Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,559
Likes: 53
From: The 'Wack, BC, Canada
Bikes: Norco (2), Miyata, Canondale, Soma, Redline
Buying all the stuff you need to do a nice spray job will soon turn a painting experience into a nightmare. Rattle can primer, paint and clear is just not as durable as using automotive paint. But automotive paint is much more finicky to use and you should not be doing your first serious spray job on a bike frame that has to look nice.
Options are to have a autobody shop do the paint for you from scratch. They'll use primers, base color and a very durable clear top coat that will be far better than anything you can get from a rattle can and do a much nicer job than you would as your first spray job. The other option is to look up powder coaters in your area and have them do the job for you. If you go that way no primer or anything other than a freshly soda blasted and totally paint free metal frame is the way to show up at their doorstep. Both of these options will cost but it'll be worth it. Otherwise by the time you buy all the compatible primer, paint, reducers and clear coat from an autobody paint supplier you'll be into the job for a TON of money. On top of that the typical autobody paints these days are highly toxic so you'd need a clean place to paint and a fresh air supply mask to use while in the paint room to avoid poisoning yourself.