Here's my 2 cents worth




First off , I have been using Rustoleum spray cans for years with good results.




Rustoleum is acrylic enamel and very durable.

It comes in a huge variety of colors and is dirt cheap.

They sell 2 different clear enamels, a standard one and another specifically for automotive use.

They also have acrylic lacquer in black, white, clear, red, and, I think, Yellow.




As many have said, prep is supremely important.




You must remove all contamination from the paint before spraying.

Especially difficult to clean is the bottom bracket since it always has grease in the nooks and crannies.




I usually use stripper then sand and finally sand blast the hard to get to spots .




When the frame is completely clean put on good rubber gloves for the rest of the work. The oils in your skin can contaminate the work.


Sand the bare frame ( or painted if you didn't strip)with 600 grit wet/dry then wipe down with alcohol.





Let dry thoroughly then , wipe down again with a painter's tack cloth which has a sticky resin in it that will remove any dust .




Set your frame on a bench using a dowel screwed into a board or clamped with a Jorgeson wood clamp and inserted into the seat post. you will be able to rotate the frame 360 deg. while painting.




Take your paint can (primer, topcoat, or clear) and place in a pan of hot water. warm the paint till when you shake the can it feels blood warm (not hot, you don't want the can to explode.




I generally try to spray outside in the morning when the air is calm , especially with enamel as it drys slowly and will get on everything in the garage if you don't spray in a booth.




If you decide to spray lacquer don't worry so much about the paint. lacquer dries so fast it doesn't stick to anything except the bike frame. also dust is less likely to stick to it as it drys fast.




when spraying , don't point at the frame and pull the trigger. Start your spray motion off the bike and drag the can across the frame and stop spraying off the frame at the other end of your pass.




Spraying a frame is tricky as there are lots of angles and small diameter tubes.




I usually will spray a coat of primer with the frame upside down on the dowel then , holding it by masked of parts, flip it over and clamp the bottom bracket with the Jorgesen clamp and spray from the top side down.




don't try to cover everything with the first coat. No matter how hard you try you will definitely miss something. Spray then wait 1/2 hr. and check for holidays . Then respray to insure you have everything covered.




You have 1 hour in which to do this.




Using Enamel , wait the proper time per the instructions( usually 48 hrs) then , with gloves on, inspect your work. If you have any runs try to carefully sand them off with 6oo wet sand paper. then check to be sure you haven't sanded through the the primer. Whether or not you are painting bare metal or over existing paint , always do a complete primer coat. If you spot prime You will have difficulties as the primer will probably show under the top coat as a shadow.




After you get the primer done wet sand with 1000 paper then dry and use the tack cloth . Do not wipe down with alcohol any more as it will wipe off the fresh paint.




Now you can spray your color coats. I do not sand between coats. I spray a coat then wait 45 min and spray another coat. this is usually enough to get full coverage .




Now one last inspection , gloves on . One reason I spray the frame upside down first then right side up is that small runs on the underside of the frame don't show and with the final coat from the top down little runs usually disappear. At this point you have enough color on the frame that you can probably remove imperfections with a light wet sanding with 1000 grit paper.




Now you are ready for the final clear coat if you want one. If you were careful with the color coat you should have a pretty good looking frame already .




Having done all that with enamel you should know that it will take about a week to do the complete job.




If on the other hand, you use lacquer you can paint a frame in a day or less. Generally you can recoat in 15-30 minutes and don't need to wait 48 hours between primer, color, and clear. Also lacquer dries differently than enamel and cures a lot faster . After your final coats you should wait one day before installing hardware but actually, if you are careful you can start in a few hours.




which ever way you go , remember to not touch the frame with your bare hands, make sure you clean and prep meticulously , warm the paint( it increases the pressure in the can And makes the paint atomise better)