dwango

Hi,

I have an old Raleigh "Team USA" road/touring bike that I want to convert to fixed/SS. I've ripped all of the old components off, and the first thing I'd like to do is attempt to repair the paint job a bit. I've got a couple of questions.

1) Is repairing scratches/chips on an old bike feasible, or should I just leave it as is?
2) It appears as though there is already a clear coat over the paint which is either not clear, or has colored in the sun (see the lettering in one of the pictures). Should I try to remove this clear coat?
3) What kind of paint should I look for? I was planning on heading to an automotive shop with the frame and looking through their available touch-up paint selection.
4) If and when I touch up the paint, can I/should I put a new coat of clear over it?

I've searched through the forums a bit, but most of what I find deals with stripping the frame down to the metal and completely repainting. I like the current paint job and I'd like to keep it.

Some images for your viewing pleasure:





Thanks in advance.

dwango

Perhaps this would be better in Classic & Vintage. Can I move it somehow?

neil0502

I might agree with the other forum being a bit better suited. You can "report this post to a moderator," asking them to move it.

There's a ... I think it's Dr. Deltron ... on this forum that--IIRC--is a whiz at paint and body issues. You may want to PM him with a link to your thread.

Nice project. Good luck!

Dr.Deltron

Thanks Neil!
If it says PAINT in the title, I usually investigate.

As for the "project" at hand, I would say leave it alone. There are too many "small" issues that add up to more work than if you repainted the whole thing.

2nd best bet is fingernail polish. Cheap, dries fast, comes in zillions of colors!
Again, too many spots to do a good job, without spending MORE time than if you started from scratch. No pun intended.

Price of repaint? $500+

Price of original? duh! . . . PRICELESS!

dwango

Thanks for your expert opinion. I think I'll go the nail polish route for some of the bigger chips, and just leave the smaller ones. I've seen mention of using clear nail polish over scratches to seal them off. Do you recommend something like this?

Thanks again!

Dr.Deltron

That would work also.
Just remember, rust never sleeps!
And unless you blast the rust out, it'll keep on rustin'!
So any touch-up is really only slowing the rust, not eliminating it.
Which a little smear of grease will do also.