dbg

I just finished a paint job (rattle-can) on an older frame. I removed all decals and sanded down the old finish but didn't remove completely. 2+ base coats, 2+ color coats, new (custom made) decals, and 3 clear coats. I built it up with the exact same components and it seems to have gained 2lbs+. The paint looks great and the decals were pretty easy (photo printer on self-stick clear film). Possibly my weight measurements are a little off (I use an electronic fish scale hanging from the ceiling), but I guess I believe there could be an added 2lbs+ of primer-paint-clear.

sydney

Depends on how much you use doesn't it?

dbg

yeah.. I could measure the weight from 6 spray cans, but it's not terribly intuitive how much actually stays on the bike, how much is solvent evaporation, etc.. Wondered if anyone had experience on frame weights before and after a paint job.

sch

You could go back over how much paint you actually used as a beginning and starting weight, then you would have to account for overspray and the percentage of paint that is VOC and evaporates. 32oz of endproduct would suggest you used several gallons of paint/overcoat as spray paint is higher in volatiles than brushed paint. Is that possible? From another POV Litespeed increased their profit margins a few yrs ago by painting a large percentage of their frames. Paint doesn't seem to add more than a few ounces to the frame weight. Cannondale and Trek claim their high zoot Al or carbone frames weigh in the sub sub 3# range, it is unlikely that much of this is paint though all their frames (except I believe Cannondale polished up an Al frame) are painted. Seat of the pants calcs suggest a surface area for a frame in the 3.5 SF range so your paint job would be 0.57#/SF. You could try spraying up a square foot of cardboard and weighing before and after to see what you end up with. At that weight the full 7 coats wouldn't be needed as a trend ought to be apparent after 2-4 coats.
Steve