Finished!!!!

Awesome job. Looks great.

Nice. Gonna reveal the blow by blow details for us. I gotta single speed buildup that is just screaming for a new look this winter.

Here is the paint I used...

Notice the orange cap didn't make it to the end. lol. Since I just got done, I can't swear to the hardness or durability of the finish. So far, so good though. Notice no yellow? The yellow flames were cut on yellow vinyl and then I sprayed the orange fade on before sticking it on the frame.

Here's what I did.
Took everything I could off of the frame.
Sanded the old blue frame with 400 sandpaper.
Sprayed a coat of primer.
Wet sanded with 800 sandpaper
Coat of primer.
Wet sanded with 800.
Coat of primer.
Wet sanded with 800.
Red coat of paint.
Wet sand with 1500 (very light touch) until smooth to your hand.
Red coat.
Wet sand with 1500.
Orange coat on fork and part of frame.
Wet sand with 1500.
Orange coat.
Wet sand with 1500.
Spray vinyl.
Apply vinyl to frame.
Apply clear coat.
Wet sand with 1500.
Apply clear coat.
Polish with polishing compound.
Go to CVS and get matching fingernail polish for quick fixes to your first scratch.
Drying tip - After each coat, leave the frame in a locked car in the sun. It gets very hot in there!
The one thing I didn't like was that I could see all the waste while spraying. It would have been much more efficient to have an airbrush where I could control the spray pattern down to an inch circle pattern or so. Oh well, maybe next time.

Looks really good. I started stripping a frame at the weekend - I forgot the before picture as well...

First rate job there, Kerk. You taking any custom work on? Kudos...

Thanks, Buzz. What model is your late '70s 12 speed?

Here's what I'm doing to paint my fixie...I called a local body shop...told him I had a frame that I wanted painted...gave him a couple different colors I'd be OK with, and told him to call me when he was spraying that color...just a thought...

Big thumbs up!! Thanks for sharing your super top secret process with us :) I haven't painted a frame yet, but I have painted a few computer cases. It looks like you have a better system than I do, I have trouble getting my paint to look very smooth. I'm gonna borrow a few ideas from your process :)

I'm looking forward to getting another project bike to work on, and paint.

Beautiful job!!!

Now go out there and ride it!

Bike looks good. Although no one mentioned it before, the key to a GREAT paint job is the primer...if it sticks and bites, the rest of the paint job will last. I owned a custom paint shop for 7 years. I painted everything from motorcycles to street rods to bicycles, mtn and road. I learned from trial and error, mostly...luckily, there weren't too many errors in the way of durability. I mostly used DuPont automotive products.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend using an airbrush to spray a frame. They are good for details and graphics, but overall spraying is very difficult if you want a premium finish. The wasted paint you see in the air is really just part of the game. Ask anyone in the body shop or paint shop and they will tell you the same, ESP. when painting round tubing.

Your paint job should hold up just fine. Enamel is very strong, when applied in the correct amount. Too thin and it will flake, too thick and it will chip&peel. Acyrlic Enamel is just another formulation of enamel, so they are similar, but compatability usually depends on the brand. By the way, don't mix brands.

First post: 09-08-03, 07:22 AM. I think they did. But good bike to bring up, love that job.

Flamer! ;)

what is wet sanding? also, do u need a different type of sanding paper for this?

What agreat idea! But for how long, and how do you position a freshly painted frame in a car without it touching anything?

Acrylic house paint is water-based, but the paint used in the automotive industry is acrylic lacquer. It differs from enamel in that it uses a vehicle for the pigment that evaporates much more quickly. Enamels generally use oil, lacquers use toluene or a similar aromatic hydrocarbon. It makes lacquer dry a lot faster than enamel, but that also makes it less forgiving of application goof-ups.

All you have to do is wait for the paint to dry a little then you can put it in the car. I threaded a string from back window to back window and hung the frame in there for a full day. You can tie wood blocks to the string on the outside of the window to keep the string from being pulled inside.

My son rode this bike this summer and the paint is holding up great. Also, my nephew took this bike on a 35 mile ride this summer and a month later ended up getting a bike of his own! A new rider was born!

Your paint job has truly inspired me! I have a old Specialized Rockhopper frame I salvaged from the trash pile. I'm gonna strip and paint it thanks to you and your posts. You did a fantastic job!
Thanks.
Dang

Yer back! and the thread, glad to hear the paints holding.

Quick ? Kerk, please recommend the ultimate clearcoat in rattle can IYO please.

Thanks>jef.

Wow, Thanks! That made my day.

Jeff - I don't know, I haven't found it yet. The Krylon I used was ok, but my next one I am going to try a different brand. I'll probably try something from the autoparts store.

if any of you guys have a rockhopper in the trash pile, please do send them my way.. :) Those are pretty nice frames!

I agree on the great job the poster did lining out the steps for a good paint job, Gonna help me out a lot, Thanks!

[QUOTE=jallen]if any of you guys have a rockhopper in the trash pile, please do send them my way.. :) Those are pretty nice frames!

Can you believe it? Being a bike geek in Sacrament Co is heaven. Home owners are allowed to haul thier heavy trash to the street in front of thier houses a few times a year and belive it or not, not just frames, but complete bicycles. Most of its your wall mart brands. But Ive found a real nice reliegh frame once. A real old MTN bike that I got rid of. (I cant remember the make or what happened to it) It had grips like on a motor cycle and the break levers were also like a motor cycles. (geeze it was just last year. Im going nuts!) Thier just bikes people don't want around anymore. Still see a road bike or two.

Kerk, if you don't mind one more question about your paint job (which looks great, btw), here goes: When you wet-sanded between coats, how did you clean the frame off before you shot the next coat?

First wipe down with a damp cotton rag. Then wipe with a clean cotton rag with a little rubbing alcohol on it. You will be surprised at the amount of paint on your rag.

Hmmmm good advice about alcohol on rag. I will incorporate that my next paint job :)

so you didn't strip the frame all the way down to bare steel?
I'm thinking about embarking on a bike painting journey, and it seems it would be easier and cheaper if I could avoid stripping it right down...

Generally speaking it is more favorable to go completely down to bare metal. The old paint can have imperfections hidden within until the top coat sets up, showing pits or lines. At very worst it could be hiding rust/corrosion underneath.
I prefer a wire wheel in my angle grinder for this. It takes paint off in no effort at all but it wont damage the steel. A complete frame strip with that takes about 30 mins relaxing.

For in between coats, the wet sanding should be just enough to 'haze' the paint enough that you see one continuous surface. No 'orange peel', or low spots.

Could you do this with a wire wheel in a drill? I don't have an angle grinder.

I used to do that before I got the grinder. It works well enough but once you use a grinder it is hard to step back :) There are a lot of sales, I got my Makita 4.5 inch grinder for 60(75 with bag).

No, I didn't take it down to the metal. But, you are taking a chance if you don't. So far it has worked out good for me.