imobilinpedalus

Alright so i`m currently repainting my mothers stolen bicycle which i managed to retrieve for her after some 6 weeks in absentia. Thing is she refuses to use it before i repaint it for her in pink ! (used to be white) I guess her logic is nobody steals a pink bicycle?!

Anyway i just need a few hints advice upfront what to use to fill some small chips on the framework. No worries, i am merely roughing up the surface of the paint a little bit so the primer will adhere along with the new paint. Not going to look like a million dollars anyway. Thanks for any good advice,

Bjoern in Norway

rhenning

Sand it until the chip is gone. You can fill the chip area with coats of primer by spraying the area with a filling primer and then sanding the area. It will take many coats and sandings to do it that way. There are no quick and dirty ways to do even OK paint. Roger

imobilinpedalus

Nope that ain`t it. I wasn`t thinking of sanding down the original paints down to the bare aluminum. This is what you are implying yes?

xiaoman1 

rhenning, I use automobile spot putty....get a thin plastic spreader and put a "thin" layer in/on just enough to fill the chip ( you will see what I mean with the first application).
After drying/curing lightly wet sand with 320 or 600 to smooth the surface. try doing one spot first so you get a feel for how much product to use.... there is nothing worse that having a lot of nicks that are filled with "too" much dried putty that is too thick and difficult to sand off. Practice makes perfect...if there are a lot of nicks I would sand them as the previous post suggested.
Regards, Ben

Retro Grouch 

I've never had good luck painting over existing bike paint. Whenever I've tried to cheap out by not removing all the old paint down to bare metal, the result has been rapid chipping.

rhenning

Spot putty is another name for thick primer which I think I mentioned. Just leave it dry throughly and don't be surpized if you see cracks in the paint where spot putty is used in a couple of months. Roger

xiaoman1 

I have been using spot putty for years and have not had that experience....if as a "filler" yes it will crack but as a skim it should not be a problem. The cracking will occur if it is applied too thick. The new putties are now designed to be used with an accelerator much like bondo. you will still want to seal it to prevent bleed through.....if you have a lot of nicks sand and spray is the best way to go.
TETO Regards , Ben