Hmm... lots of mixed responses. The general consensus seems to be the better method would be to strip to bare metal, then coat with primer and paint. And I could use a wire brush for a drill to do that. Though it sounds like some had luck stripping to just the primer (not bare metal) and repainting from there with primer and paint. And others have had luck with no primer and just a "1-stage" spray.

I don't want to spend lots of actual work time on this, but I don't mind letting it sit for months to let it harden. I also don't mind color, since I was planning on white anyway (original color). I think I may try sanding down the fork first. If that's a PITA, I'll only go down to the primer or until most of it is smoothed out. Then try a spray that doesn't require a primer, just to stay cheap. If it's not holding well after a few weeks, I'll know to go down to bare metal and do it when I have more time. If it holds up well enough for my purposes, I'll do the rest of the bike this way.

Thanks. Any other tips would be good too. Like how many cans of paint I'd need to buy. I considered brushing it on with a paint+mineral spirit solution because I hate the waste involved with spray paint on skinny tubes, but that doesn't seem to be recommended.