Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Painting a Crank

So I have a crank its silver i kinda want to paint it, but I want to do like a drawing on it. I have no idea how to do it. do i sand it down first, or can i throw the paint over it, I had an idea on how to do it, my idea was primer over the crank, then a solid white, do the painting/drawing, then a clear coat over it. does that sound right? can you help me out?

Sounds good. Just remember it is a crank and portions of the paint will rub off. I love it when people get creative with their bikes.

Powdercoat will stay a lot longer than paint. But it'll be a lot more expensive.

Cranks are normally aluminum, so they don't powder coat very well.

****ty finish.

Paint doesn't do too great either unless it's primed.

You need to know what you are starting with - are the cranks anodized? You want to remove all that which involves some chemicals or a lot of abrasives. Probably both.

To get anything better than a flaky job you'll need a chemical reaction. So either two part catalyzed paints, heat-cured paints, or something that reactions with the aluminum itself, like a darkening agent.

Or spray paint.

"BFSSFG: Over complicating the uncomplicated."

Painting them makes them heavier dude. You wanna go the other way fer sure.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=I.4951586954740928&pid=15.1

Acidwash/fade/splash anodizing. I say this just because I haven't seen much exotic anodizing work in the cycling industry, it all seems to be solid tones.

Or spray paint.

"BFSSFG: Over complicating the uncomplicated."

And you don't need to take the cranks off the bike. Leave the pedals on too. Just spray around that stuff.

Powdercoat will stay a lot longer than paint. But it'll be a lot more expensive.

+1 this. Maybe find a bunch of other people who want to do their cranks as well and get them done all at once so you can split the cost.

^ I must be lucky, there's a powdercoater near me that does frames for $50-75 and parts like h-bars and cranks for $15-20

also,this is amazing



http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=I.4951586954740928&pid=15.1

Painting them makes them heavier dude. You wanna go the other way fer sure.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=I.4951586954740928&pid=15.1

Wow - On the right bike, that would look very nice.

288035so this is the finished product, so what do you think. nothing will happen if i clear coat it right?

You painted it without taking it off the bike or even removing the pedals?

so meta

Painting them makes them heavier dude. You wanna go the other way fer sure.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=I.4951586954740928&pid=15.1
THat's nice.


288035so this is the finished product, so what do you think. nothing will happen if i clear coat it right?

That doesn't look right.

You painted it without taking it off the bike or even removing the pedals?
well yeah, seemed pretty easy.

What about Shenron doesn't look right?

dragon balls yo.

THat's nice.



That doesn't look right.
Ouch, well, i like colors. so yeah

What about Shenron doesn't look right?

dragon balls yo.
THANKS MAN!, you get it.

288035so this is the finished product, so what do you think. nothing will happen if i clear coat it right?

Dude, it totally depends on how you prepped it, what you used for the artwork, and what you use for the clear coat. As those are all single-speed-fixed-gear-specific questions you came to the right place!

First, prep the artwork by spraying it with mineral spirits. Then rub it really hard with steel wool soaked in Acetone. Finish off with a soft cloth with a bit of Naphtha or Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). That should be all you need!

What about Shenron doesn't look right?

dragon balls yo.

Huh?

it's going to rub off when you ride regardless of whether or not you clearcoat it.

Huh?

It's Shenron, from Dragon Ball Z.

THANKS MAN!, you get it.

Didn't say I liked it.

It's lame.

fixed

It's Shenron, from Dragon Ball Z.

As said, huh?

I don't even know why i bother.

That makes two of us, kiddo.

What did you use to paint it on there?

He used paint.

Heaven forbid the guy have fun with his bike. This is serious business.

I like that you're having fun with it, FWIW. Not my personal taste but who cares what i think?

He used paint.

Whoomp!

Not hating on it, just not my thing. If you like it, then that's all that really matters.

well, i appreciate all honest opinions. and yeah, its my thing, i just wanted tips. haha

well, i appreciate all honest opinions. and yeah, its my thing, i just wanted tips. haha

What type of paint did you use for drawing on top of the primer?

Makes me sad, because I know that my Docs rub my crank arms when I'm just puttin' around and you've done some nice work on the painting. It'll rub off (at least in a section) which may ruin the work.

Otherwise, I wouldn't ride it, but my 11-year-old would think its BA.

you may try covering it with adhesive back vinyl (like "ski saver" from the 90s or similar)... at least then you'd see the vinyl wearing through. however, pulling off the vinyl will probably take the paint with it. i'd suggest getting used to repainting it.

What type of paint did you use for drawing on top of the primer?
acrylic

Will rub off first few pedal strokes.

acrylic

Geez. Finally.

Brush over it with soft acrylic gel. Make sure you get 100% polymer. After a few thin coats you could ttop it with some gloss varnish.

Geez. Finally.

Brush over it with soft acrylic gel. Make sure you get 100% polymer. After a few thin coats you could ttop it with some gloss varnish.

can acrylic spray work the same? sorry if im asking too much, i just dont want to leave streaks over.

Srsly, u need to ask these Qs in an art forum. Those paint nerds will hook you up. I dont know dick about this stuff.

You might get by with spray but I wouldn't trust it. Maybe if you use acrylic resin but then you'll still want to brush on a soft gel isolation coat to mitigate cloudiness. Plus, I'd stay with polymer which means brushing. But the gel is thick and will level itself as it cures.

You could also look at a pour-on solution. One of those two part epoxy resins might work. If I went down that road I'd get ultra thin fiberglass to stabilize the artwork. With the fiberglass solution you'll get a super stable finish that you can polish to a mirror shine. UV deterioration will be a problem but that's only after a few years of exposure.

BFSSFG OCing the UC

If I went down that road I'd get ultra thin fiberglass to stabilize the artwork. With the fiberglass solution you'll get a super stable finish that you can polish to a mirror shine.


Fiberglass is good against abrasion. You can also try using clear appliance epoxy enamel as a tough outer coat, available is spray cans.


UV deterioration will be a problem but that's only after a few years of exposure.

Then there is this

It will still rub off. Best bet would have been model paint/automotive touch up paint, then a clear coat.

duck tape it

clear packing tape

duck tape it


clear packing tape

Let's set up a poll.

Paint Goku on NDS arm