Narhay

These appear to have the same colour of white paint. I know white is the hardest to match but it's probably better than the multitudes of dark grey scratches that are currently plaguing my frames. What colours have you used in the past to touch up the white paint on these frames?

rccardr 

If it's a cream white, start with Testor's white and add a drop of yellow at a time until thej color is perfect. To mix a small amount, use a NEW Ziploc bag with a piece of cardboard inside so it's like an artist's palette, put a capful of white on it and a drop of yellow at the edge, then mix slowly along the edge of the yellow until it's the correct shade. Work fast, you only have about 10 minutes before it starts to set.

Note that some whites are ice blue instead of cream, but if I recall correctly the PX used a yellow tint.

smontanaro 

ISTR someone here or on CR talking about how PX-10s yellowed over time, probably because of some clear coat. If brand spanking new, I would think some sort of refrigerator white would be the best place to start.

Narhay

Thanks all. I figured I may have to become Rembrandt.

greg3rd48 

@Narhay Report back with your results if you please. I have to do this on my PX10 in the very near future also and was wondering the same thing.

satbuilder 

I had to do it with Celeste. Took all summer, but I got it.

HamboneSlim

That was my impression with my PX-10.

The bike was clear-coated, made obvious by finish chips on the chromed bits on the stays and forks.

The bike was a warm white, but the paint on the steerer tube was pure white.

I found that Krylon Gloss Ivory #8958 was an excellent match for the aged white of the exposed PX-10 paint.

In the end, I choose to repaint my frame, so that I could deal with rust issues more aggressively.

John E

White is always a very difficult color to match, because any minor colors mixed in show up so prominently.

Steve Whitlatch 

Rustolium Gloss White Protective Enamel from Home Depot is a perfect match to my PX 10. It comes in a pint size can.

Steve Whitlatch 

There are probably at least 70 touch up spots on this frame from big to small.

rootboy 

When you experiment, remember the dry down effect. Paint dries slightly darker than when wet.
Not as prevalent using whites, but the effect still happens.

Salamandrine 

Sounds like a good tip. The original paint was oil enamel, so essentially it is the same stuff. The results are obviously good. If you need to amber it to match an aged clear coat, IMO it is better to tint the clear.

FWIW I briefly tried Testors white on my PX10 at one point, but it wasn't a very good match and it did not dry hard enough. In the end I gave up and stripped it because the clearcoat had gotten too brown to save, and there were some dubious brazed joints I wanted to inspect.

Steve Whitlatch 

I used Meguiars Rubbing Compound to bring life back to the original paint, removes scratches, dirt, minor imperfections and makes it shine again. Then with reading glasses and a fine brush, I did light coats of the Rustolium, trying very hard to keep the paint inside the touch up spots.

You may find that the rubbing compound alone gets rid of the gray scratches with no need to, or very little need to paint.

Narhay

I started with this:

And after lots of rubbing compound and a number of scratches disappearing I still have this to work with:



I'd say maybe half of the black marks are now gone but I'm left with many others and decals in poor to ok shape. I'm just weighing whether it is worth replacing decals on a bike I am not keeping. Ill see how the touch up goes. The others went to base metal but there was no rust. I think I'll try the rustoleum and go from there.

Grand Bois

The stays, seat cluster, fork and about 1/3 of the top tube were sanded, primered with white Rustoleum primer and then painted with Rustoleum acrylic enamel wheel paint. I rubbed it out with red and then white compound.

Steve Whitlatch 

That is how my frame looked but mine was a little worse. Just take your time with it. Don`t glob on the paint. a few light coats is best. After the last coat of paint is dry, rubbing compound to blend and remove high spots. If you lose a bit of paint again, touch it up. Should look good.