gholian

Hi,
I have done a search on the Forum as suggested by Jbonamici for information on re painting a bicycle frame but all I can find are posts where people are asking if they should repaint or not. Maybe I am not seeing something but is there techinical section where the prosess of repainting is discussed in detail. I think I know what to do but just want to double check in case I miss something.

On my 87 Peugeot racer when I run my finger along the frame I can barely feel the decals. I wonder are they clear larqered over and that is why I can't feel them. Will I run into trouble when I go to sand the frame down. I presume I will have to remove all the old decals.

With what Grit sand paper should I use. Should I lightly sand it. I have 1000, 1200, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers. Which do you think I sould I use.

Gerry.

Doohickie

Actually, a sticky thread for people to post their repaint jobs and explain how they did them would be great (since I plan on repainting a frame soon as well). There was a thread about someone painting their bike within the last week; I learned a lot from that. Those threads seem to come and go though; it's be nice to sticky one of them and have people add to it so provide a depth of knowledge. My plan is to strip all the old paint off before painting.

CV-6 

Dr Deltron's painting thread This thread will answer a lot of questions.

Doohickie

Now can we just get that stickied?

top506

Lynn, between the 45th Inf. Division avatar and the 'CV-6' user name you've GOT to be a WW II buff.
Top

CV-6 

Somewhat...I consider myself a naval history buff. My father served in the 45th Infantry division and yesterday (12/3) would have been his 95th birthday. We raised a glass to him last night.

dbakl

I used to paint a lot of bikes years ago with spray cans, I'm considering doing it again. I could outline my process if someone needs it, though its pretty basic to any spray painting. I think it is possible to do a very good looking job, though spray cans have their own challenges and I never found them to hold up as well as a factory job or an Imron repaint.

And its a lot of work to do it well...

Yes, factory decals are typically clear coated in the finish, though stickers may not be.

kurohelmet

In october i decided i would do a rattlecan job on my old bianchi i found. I spend a ridiculous amount of time sanding all the old paint down to the bare metal, cleaned/prepped the metal, sprayed it with a self-adhesive primer, sprayed multiple coats of enamel followed by an industrial clearcoat and gave it 3 weeks to completely dry. I did not skip any steps and spent at least $40 in paint. Unfortunately, after the 3 weeks the paint was still not quite hard enough as i could scratch it with my fingernail if i tried. I gave up and took it to a powdercoater. I wouldnt recommend the rattlecans unless you can afford the toxic self hardening paints.

dbakl

Rattlecans:

Lacquer dries fast and is easiest to work with, but solvents go through it like a hot knife through butter.

Enamels spray thicker and take forever to dry really hard. I put the enamel jobs I do on top of my shed to sit in the sun all summer long when they're done...

Honestly, the professional bicycle painters earn every penny and give you a fabulous result that will last for decades. If only it didn't cost so much.

Never powdercoated anything...

gholian

A techincal thread discribing all the steps with pictures would be invaluable as I am sure lots of people have contemplated repainting. There is lots of information in threads but it is all over the place.

I am really in a confused state as what to do now. Some people say rattle cans do a good job while others say no. I must go and meditate on this for a few days as to what I will do.