Tandem Tom

The tiltle is my question. What type of fixture do you use to hold the frame while painting?
Thanks!

Steve Whitlatch 

I tied a rope to a wire coat hangar. I hook the coat hangar through the seat clamp holes. Not quite professional but effective.

daf1009

How do you hold it? "Carefully"

randyjawa 

My way...

sloar 

I use an old mtb quill stem. Slide it into the seattube and tighten it up. Then hang it from the stem.

multivac

with the built in hooks

american psycho 

seatpost, clamped into the Park stand.

spray, rotate 180 degrees, spray again.

fork I usually just hold in my hand

bwilli88 

runn a wire thru the head tube and a wire hook into the bottom of a fork

oddjob2

coathanger thru steering tube onto a dowel or broomstick outdoors.

Ex Pres 

My latest one had a non-painted ST panel, so I just used the bike stand and clamped there. Other times I've used coat hangers, usually through the head tube, but I've done the BB, and used the rear drops if they were chrome/to be left unpainted.

OldsCOOL

That works. Also, as seen here you can run a bungie hook onto the headtube and one at the rear brake bridge. Any paint "misses" would be covered (didnt occur in this case) with componentry.

Ex Pres 

I see a lot of tape in the big holes (BB, ST, HT) in these pics. I use cardboard paper towel/toilet paper rolls. Just slit 'em lengthwise and slip 'em in.

crank_addict

Amateur here.

Solid, no swing motion from hangar, wires or other.
I use a broom handle to fit tightly without a pinch bolt in the seat tube (shim if needed).

Other end of handle is clamped in a 'Workbench' type and elevated. It allows me to rotate the frame and lay it down more or less in a flat position, avoids runs. Then rotate, rotisserie like. I also use cardboard shields hand held between the stays which prevents overspray flash or diffusion from the tubes being sprayed. For me, the technique is the only way if using a rattlecan. Nozzles and inefficiency on those cans limit quality but with a bit of shielding, can lay down decent gloss, no runs.

Though if wanting to spend for a quality two part urethane, I use an HVLP touch up 'g()n'. Easy metering and far less dust. Can lay in a much finer spray at a closer range too. For HVLP, big air volume is key, larger line and air coupler.

JohnDThompson 

A spoke through the dropout adjuster hole can be formed into a hook to hang from a tree branch...

tyler_fred

My version of Keith Anderson's paint stand. If needed, bike can be rotated while painting.

crank_addict

Pure shade tree style... why not?! One day last autumn, had the perfect 65 degree day, zero wind and the bugs were gone. Laid the paint under the shade and then baked out in the Sun.

RobbieTunes

I hold the frame in one hand and the brush in the other.

big chainring 

Thats what I do.

zazenzach

so...uh.....I know this has been talked about before, but how did your projects end up turning out and what method did you use?

I have a hard time believing a rattle can will end well, no matter how hard you try. Did you purchase a spray gun? which ones?

I'm very close to pulling the trigger and repainting my own bike. I just don't want it to look bad.

Soody

A lot of it comes down to skill/ experience. When i painted a big chunk of my old Alfa for rust repairs, I used cans. The bits I did looked OK. The bits my friend who's done a lot of painting and works building carbon race boats did looked way better. I wouldn't expect the first few times doing anything to turn out very well.

thinktubes 

My dad painted a '65 Volkswagen using this method.

big chainring 

'77 Bus. Brush and roller. Waterborne alkyd gloss paint.

okane

Me like!

Bike tinker man

I've a proper bike repair type bike stand, so there are three ways to hold it, I've an ally tube about 3 feet long this can go through the head set, through the BB, through the seat post, thus allowing me all options to make sure I don't miss any areas

jbchybridrider 

My idea is using an engine stand, this way I can spin it 360 deg. cant miss any spots this way and stop runs. Apart from the stand my painting setup has come a long way since this photo.