Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - minimal prep on minimal paint? or cheap chi-town painters?

Can anyone out there provide a short list of prep needs for a DIY paint job?

Or, better yet, anyone in Chicago paint frames, super cheap? Checked into some local custom motorcyle painters, but, they are a bit more than I can handle right now. thanks...

randy

Someplace I read suggested prepping a bike yourself then taking it to a place where they paint cars. Then see if they will paint your frame with whatever paint they are using when they paint the next car. Dunno if that would work or not.

i'm in the process of repainting a frame now. i got some of that paint stripper crap that burns the skin nicely as well as removes paint. it's sort of thick and you brush it on, get some in your mouth, and wait for the magic. it makes the paint bubble up then you wipe it off. i also used a pallet knife and brass wire brush to scrap off the paint as well. the stripper didn't work as magical as the genie on the can promised, but where the paint didn't bubble up it made it very soft and easy to scrape off. i then used some 320 grit sand paper to finish off the paint and rust spot removal. i then taped off the the headset cups, and bb shell, chrome stays, and painted it with primer. i then sanded it down with 400 grit paper in spots, put on a bit more primer, and in a few minutes i'm going to paint it with some automotive paint. i'll probably do a few light coats then a final coat that's a bit heavier. i'm using the paint and primer you can get at auto places in rattle cans. i'm then going to outline the lugs with a silver paint marker for added bling. make sure you let it dry for at least a couple of days before building it back up. i made that mistake with the last frame i painted and scratched it a bit. it felt dry, but was still not fully cured. hiyah!

i'm in the process of repainting a frame now. i got some of that paint stripper crap that burns the skin nicely...get some in your mouth, and wait for the magic...the stripper didn't work as magical as the genie on the can promised...
HA HA HA!
nice! I spit coffee on my keyboard at work

it makes the paint bubble up then you wipe it off

That'd be Jasco paint stripper, right? Wicked bad stuff. Don't get it on the nieghbors car who blocks your driveway all the time.

great advice, all..especially isotopescope..

my bike is less than a year old...dark grey in color...I'd want to paint it either all black or a super dark color...should I still strip it, prime it, sand it, paint it???

thanks...

randy

great advice, all..especially isotopescope..

my bike is less than a year old...dark grey in color...I'd want to paint it either all black or a super dark color...should I still strip it, prime it, sand it, paint it???

thanks...

randy

not that i'm any sort of expert at this whole paint huffing thing, but if the paint on your bike is still in smooth condition, simply sanding the existing paint so it's not glossy and applying new paint may be all you need to do. you'll need the existing paint sanded to a matte finish, if you will, so the new paint will stick. the bike i painted is a super old peugeot with very scratched paint and rust spots, which was why i took it down to the bare metal and took it to third base... wink wink.. perhaps i'll post some pictures when i get the lugs outlined.

edit: jasco is that stripping genie wonder i used!

Why not check Yojimbo's? They seem to do just about everything over there, and if they don't do that, Marcus can refer you to someone who can, I'd think.

Koffee

If not Marcus, call Upgrade on Chicago Ave. They had a sign in there a while back on frame painters...or something

If you do find someone to paint your frame how about giving us an idea how much it costs.

I don't mind doing all the prep work, need to use all those tools for something, but I don't trust myself to do all the painting.

i did pretty much what isotopesope is doing, the only problem I found was that it's real easy to chip off the paint. I don't know whether that was as a result of it being the first time i'd sprayed something or not though. I did a ton of coats and lacquered on top, maybe the way with auto spray paint though? Any thoughts?

It might be worth looking in to powder coating, have read that many people get good results with it and the price is often about $60 IIRC.

It might be worth looking in to powder coating, have read that many people get good results with it and the price is often about $60 IIRC.
my iro is powder coated and i am super happy with it. it is very durable. it cost me 60 bucks to have it prepped and painted. this home job cost me about 15 bucks, including the stripper, primer, and paint. you get what you pay for i suppose.

If you can find someone who does bead blasting, it should cost about $30 to have a frame stripped. Don't let them use sand, though. Sand is bad for a frame.