Hi there,
I have an old bike frame made by Sun Worksop which I decided to do up as a summer project. The old paint on it was flaking off and there were several patches of rust so I decided to remove the old paint and start again from bare metal. Incidentally, the old paint was not the original, I think it was just grey Hammerite put on by a previous own so nothing special.

The old paint has nearly all been removed now, so I need to decide what to buy to repaint it with. A friend recommended that I use an acid etch primer to get a more durable coat of paint, looking online I found several brands that make this (Upol, Clostermann, Autotek...) but have no idea which would be best. I also have no idea what brand would be best to use for the topcoat/clearcoat.

Any tips on which products to go for, or on how best to paint the frame to achieve a decent/durable finish would be greatly appreciated! Also apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I'm new here

Thanks!

If you're using spraycans, you won't get a really durable finish.

AFAIK, etch primer is only necessary for aluminium; for a steel frame a metal primer is the go.

I suppose you want an epoxy-based paint to maximise durability. Clear over the top should help.

Check out the Rustoleum line at home depot, they have a boatload of new colors. The hammered finish has held up quite well on my steel railings. IDK if clear is gonna help, I thought baked on paint was the most durable, talk to a local body shop.

You can also find some auto paint suppliers that sell two part urethane paint spray cans. It gives you something like a 12 hour or ?? window of time to apply several coats after activation before it cures in the can. I can't remember any specific sites to find this but some googling will probably turn up something. Should provide a much more durable finish than any consumer rattle can paint.

Why not get it powder coated?

+1 powder coat, unless it's a nice lugged frame (PC's thickness hides detial). It's a bit of a waste of effort if you use spraycans.

Someone once talked me into painting a bike with Hammerite... shouldn't have listened. Hated the finish.

On the other hand, if you're chasing tiny aero improvements and aren't concerned about the weight, it'll create a boundary layer

I managed to find a 2 part urethane clear coat spray can by a company called spraymax, unfortunately it seems to be MUCH more deadly than normal spray paint so I think I will have to avoid that... I live in the UK btw so can't use home depot for paint supplies. The lugs on the bike are nice (see pictures) so I would prefer not to lose detail by powdercoating.