dminefield

What's the best/easiest way to strip the paint off a bike frame?

Ceya

Zip Strip it comes in a spraycan or can (pour it). Spray is better. It is yellow and black can.


S/F,
CEYA!

andygates

Nitromors, rubber gloves and wire wool.

But if you're repainting yourself, check the total project costs. If you're doing a simple one-colour job, it's about the same price to get it blasted and powder coated.

Yuppie

Get some heavy duty paint stripper from ACE or Lowes and take the frame and fork to a DIY carwash with power sprays. Put the frame in the sun and brush on the stripper and leave it for a few minutes. You'll see the paint bubble up. Then take it into one of the bays and spray that shizza right off. Worked for me. Repainting is a completely different story. I've never had much success with that.

isotopesope

a wire wheel on a hand grinder works super well. i've also used a heavy duty chemical stripper as well, but she's messy and burns my skin. oooh, kinky.

progre-ss

Aircraft paint stripper. Comes in an aerosol can at your local auto parts store. Works well. Use heavy duty rubber gloves and a wire brush and a plastic scraper. Spray it on in a well ventilated room, better if you're outdoors. Leave it on for about 15 minutes. scrape off the residue. Repeat. Don't let the stuff sit for long as it'll just dry up and make it harder to remove the paint. I DIYed my fixie frame and spraypainted it a nice Chevy Orange using Duplicolour Enamel engine paint. Came out nice but I think I may get her sandblasted and powdercoated over the winter along with my singlespeed mountain bike.

isotopesope

i had a frame stripped and powdercoated for 60.

pitboss

pray tell -
when and where?

BlastRadius

Every quote I've gotten was $150 or more for a sandblast and powdercoat. Thats around here in the SF bay area though.

SD Fixed

Jasco paint stripper will remove all paint with reckless abandon. Use good gloves and don't get it on your skin. It burns badly and quickly. It will remove paint to the metal in about 30 minutes. Also good on cars that block driveways and etc..

BlastRadius

I used that on my latest Trek fixer upper. I use latex gloves but was wearing short sleeves. I didn't realize I got a dab on my forearm until I felt the painful burning.

little5guy

I am going through the process now. The aircraft stripper does work well. You have to use several coats to get all the paint off. However, I caution that if the frame is nice and you want it to look like (or close to) a brand new factory paint job, don't do it yourself because you will be disappointed. But if you want the satisfaction and fun of doing it yourself, don't care about high quality and want to save some money, do it yourself.

And if you repaint it, definitely wet sand between coats. Makes a huge difference.

isotopesope

it was at denver bumper in october of last year. i think they did a great job, but my friend who works at spectrum says they joke about that place all the time. that said, another friend of mine just got his ground up frame back from denver bumper with a dent from them dropping it and a hole where they sand-blasted through the tubing. of course, the tubing was some ultra light dedacai (sp?) steel. they're going to reimburse him for the cost.

jasco is that magic genie paint stipper i have used before. that stuff works great. i also was smart enough to wear rubber gloves and a short sleeve t-shirt. yeowch.

dolface

jasco is the king imho, but it's evil stuff, cover up, work outdoors, and dispose of the mess properly.
here are the deets for san francisco:

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at 501 Tunnel Avenue near Candlestick point. The hours of operation are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except on certain holidays. Call the Hazardous Waste Hotline at 415/554-4333

Ceya

Here is the link below

https://www.starbronze.com/remover.html

S/F,
CEYA!

Oni

I got quoted $200 to get my frame stripped and painted. but I don't know if that's powder coating and it was a chemical strip. Anyone know of any powder coaters in PDX aside from ACME on Market st.?

michaelwlf3

You guys, I build polymer molecules and in the past have formulated paint. Some people consider me a finishing expert.

Make sure you use the strippers outside. The Jasco has methylene chloride in it - I looked up the MSDS - and that will make you stupid if you breathe the fumes. It's also a carcinogen. Nasty stuff.

I wouldn't let ANYBODY sandblast my frame. Even if they didn't blast a hole clear through it there's a chance they could weaken it. Ungood.

Powder coating is cool but what if you want to touch it up? If it was me doing it I would just go get some Krylon Tough Coat or some other acrylic (yes, acrylics are harder) and shoot it with that. The trick is to go slow and apply multiple light coats instead of one or two heavy coats. Use a primer underneath for maximum adhesion, and sand lightly after the prime coats to get it smooth. Let it dry for at least a week before putting it all back together. If it gets scratched just scuff sand it, spot paint the repair in, and rub it out so you can't see it. Easy.