DropDownDropOut

I have an old Univega I'm rebuilding and want to strip the old paint off. Any suggestions on how to do this? I was thinking of just going after it with a wire wheel on a drill. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

le mans

is stripping absolutely essential? i think paint stripper would be a lot easier method - no body filler to be concerned about. than to try and polish it off with a wire brush or sand it back to bare metal.

i think if i were to repaint a bike, in preparation i would just decrease it so the paint would stick, fill any chips - sand them down. then there are those hard to get decals to worry about if you want to bring it back to original

i havent found the need to repaint bikes [yet]

FBinNY 

Unless you have tons of time and like breathing dust, start with chemicals to remove and break down the paint, then use the wire wheel to finish the job.

nfmisso

Take it to a pro with a media blaster. They can do it in a minutes.

DropDownDropOut

Any recommendations on paint stripper?

Retro Grouch 

"Old Univega" That makes me think this is a low budget project.

You'll get the best result by taking it to a powder coater. They'll usually media blast the old finish off and refinish the frame and fork for around $100.00 or $150.00 (or so I'm told).

When I do one of these low budget projects myself I use a chemical stripper to remove the old finish down to bare metal and repaint with rattle cans. Stripper, sandpaper, primer and paint should run under $30.00. When I do that I get a durable finish that doesn't chip off and lasts for years. Whenever I've tried to cheap out by not removing all of the old finish, the new paint has chipped off rather quickly and easily.

HillRider

I assume this is a steel frame so almost any commercial paint stripper should not hurt it. If it's aluminum, be sure the stripper is aluminum-safe. I'd avoid the wire brush method as even cheap steel frames have relatively thin tube walls and aluminum is even more vulnerable to mechanical damage. Bead blasting with a mile abrasive is by far the fastest method.

fietsbob

Powder coating, blasting the surface of paint and oil free is part of the process.

EYE PROTECTION!!

Andrew R Stewart 

I would suggest a combo of methods.

Chemical stripper first. This step might take some time and reapplications. Having the frame warm helps. Preventing the stripper from drying up while it sits on the paint helps (I wrap paper towels and Al foil around the frame and revisit the frame a day later). The stripper found at most DYIs is only mild it the "strength". If you can source 'aircraft" stripper it tends to be more aggressive and will dissolve the paint faster.

The stripper won't get all the paint though. So some form of mechanical removal comes next. The majority of the tube surfaces can be shoe shined with emery cloth, about 80 grit works well. The joints and nooks/crannies will still need additional work. This is where a media blaster is nice to use.

But many commercial blasters don't understand or care about the bike world and will just blast away far more forcibly then needed. Depending on the frame's wall thicknesses and the blaster this could be no big deal or a deal killer. So by reducing the amount of blasting needed is,IMO, very important.

After blasting, assuming a steel frame, coat the frame with a phosphate solution (Navel jelly) to reduce the corrosion before the primer is applied.

Once you've done all this and can sit back to have that after refinishing beer most will reconsider ever doing this again. That's just one of the reasons that there are so few pro bike painters out there and why down and dirty powder coating is becoming the preferred choice. Andy.

Earl Grey

"Naval", hopefully.

SquidPuppet

When shopping for the stripper, find one with a high percentage of Methylene Chloride. That is the ingredient that does the work. Anything else is sissy stuff and will be a pain in the butt. This product is 80% Methylene Chloride. Dad's Easy Spray Paint, Stain, Sealer & Varnish Remover | Take what was old...and make it new again!

The paint will bubble and melt and can literally just be wiped off the frame. Literally. It will not hurt a steel frame. Personal experience.

*****Methylene Chloride is NASTY. It melts flesh. A few US States have banned it. Read and OBEY all warnings. Use outdoors, high quality gloves, eye protection, don't breathe the fumes, etc etc.

sch

The transient publication "Bike Tech" back in the '70s examined how much metal was removed in sand blasting with various media. Using sharp sand and working with the nozzle
close to the surface 0.01" inch of thickness was easily removed. Since higher quality steel frames can have tubing thickness in the 0.02-0.045" range you can easily do a lot
of damage in short order. Smooth glass beads or walnut hulls are much less abrasive and CO2 ice even less. Your blaster should not be found at a ship yard or a facility
used to working on steel fabrications with 0.25" or thicker steel.

Indyracer

Aircraft paint stripper, works great on ally, steel and carbon. Wear a mask and use in a well ventilated area though.

SquidPuppet

I think today's soda blasting could do .000000001.

franswa

I recently stripped a steel frame from the 80s and chose the safer route, with a non toxic paint stripper. I applied a very generous amount and let it sit for 24 hours. Then sandpaper and steel wool to remove the rest. Worked wonderfully.

This is what I used.


Citristrip, 1/2-gal. Safer Paint and Varnish Stripping Gel, HCG73803T at The Home Depot - Tablet

DropDownDropOut

Lots of good information here, thank you all very much. The bike started as a budget build, but the more I get into it the more excited I get and my wallet loosens up a bit. I have asked a local powder coater to quote stripping and coating. If that's too much I'll go with the chemicals and spray cans. Thanks again!

le mans

yes you can't go past powder coating, if you want an excellent quailty durable finish

personally, i prefer to do things myself but i wouldnt use spray cans - inferior self drying stuff!


i'd go for a 2 pack enamel system, mix my own coz i got a compressor
choose between matt, semi gloss or gloss.. depending on the colour

Andrew R Stewart 

Just like any other painting method there can be a range of powder coat finish quality. It's not as simple as many say (I doubt most of the people who talk about PC actually have done it) and bad jobs are pretty common. Bad jobs include lack of good prep (complete etching of the frame, contaminants removal, dealing with bosses and fittings), poor powder coat application (thin spots, contaminates transferred to frame, poor baking) and bad completion (chips at edges of paint, paint remaining in bosses and threads, poor decal application and no over coats for protection of them).

Here in Rochester we have, maybe, 5 or 6 shops that I've seen the powder coats work from. Only one has done a better then the others quality all the time. And this shop's work isn't any where close to a nice wet paint job. But for around $175 (includes blasting and pre paint anti corrosion coating, they do offer w/out blasting for the fools) and not >$400 what can you expect. Andy.

squirtdad

I have painted two bike frames....(one a univega) I would suggest the powder coat route.

Rattle can paint jobs can be really pretty, but are not durable. Automotive paint is durable, but more expensive

if you add up the costs you will be surprised at how much even a rattle can will cost, if you do it right. which means many thin coats so avoid runs. and you will have lot's of overspray

Good quality mask (if you don have one) with charcoal filters etc. that alone if $40 or so....but is good thing to have.

Stripper

Acid etch primer

high build up primer

color coat

clear

SquidPuppet

More poo-pooing of powder coat....yippie

As with anything, you have to shop around. There are Hacks in every trade. Avoid them. Easy. The bad shops will go belly-up anyway.

Powder coating has been used for outdoor, industrial and food service applications for decades because it's durability is superior to wet paint. It's tough stuff, which makes it perfect for bikes.

My local shop does tons of bikes. He does bikes for a custom frame builder in Washington state.

$65.00 for frame and fork. I can't strip and paint a bike for that, myself. That includes media blasting, masking, and high gloss UV clear on top of the color. And this guy knows what he needs to know about BB threads, braze-ons, head tube faces etc. His work is "contaminant" free and the finish is like wet glass. No orange peel. I have a bike he did 13 years ago and it looks like it was custom painted last week. DURABLE!!!

You can't just blindly pick a shop. Choose a guy who knows bikes, show cars and auto restorations.

Matariki

Last few frames I've stripped, I used a razor blade for most of the stripping. The straight tubing goes pretty fast, but the lugs take a bit of time. Took me about an hour to get to the point where I started sanding. I've used chemical strippers and also have a media blaster. Those methods work well, but are hazardous and take more time for prep and cleanup.


SquidPuppet: Those bikes are way too clean! Nice job, btw

Andrew R Stewart 

My post was more of an attempt to poo poo the claims of great powder coat jobs being without effort and thought, not the process or potential. It seems that almost all the posts about powder are of results that are either above the average that I see or the posters have lower expectations then I have. Not a wrong but excessive exuberance many times IMO.

I think we agree more then you might think. That you have come across a shop that does good work and pays attention to the details is great.

Only point I'll quibble with is that any one who has squirted paint knows there's a huge difference between large and nearly flat surfaces and the convoluted ones of a bike frame. Andy.

DropDownDropOut

I've found a shop that will media blast it and powder coat for $100. They were referred by a hot rod friend and they claim to do bike frames quite regularly. I'm normally quite DIY oriented, but my pad doesn't really have the facilities to strip and paint safely. Thanks again for all the input.

SquidPuppet

Chances are, you'll be in good hands. Those fellas are usually detail freaks.

Retro Grouch 

"They claim to do bike frames quite regularly."

Those are the words I'd be wanting to hear. Bicycle frames aren't the easiest thing to paint or coat well because they have funny corners at the bottom bracket and seat stay junctions and because the round tubes can be tricky to coat evenly. If you did it yourself you'd really only be saving around 30% and you probably wouldn't get as nice of a finish. I think that you've found a good deal.