dedhed

https://www.sanchezpaintshop.com/

Michael Angelo 

Too bad you don't live any closer.

Michael Angelo 

I'm not charging enough.

sloar 

$$wow$$

repechage

Dupont Chromabase really shrinks down actually, if you do a decent sealer coat any and all will telegraph through, perhaps more than you wish. The two part clears are where things can go thick fast, they are designed for the automotive industry where some thickness can save the painter, a sag or run can be color sanded out and buffed back to hide all. There are ways to reduce those coats a bit, some will definitely reduce the overall UV endurance of the clear. Products like "Blendzall" are useful in moderation.

In the 70's Dupont Imron became popular for resprays and some American builders as it is very tough and in solid colors can be shot and not require a clear coat over. In Southern California in the land of the South Coast Air Quality Management District... you will not find it anymore, same with lacquer. One problem with it is that the metallics for a long time were quite coarse, too coarse for a bike frame in my mind.

I think Dr. Deltron used just that, Deltron from PPG. That paint does need an accelerator or activator. I have seen that if it does not get enough, will not harden. Baking might kick it over, but I have no idea as to the time or temp.

When I was young I sprayed many a frame with acrylic lacquer, very forgiving but fragile in use. Maybe with a two part clear over it would work, say one as marketed by Eastwood where they have a one can two part system. Dangerous chemistry though, so is Imron for that matter.

I have to test using some of the flattening agents and see if they work with the two part clears, this may be a way to get a more period final appearance out of the gun.

Grand Bois

You might find something here:

https://www.tcpglobal.com/restoration...spacrylic.aspx

I'm going to use that acrylic enamel with hardener on my next project.

repechage

If you are local, you could spend the savings on shipping and come out equal.
The stuff looks nice, to some they will not like his apparent default of making the color change at a lug at the outside edge, Joe Bell and Keith Andersen seem to favor the inside surface where the color does not crawl up the lug shoreline. I like both and some bikes were done one way originally, more work at the inside surface.

rootboy 

Looks like a good option, GB. Thank you.

cicliste666

I haven't done business with Cyclart for many years, but wow did they ever used to be the worst company to deal with. EVERYTHING was an upcharge. I had them paint an old Gios and as you might expect, the color came back wrong -- too dark and not that cobalt color. I know it's hard to duplicate but they acted like such big shots that it seemed like no big deal for them. When I got the frame back, having been torn a new one as far as insanely high invoices, I called them and dealt with a woman named Susan as I recall. She puts the customer service reps at Comcast to shame as far as being just purely awful. At the end of the day, I just lived with the slightly off color and was super annoyed that they put their own decal on there (as I recall, it was down on a chainstay; could be wrong). Got in a crash and wrecked the bike, so soon forgot about it.

There are so many folks who are glad for your business. I'd never deal with a place like CyclArt, ever again.

Also: if you have a fillet brazed or tig-welded bike, why not just get it powder coated? There are tons of places that will do it for $150-$175 and it looks great and is many times more durable than paint. (Not so great with lugs as it goes on a bit thick.) Powder coating has come a long way and there are zillions of colors and finishes now. It's much cheaper if you find a place that doesn't specialize in bicycles per se. Definitely not a bad way to go, and very easy on the environment to boot.

cicliste666

Bilenky is such a great outfit. They listen to your wishes very very carefully and have a very deft touch in terms of frame work and such. The paint seems fine but I did not have them dial it up to their top level of quality. I really, really respect those guys. Just very able hands all around, and kindly as heck. Not the cheapest, to be sure, but just absolutely error-free work.

big chainring 

A 1/2" brush and a bottle of Testors. Works for me. Love the smell too.

Citoyen du Monde

I really like Steve and his whole team and have sent a few people to get frames built for them by Bilenky but I must say that my experience has not been super positive with the paint. I have had two frames painted and both were only less than stellar. The one was a touch-up of a scratch caused during shipping and the touch-up was very seamless and nice, but unfortunately they had not properly masked the rest of the frame and there was overspray on the decals which they tried to buff out, thereby partially destroying the Columbus decal. The other involved a rather minor repair to a BB shell where they were supposed to add some brass and re-thread the BB threads. unfortunately they did not add enough brass and the threads are not sufficient to hold the fixed cup. I have found a good work around but it isn't what it should have been.

MeadMan2

I painted my Colson tandem with One Shot. *The maroon is beautiful & is quite smooth. *The ivory trim did not cover well & is not smooth. *My experience with yellow paint & yellow tinted paints is that they do not cover well. *Two problems with One Shot. *You can not really sand it between coats & it chips easily. *I would not use it again. **

Drillium Dude 

I see a common theme here....

DD

mtnbke

BS, that forum member was being a whiny little ***** who wanted his hand held throughout his repair/restoration including "proof" that CA was doing what he requested. On top of that he changed the work order midstream.

Long story short he LOVED the repair and restoration of his Colnago, but was just being an impatient Nancy and came across like an entitled nightmare customer.

fender1

Sssssssshhhhhhh, sssshhhhhhh, there , there,. Take two ST400's and go back to bed. Your having another one of your episodes.

nlerner

I think I'm having a deja vu moment--again.

himespau 

Um, I think you're remembering a very different story than the one we all remember (and DD linked too). He clearly asked them to strip the entire frame, which they didn't, and didn't change what he wanted. He just wanted to see how things were going (because they were very behind their estimated schedule), and they took some pictures for him and then told him he was going to be charged after it was done.

fender1

Facts have no place in this thread. I am just grateful that I am the target of a mtnbke rant! It is how I know I have finally arrived on BF.

gugie 

You're now one of the initiated!

rootboy 

I'm thinking of starting a new company, called CycleFart. Whaddayou guys think?

fender1

Smells like a winner to me!

Kactus

Can't wait to see your company logo!

cyclotoine

I know this is a Zombie thread. But this was exactly my experience also. Dr. Deltron basically did the work for charity in my mind. He went to great lengths with decals etc and I know he only did it on the side. I appreciated his attention to detail and he was exceedingly kind and friendly, but unfortunately the paint split and cracked as soon as I started bolting things on. the drop outs, the seat lugs. This kind of settles a debate I have been having for years with that frame... to just ride it as a fixed gear or not? It's a really expensive rider, but the paint isn't perfect and there is a decal error (not DD's fault, but wish he would have noticed when he applied them). So I might as well ride it.

fender1

I rode the Trek he did for me as a commuter. The paint & decals looked awesome but didn't hold up too well. He did not charge nearly as much as others would have, so I can't be too critical. I have since learned that re-painting bikes is often times, a loss leader. Now I just spray bomb and ride them. I leave the restorations for others.....