Originally Posted by
RobbieTunes
Prep
Prep
Prep
Prep
Practice
Practice
Trial
Error
Trial
Error
Somewhat
Somewhat
Success!
75% of the job is painstaking prep. Assuming steel. Oxidation to bare metal begins the instant it is bare metal. So, once prepped, some kind of coating needs to follow, asap, so not only do you prepare the metal frame, you prepare to coat it, as well.
I am not sure an airbrush is the tool, but flash on the edges of round tubing is the main issue. I would ask crank_addict on that one. He's painted, knows the business, the material, etc, and he's local enough.
There are "upper level" rattle cans that have had good results here on BF, and I imagine using an air compressor and sprayer may help. Many painters are now using HVLP process, with more volume, less pressure. There are complete sprayer systems available from $80 to $600 that advertise the flexibility you may need. Of course, there are much more expensive systems, but these are bikes.....
You would really need to determine what kind of paint you want to use, as far as primer, base, and possibly clear, and then see what system works for you. Do you want to wet sand in an hour, wait a day, etc.
I understand bake-on finishes, etc, but the best results, from my experience, come when you paint the frame, let it dry, and then put it away and forget it, let the calendar turn a few pages, then come back to it.
+1 to all of this. Getting some paint on the frame so it looks "ok" from 5' is pretty easy. Getting a really top notch, show bike finish requires everything to be perfect. Perfect prep, perfect paint, perfect technique, perfect handling. Much of that comes from practice. Just keep in mind that a quality job takes a ton of time, and a bunch of work. You'll soon realize that a $800 paint job from Joe Bell is actually a pretty good deal considering the work involved. The few frames I've painted cost about $200 in paint, plus about $3000 worth of my time (if only someone was paying me for it).
As for equipment, Harbor Freight sells some nice HVLP guns that are knockoffs of expensive European brands. Airbrushes are too small, but the detail or touch-up guns are about right for a bike. (Full size guns are good too.). All of them take a ton of air, relative to small compressor outputs. You either need a compressor that can put out a lot of air ($$$), or a tank big enough to let you spray for 2-3 min at a time. At a minimum, something like a real 2HP compressor, and a 30 Gal tank. Bigger is better, tank wise. Just be aware that modern compressors are rated as "peak hp". That is a fancy term for "lying" :-). Just look at the current draw, and assume ~14 amps / (real) hp at 120v, or 7amps per at 240v. That same 1hp (real) might be labeled anywhere from 2-4 peak hp depending on the manufacturer.