I considered having a professional repaint this frame, but decided to do it myself. There a few dents in the top tube, and I don't have all the original components or the money to throw down. I'm hearing figures up in the $300 range to have this thing painted, plus another $100 or so to get the Mondia, and Reynolds decals put on. So, I'm putting the FULL BLOWN restoration aside until a later date when I have some money to burn.

I decided to step it up from regular old spray paint, and got Automotive custom spray cans as well as primer and clear coat from AutomotiveTouchUp.com. They are located in the city next to New Orleans, so I went down there and had a good long conversation about painting the frame and making sure it comes out the way I want it to. This paint is the best spray can paint money can buy, so I have high hopes. The nice man said to make sure it was about 70-80 degrees with humidity below 50% when using the cans. I waited, and last Sunday was it.

I prepped the frame by sanding the best I could with 120 grit, then applying phosphoric acid to remove any rust hiding in the crevices (as well as to provide rust protection), then sanding again with 300, and then 320. After this I masked all the areas that won't get paint and cleaned all the areas to be painted with denatured alcohol.

I noticed the three main tubes all had "Reynolds 531" stamped somewhere on the tubing. Each tube also had numbers after this 20/22, 19/22, and another I couldn't read. I'm guessing these are measurements for the butting?

Here's a photo mid sanding:


Before the humidity rolled in I got in two coats of primer, wet sanded with 600, and three coats of base. The finishing coat of base, and the clearcoat will have to wait for another dry day. Hopefully this won't mess things up. The frame will hang in my attic until that fine day.

I'm still considering getting the Mondia and Reynolds decals if the paint is looking the way I want it to. It looks like I can get the Mondia decals for $40, but I can't seem to find the right Reynolds decals. help?

Thanks,
Tim