretty cheap since they'll have the paint already mixed and prepped. If you had the frame adequately stripped down and maybe primed, all they would have to do is hang it up and spray it. I'd look into it.

has anyone had any luck going to an auto body shop and piggybacking a bike/frame paint job onto a regular car paint job?

like, getting your bike frame/fork to the painter, and when they have a car to paint, get your bike painted at the same time...hopefully on the cheap...

Some auto body shops will do that, provided that you do all the prep work. You also have to settle for whatever color they are painting cars that week. $50 to $75 bucks should make the painter happy.

I just restored a 28 year old Schwinn Cruiser. I had the frame powdercoated for $100.00 at a shop I found in the phone book. Look under powdercoating in the phone book, and get prices! Spray painting looks good for a while, but soon will start chipping, or peeling. Throw down a few bucks, and get a good paint job that will last!
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j33/CODENAMEHARDHAT/DSCN2360.jpg

I always put several coats on myself and I'm going to clear coat it. Yes, I'm going to get the crank and handlebars OFF. Still this is want I'm doing this weekend and if you go to page SIX on Tempest-the grey bike grows up in this forum and you aren't spraypainting DaVinci, then this is the non Leonardo approach, which I will be happy with and isn't a typical example of anything :rolleyes: Me and spraypaint know each other.

Since the "copper" color is some kind of tinting and it's NOT MADE OF COPPER, yes, you can disassemble it and strip that tinting and do whatever...I'd bet it's worth a lot more coppery though. Think about that and see if another bike or an actual NON-COPPER BIKE of that make is available. It may be one that hauls in enough for two-three bikes, you never know some daze.

PS For good, bad, ugly or indifferent information I'm using Dupli-Color automotive colors in at least three coats, mostly the D-C 500F ceramic engine enamel. topped over by D-C clear acrylic enamel. I hope to be finished before the week is out if you want to follow my fables and foibles in my thread.

this paint job is 6 years old and its all rattle can, its all in the prep work i would sand it down with 600grit just enough to scuff the finish. take the wheels off and tape off the rest use blue masking tape. stick to car laquers flat black in itself is not durable so add flat clear itll gloss a little bit but it looks good

You had much the same idea I did. I'm learning the things you're speaking of also.

if you want Matte black


then you put clear laquer over it...surely it will be shiny then

I just restored a 28 year old Schwinn Cruiser. I had the frame powdercoated for $100.00 at a shop I found in the phone book. Look under powdercoating in the phone book, and get prices! Spray painting looks good for a while, but soon will start chipping, or peeling. Throw down a few bucks, and get a good paint job that will last!


+1
Powdercoating is much more durable, but it is thicker and should be done by a powdercoater who has experience with bikes.

+1
Powdercoating is much more durable, but it is thicker and should be done by a powdercoater who has experience with bikes.

i have painters ADD otherwise i would have gone that route on my bikes but for a one time finish youre stuck with powdercoat

Sled, I'm not exactly sure what your saying, but powdercoat can be media blasted off.(?)

I have painted several bikes over the years with Rustoleum, although I am certainly not what one would call a 'bicycle painter'.

Recently, however, I painted various parts of a frame (braze ons that I had added, etc.) with 'plasti-kote' industrial enamel, which comes in a spray can. It's a total mystery to me where the can came from, or how long I have had it, since it is 'Osha Green', a color that I have never, ever considered using in the past.

The bottom line is that this paint worked REALLY well for me.

It has a 'Guaranteed not to clog nozzle' and will 'Spray in any direction'.

The paint dried quickly (1 hour) and had a decent shine to it. Also it didn't 'bleed' under the amaturish taping job that I had done.

Hope this helps.

You had much the same idea I did. I'm learning the things you're speaking of also.

Learning, indeed, as you can see...still I will get it as close as I can with the striping and call it genuine. I'm not Rembrandt but I'm not Jackson Pollock either!

It gets one more white stripe and touch-up then the fender is done! One Columbia repro split red reflector wil; be added.

I did it with my bike, and I only put 2 coats on (mainly cause im cheap and ran out of paint)

it chips super easily but as long as you're careful with it and don't go around dropping it everywhere it'll look decent. i sprayed my bike a pink/black mix, looks good :p not perfect, but good.

Sled, I'm not exactly sure what your saying, but powdercoat can be media blasted off.(?)

Well it can, but it takes a really really really long time and you can't touch it up.

Well [powdercoat] can, but it takes a really really really long time and you can't touch it up.

Can't you just paint over it if you decide you don't like it anymore? I can't imagine it would be any worse than starting with bare metal...

Can't you just paint over it if you decide you don't like it anymore? I can't imagine it would be any worse than starting with bare metal...

you can but you would have to rough up the powdercoat for the paint to stick which would make for a waste of time. i avoid sanding a frame to bare metal but theres cases where you absolutely have to

Well it can, but it takes a really really really long time and you can't touch it up.

Absolutely not true!!
Powder Coat comes off easily with blasting media. It also can make a great a base for a new wet paint app. One can use wet paint or a rattle can to touch it up. But not the other way around. I have worked in a powder coat shop. Roger's Manufacturing in Olathe Ks. to be exact.
Powder coating can be durable & give a nice finish. It still can be scratched & does in fact chip like anything else.

Powder Coating is at it its best used when you have a high number of parts or pieces that need paint.
The quality or appearance is not as of yet on the same level as a wet app. done by a skilled painter.

You could have your LBS strip the parts for you then reassemble the frame after painting by someone professional. The whole process of painting a bike to look good and last is definitely not something that should done by someone who's not experienced in the field.

Absolutely not true!!
Powder Coat comes off easily with blasting media.

Thank you...

Before you go an find a regular painter or powder coater to do it check with any chopper shops in the area. Usually they can recommend someone who does all of their frames and small parts. Usually they know someone who works a little cheaper than the big guys and tend to do just as good if not better of a job. Also if you go in and tell them that "Joe Bike Builder at XXXXXX choppers recommended you" then sometimes you will get a better deal.

There was a guy I talked to a few years ago that was going to powder coat A stretched Harley soft tail frame, rear swing arm and the legs for the springer front end for $150

You could just go all out and have it anodized or better yet, boron-carbide coated.

BTW, Rallykid, your signature is freaking hilarious! What is that from?

I do a lot of rattle-bomb work.

my tips/hints.

Sanding. If you can feel an imperfection, you will see it when done.

Cleaning. Degrease/clean the frame before spraying. Even after you have cleaned and accidentally touch the frame with a dirty or sweaty hand, clean/degrease it again.

Paint. Rustoleum sucks for bikes. I like duplicolor, seems to leave a much better finish.

Care. Don't touch the paint for at least a couple days after finishing. I tend to let paint/clearcoat dry for at least 2-3 weeks before hitting with polishing compound. I try to put the piece out in the sun once it is no longer tacky to help cure.

Painting is an art. I've seen spray-bomb jobs on motorcycles that look better than the next guy's $1000+ custom job. Rushing is what causes disasters/frustration.

I wouldn't touch a brand new bike unless you're pro... Kinda silly...

If you want to paint a frame, find a beater in a dumpster...

I'm in the middle of a rattle can job. I've got the thing primed up. Rubbing it down with 00 steel wool works great for smoothing the primer. Also, Acetone works great degreasing and pre-prep. Wear gloves. I'm also glad I'm doing this on a old beater frame.

I just painted a MTB with $1 paint from Dollar General. Know whut? It looked crappy! This time I got some better paint and I'm doing more prep. I figure if I don't like it, I can always have a pro do it. Actually I was thinking about seeing if the local Bike Coop has any painting equipment.

Glad I'm not the only one who's not enamored with the color of their bike. I mean, there's nothing wrong with mine and I wouldn't bother to change it (maybe if I spent a bunch of time on my bike commuting and such I would), but it's the color there was (dark green), so that's what I have. It would not have been my choice if I'd been offered a palette of colors to pick from.

I used to have a Mongoose in a sort of satin-finish candy-apple red, though, that looked like the red was glowing from within, and I loved the color of that. Would love to have that color again, or maybe a lovely blue. Or, of course, black (though probably glossy, not flat/matte). And possibly with glittery-ness. :)

About 17 years ago I did a matte black finish on my Mongoose Decade Pro BMX frame. I stripped all the paint off with Bix Striper, applied many coats of Rustoleum Ruddy Brown Primer, wet sanded any imperfections, applied several coats of Krylon flat black, and wet sanded between every couple of coats. I rode the hell out of that bike and the finish looked professional and never chipped, even in the spots where I dented it. Did I mention that the frame was (dull) chrome plated?

Hey all,

Hope this is the right place to post this... I'd really like to paint my Kona Dew Deluxe matte black. Not really a fan of the copper colour. Is this even remotely a good idea? What paint could I use that won't chip or flake off? And how should I protect the components? I don't really have enough expertise or trust myself to take everything off in order to paint it, so I was going to wrap everything I didn't want painted in newspaper and tape it.

Am I a total idiot who should not be allowed anywhere near a can of paint?

Thanks guys. :p

If you are dead set on changing the color then strip it down to the bare frame and fork and take it to a powder coating business....they will blast it clean and powder coat it for you and shouldn't be more than $75 $80. Take it home and put everything back on. Done.

Hello everyone. Nice to meet you all.
It's really great. I like it very much.
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Old thread, but here goes........

It's true. It's all in prep and then application. In other words, I've seen really, really nice paint jobs on vehicles done with Rustoleum and (the Canadian version of Rusto') Tremclad.

See this: http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

I've a few 'Yota buddies that painted in this manner. So, I'd say if it'll work on a car, it'll work on a bike.

I'd painted my old Univega using Duplicolor auto paint using the same procedure outlined in the link, but a couple of times I'd gotten in hurry. I was ansty mainly because I didn't have anything to ride while it was down, but also due to time factor where I was painting. Only had the space for so long.

The job finished out pretty nice and fairly durable. In other words, from afar it looks great. But, close up you can see the spots where the paint didn't adhere well and chipped off after having reinstalled all the components or just getting banged around a bit (afterall, it's a bike). I would prefer that it looked better close up (since when one is riding, you are indeed close up), but it's still pretty decent and cost less than a professional job.

So, I'd say if one wants the quality job, have another ride handy while you're taking the time to do the job well. Don't hurry, and don't paint while it's humid.

Oh yeah........and DON'T touch it until any layer of paint you put on has completely dried.

Old thread, but here goes........

It's true. It's all in prep and then application. In other words, I've seen really, really nice paint jobs on vehicles done with Rustoleum and (the Canadian version of Rusto') Tremclad.

See this: http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

I've a few 'Yota buddies that painted in this manner. So, I'd say if it'll work on a car, it'll work on a bike.

I'd painted my old Univega using Duplicolor auto paint using the same procedure outlined in the link, but a couple of times I'd gotten in hurry. I was ansty mainly because I didn't have anything to ride while it was down, but also due to time factor where I was painting. Only had the space for so long.

The job finished out pretty nice and fairly durable. In other words, from afar it looks great. But, close up you can see the spots where the paint didn't adhere well and chipped off after having reinstalled all the components or just getting banged around a bit (afterall, it's a bike). I would prefer that it looked better close up (since when one is riding, you are indeed close up), but it's still pretty decent and cost less than a professional job.

So, I'd say if one wants the quality job, have another ride handy while you're taking the time to do the job well. Don't hurry, and don't paint while it's humid.

Oh yeah........and DON'T touch it until any layer of paint you put on has completely dried.

The Ford Model T was originally painted with brushes. After the paint dried, the brush strokes were rubbed out with pumice and water. This method of painting caused a bottle neck in production, so Ford developed the spray gun method.

BTW, the early Model T's were available in any color you wanted. Ford discovered that black dried the quickest, after that, black was the only color available. When DuPont developed new synthetic paints, that had the same dry time irrespective of color, you could again order a Model T in a choice of colors.

Interesting. Something I didn't know.

The nice thing about using Rustoleum, Tremclad, or even Brightside (a boat paint some have used) is that the paints are self leveling. It helps, of course, that they cut the paint in this method. Keeps the paint from tacking up too quickly. And, particularly when using a spray gun as some have done, it flows better. I imagine having to rub the Model T's out with pumice and water was PITA. How tedious that would be on a bike frame....lol.

I'd suggest using Epoxy Spray Paint.
It's one of the most durable spray paints.
I use it in the kids bikes since they are always wanting it different colors.
Its a very hard paint doesn't scratch or chip easy at all and they abuse it like no one can and is scratch and chip free.
Its a very hard paint doesn't scratch or chip easy at all and is chemical resistant.
And no need to clear coat.

Since this thread was started about a year ago, it would be nice to hear from the OP to see if he or she went with the spray bomb approach, and how it's holding up a year on. How about it Alcyon, are you still out there?

(http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=6921774#post6921774)

Interesting. Something I didn't know.

The nice thing about using Rustoleum, Tremclad, or even Brightside (a boat paint some have used) is that the paints are self leveling. It helps, of course, that they cut the paint in this method. Keeps the paint from tacking up too quickly. And, particularly when using a spray gun as some have done, it flows better. I imagine having to rub the Model T's out with pumice and water was PITA. How tedious that would be on a bike frame....lol.

I know this is a thread hijack, but here goes:


Crazy Henry Ford started off in life as a bicycle mechanic. His first car was built mostly out of bike parts and he called it the quadracycle.

The Wright Brothers were also bike mechanics. Their first planes used chains and sprockets to drive the propellers.

I'd suggest using Epoxy Spray Paint.
It's one of the most durable spray paints.
I use it in the kids bikes since they are always wanting it different colors.
Its a very hard paint doesn't scratch or chip easy at all and they abuse it like no one can and is scratch and chip free.
Its a very hard paint doesn't scratch or chip easy at all and is chemical resistant.
And no need to clear coat.

Sure, but is it very durable? ;)

Thanks for the info, fellas.

Fissile.......you remind of my buddy Jay. He's full of info like this. It's funny when you get him "altered". He has a hard time keeping it all in....lol!

Sure, but is it very durable? ;)

Thanks for the info, fellas.

Fissile.......you remind of my buddy Jay. He's full of info like this. It's funny when you get him "altered". He has a hard time keeping it all in....lol!

The most durable paint you'll get in a can:) Its hard as hell! dosen't chip or scratch like other paints.

The most durable paint you'll get in a can:) Its hard as hell! dosen't chip or scratch like other paints.

Sounds good to me. Next paint job, I'm going to try it. Thanks!

Oh, did you get my email on the decals?

has anyone had any luck going to an auto body shop and piggybacking a bike/frame paint job onto a regular car paint job?

like, getting your bike frame/fork to the painter, and when they have a car to paint, get your bike painted at the same time...hopefully on the cheap...

A friend of mine, body shop owner, said he could do it for about $100.00 It would have to be a solid color though.