Need tips on painting a bike.
 

Hello there!
I'm trying to paint my bike (again) due to the old paint tearing off.
And yes, I did paint it the last time myself, that was my first time and now I see my errors.
What I did last time was simply use sandpaper and then coat it with ONE layer of Lacquer Spray. Did a banged up job, but oh well.
I did my fair share of homework and I understand SOME of my mistakes.
So, the questions.
1) Is it okay if I use the lacquer spray again or should I perhaps use something different?
2) What to do when I finish with the paint? (2-3 coats of paint, I suppose)
3) Umm, I wish to colour THIS part of my wheels (don't know the correct term) should I also use spray?
Thanks in advance. :)

1 - the best way to get a bike painted is by stove enameling or Powder coating, rattle can pain jobs just dont last, as they don't harden enough

2 - if your going to use rattle cans, multiple coats

3 - thats the braking surface, if you never want to stop again, paint, if you want the to be able to stop when you apply the brakes, don't get any paint near it.

+1
A bike has to be real ugly before I'll repaint it. It's really hard to apply something at home that has the same staying power as the factory paint. If I feel compelled to, it's Hammerite and a brush. Best balance between effort and result IMO.
+1
And leave it for days if not weeks between paint and assembly.

+1
Not to mention that the paint will get scrubbed off fairly soon too. Kinda double pointlessness.

@ 3 Well, nice way to put it. :lol:
Yeah, I guess rattle cans are the way I'll go. It's not like I have any other choice due to complete inexperience and having such limited funding. Thanks.

Hi

The reason the paint job you did failed is because rattlecan paint like rustoleum needs at least 6 months to gas out and cure. I wouldn't paint the bike with rattle can again but if your budget is low just do it, probably after a month or a week the paint will start cracking or getting pretty bad as in your 1st picture. I would not surprise me either that for every part you put in the bike the paint simply peels off or crack. It the nature of that paint.

Asnwering your questions.

1 - No, if you want something durable i would stay away of that paint. 2K urethane paint or powder coating is the only thing that will last.

2 - Well if you insist using rattle can not even putting 4 coats of clear coat will help because the rattlecan clear turns yellow because doesnt have UV, simply bad paint.

3 - U want to color the rims? I would not do it with rattlecan. Painted rims are powder coated and some are anodized, car paint could work too with at least 3 coats of polyurethane clear coat over them. If you want to paint that u have to sand it to etch the rim surface but prior to that I would unlace the rims to paint them right or it will look like u know what!.

If you want to go with car paint the expensive part is the clear coat, only a small can of clear can cost 60 bucks but the quality is like 1000% better than rattle can. If you budget is like 40 bucks continue using rattle cans.

Good luck

If that is a picture of the bike in question, you have paint all over your cables, cable housings, and some on the chrome.

It is possible to do a respectable job with spray cans. If you want to do a decent home paint job on a bike, you have to tear it down to bare frame and fork. The old paint should be stripped. It can be hand sanded or abrasive blasted, but make sure you take it to an automotive body shop that really knows blasting and can use the proper abrasive and pressures to avoid damage to the frame. Industrial sand blasters can be too aggressive. It should cost around $15 to blast a frame and fork at most places. Once you have a bare and stripped frame, clean it with an appropriate paint prep solvent, acetone will work or stop at an auto refinishing store and get Prep-Sol or something similar. Once your frame is prepped, do not handle it with dirty hands or gloves. Mask off any areas you do not want to paint or get paint into like the threads on the fork or in the bottom bracket and headset. If you had a bottle holder, place the mounting screws partway into the holes and then mask them to keep paint out of the threads. Take your time and do a good job masking, then mount or hang your frame where it will be painted and lightly wipe it with acetone or Prep-Sol one more time. If the frame had any rust, I like to use a rust converting primer for my first coat. This makes sure that any tiny specks of rust that hid out in pits, welds, or corners won't come back to haunt me. Let each coat dry according to manufacturer's recommendations then scuff with synthetic steel wool and wipe down with a clean rag before the next coat. Two or three coats of sandable primer come next. Pick a primer color that is closest to your finish color. Use dark gray for black or dark blue finishes, light gray for light colors or silver, red oxide for reds or orange, and either light gray or white primer for white or very light colored top coats. Watch for and correct any minor defects by wet sanding using fine (600 grit) automotive sandpaper between primer coats but try not to sand through the primer any more than necessary. Allowing good dry time and scuffing with synthetic steel wool between coats will give you a smoother finish. Get 2-3 cans of a good automotive enamel spray paint. Keep the environment as dust free as possible and give your frame and fork a final wipe down. Your first finish coat should be very light, don't worry about completely opaque coverage, just get a light coat on everything as evenly as possible. The can should be 12-18 inches away from the surface and keep moving. Don't create drips or pools anywhere. Follow the directions on the can, but most good enamels can be recoated after 20-30 minutes. This time go a little heavier and get more coverage. The surface should look wet, but not running or pooling. It is better to go too light than too heavy as you have at least two more coats coming. Allow the paint to dry fully between each of the next two coats. Allow the frame to dry for several days. Your autobody supply store will have appropriate first and final polishes to bring out the luster and remove any matte looking areas from overspray or dry spraying (spraying from too far away or too lightly to get a "wet" coat). Again take your time and don't overdo it. Don't try power buffing unless you are proficient at it as bike frames have lots of nooks and crannies and it's easy to buff through a finish on corners or tight spots. Spray a good rust preventative like LPS3 or Frame Saver into any frame tubes to which you have access. Wipe off any rust preventative that got on the outside of the frame or fork and then give you paint job a nice coat of high quality automotive wax. Paint may feel dry within a few hours, but it actually doesn't reach full hardness for several days. If you are patient and wait a few days for reassembly, your chances of scratching or chipping the frame will be lower.

- Use good quality primers and paint, avoid cheap bargain brand spray paints.
- Completely disassemble and strip the frame and fork
- Take your time, do good prep work and masking
- Don't get paint on your cables, cable housings, drivetrain, brakes, braking surfaces, chrome, etc. It makes any paint job look amateur and can actually interfere with proper function of the bike.

If you have a bit more money to spend, and aren't too picky about the color, and are friends with someone who owns an autobody shop, you might be able to get them to paint your frame and forks at a good price by letting them use the leftover paint they already have in their paint guns at the end of a paint job. A busy paintshop will paint several vehicles a day in different colors. If the frame is prepped, masked, on a stand, and ready to go, you might be able to pick one of the colors they know they will be using and have the paint tech just shoot the frame before cleaning out his gun.

Alternatively, if you have a compressor, a paint detail/touchup gun costs <$30 and you might be able to get the leftover paint from an autobody shop for little or nothing. A good paint man always mixes a little more than he needs (running out mid-paint is a rookie mistake) and stows the leftover in a can in case it is needed for a touchup before a vehicle leaves the shop.