Can quality results be obtained with something other than Imeron paint? If so what should I be looking for?
Thanks!

Air Dried Paints are just different. Imron (a Dupont - polyurethane paint) is a chemically hardening Paint,

UV lamps is one of the Triggers to make the reactions that cures some paints .. ask the Auto Restorers and Body Shops ..


There is also Polyurethane Powder coats .. that is a glazing , Powder melts when Hot enough..

Quality results can be had with a wide variety of paint types and largely depend on the skill of the painter. Durable results aren't that democratic and Imron and powder coating will provide the most durable finishes.

Actually Imron is losing favor with many builders and painters, who've moved over to competitors like Pittsburgh Paints. Some cite price differences, others more or better colors and finishes.

Imron is an excellent product, but it's been around for almost half a century and there's plenty of other good choices out there these days.

Would anyone be willing to suggest a brand??
Thanks!

You might visit a few autobody shops and ask what they like. Note also that many paints call for special g-ns or require heat or UV curing. OTOH, I've kn own guys to do very nice jobs with rattlecan paint.

Thanks FB. Now that I think of it there is a very complete auto paint supply about 30 minutes away. I will head over and seek their advice!

I'll second the suggestion to go to the auto paint shop of your choice and shop their selection. (This very nearly same question came up on Velocipede Salon and I gave that same answer). When you're starting out there's all kinds of questions that you'll have and the local shop is the best place to get those basic answers from. Also they might be able to provide you with less the complete retail package amounts of some of the chemicals, like activator, reducer, accelerator. Or be able to point you in the direction of a friendly local painter (likely of cars) that can sell stuff on the side. With some companies you have to buy a large quality (gallon/quart) of product that each time you paint you'll only use an ounce or so of. Make sure you get all the initial tools from them too. Just like you were starting out in cycling Andy.

Are you planning to do the painting yourself or looking to have it done professionally and want to specify the paint type? Setting up to do a good quality job is going to be very expensive if you use some of the more exotic coatings as FB noted. For a one-time job it both more economical and reliable to have it done professionally. The Auto paint store can give you good recommendations for what paint system to use and, more important, where it can be done.

Hobbiest framebuilder and bike painter here, but no stranger to painting. The first ten years or so of my working career I pumped out 2 to 3 cars a week, and 3 or 4 a year after. So here's my take on bike frame painting for the DIY with no emphasis on production.

Yes you can do a good quality job with aerosols, but there are some drawbacks. And it must be top-coated with a good quality clearcoat. I use "rattlecans" for primer and colorcoats- mainly for the economy of not having excess inventory (which has a shelf life), and it reduces cleanup time, and limits the amount of equipment required. The following is not a how-to, but a list of products I've settled on for a quality paint job rivaling most pros.

Starting with a properly prepped frame, I prime with an etching primer. Dupli-Color has an excellent self-etching primer, but only comes in one color (dark army drab). If the color coat isn't sensitive to primer color I spray right over the etching primer. Otherwise I do an additional coat of (hi build, lacquer primer) in the appropriate shade.

For color coats I use whatever brands have the color I like. It can be a lacquer or enamel- I don't care. Krylon has a ton of fun colors, or for metallic I'll use Dupli-Color from the auto parts store.

For the clear, I'm using Finish 1 (Acme brand) which I buy at the Sherwin-Williams auto paints store. The results have been excellent, and it is durable and on the lower end of the cost scale. This is sprayed with a jambgun, not rattlecan. Rattlecan clears ain't gonna get it done, but at least you reduce the equipment required, and the clean-up time to a single coat. And the clear can be used on every frame painted, so no waste sitting on the shelf.

To get a good quality "rattle can" job you need to be patient. The primer needs to cure a couple/three weeks. Same with the color. If you don't give it time to cure adhesion will be minimal and durability will be compromised. Properly cured and cleared it will be as durable as anything, except for maybe powder. A pro can't afford the wait times, and if I were painting professionally...

When it comes to the clear- don't fart around when it comes time to color sand and buff. Wait 3 or 4 days for this step and you have a real job on your hands.

I've used DuPont ChromaSystem and similar autobody base-coat/color-coat/clear-coat paint systems with great results.