iab

Old school
Frame - Maino (I like their triple plate fork crown)
Rims - Ambrosio, oval label
Hubs - 3-piece high-flange FB
Spokes - Stella
Tires - FMB Paris Roubaix
Bars/stem - Ambrosio Super Champion
Brakes - Balilla centerpull, old logo
Crank - FB with single Gloria ring
Pedals - Sheffield 658
Saddle - Super Rosa
RD - Campagnolo Gran Sport
Block - Regina Gran Sport
Chain - Regina Gran Sport

KOF
Frame - Lugged Columbus XCR stainless
Rims - VO Diagonale
Hubs - Curtis Odom
Spokes - Alpina
Tires - Compass
Bars/stem - Integrated condorino with levers
Brakes - Campagnolo V-brakes
Crank - FSA Gimondi
Pedals - undecided
Saddle - Brooks C-15
RD - Shimano Alfine 8
Block - NA
Chain - Gates belt

realsteel

I finished touching up the paintwork on the frame. This was done by trial-and-error mixing of enamel paints: two greens and a gold. The paint and clearcoat was applied with an airbrush and compressor.

Here is the bottom bracket with the primer sanded down with 400 grit sandpaper:


... and here it is after painting:


The result is not perfect but is certainly more than acceptable.

realsteel

In total, there were about a dozen areas on the frame with missing paint and/or rust.

All of these were cleaned with the rotary tool, primed, sanded and painted:




The top tube lugs were particularly rusty underneath where water collects:




The paintwork around the chain-stays and dropouts had also suffered:


Despite careful color mixing and blending with the airbrush, the newly painted regions are still visible if you look carefully:


I had to mask off the decals before airbrushing:

echo victor 

Wow. Really nicely done. Even if it's not 100% perfect, I think that would pass the 1 foot test from pretty much anyone who wasn't explicitly judging it.

qcpmsame 

@realsteel, the paint touch up looks great. I honestly cannot tell where your work feathers out into the original colourway. BTW: that green is nice looking, its pleasant to look at on a bike frame.

Bill

High Fist Shin

Looking good. Can't wait for the build up.

-Shin

howellhandmade

That is very well done, very good eye. I'm interested to know what brand/type of primer/enamel you are using. Are these automotive products? Did you finish sand or buff to match the gloss?

Thanks for the comprehensive how-to, I'm going to use a lot of these techniques.

johnnyace 

Man, that's just beautiful. I'll be keeping this in mind when I do touch-up on my '86 Voyageur.

This thread is a real C&V cliffhanger... I can't wait to see the final build!

realsteel

Here are all the parts ready for assembly:



I'm away for a week in Sardinia and I'll begin the assembly after that. Sorry for the delay

realsteel

Thanks! The getting the paint right wasn't easy. The original mixture had metallic particles and a heavy coat of gloss. As you say, it shouldn't be too noticeable unless you're looking for it.

realsteel

Thanks Bill! The color has grown on me too, and (as someone mentioned earlier), green is right for a Frankenbike.

realsteel

Thanks! I'll build it up in about a week. J.

realsteel

Thanks. I used automotive primer and Revell enamels. I'll polish it more thoroughly when the paint has hardened a bit more.

realsteel

Cheers! I'm looking forward to it too... J.

noglider 

The touchup work is impressive. It gets me thinking. I have a bike with paint in horrific condition. I didn't enjoy painting the one frame I painted. Maybe I'll do some touchup on this other bike. I don't have your skills, but if I try your techniques and the result is half as good as yours, I'll be extremely pleased.

qcpmsame 

I find that green goes well on Medicis also

Bill

realsteel

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment! My touch-up work could be better though: it's slightly blotchy, particularly in strong light. I think the metallic flakes in the original paint are larger and more widely dispersed. Also the original gloss lacquer is thicker, which makes a difference. Who knew paint could be so complicated?

I can revisit it later as the original paint is all there, apart from the small areas which were exposed metal or rust, but right now it's certainly acceptable and the bottom bracket is much improved.

noobinsf 

Are you considering the Humbrol varnish that you used on your Holdsworth? Do you think that would improve the look of the touched up spots? Thanks for such extensive documentation -- I learn so much from your threads.

howellhandmade

I just ordered an airbrush; I'm all over this. For a bike that needs extensive touchup, this process looks effective. I can understand, the devil is in the details. You won't get the same surface texture out of the gun with an airbrush and very thin paint as with a big gun and regular paint that goes on heavier and flows out, but if the color matches, I bet rubbing it out will improve the gloss match if the paint will take it. And if you can get enough paint on there with an airbrush. At the very least, it is a vast improvement over the typical nail brush application of touchup paint.

Were these frames really lacquered? I'm going to practice on an old black Cannondale, virtually certain it is enamel. My plan, since there are no hobby shops close by but three automotive stores, is to try reducing auto touchup paint.

realsteel

I wasn't completely happy with the paintwork so I had another go at it.

This time I added more yellow to the mix and less of the metallic enamel. I also finished with a thicker coat of enamel gloss.

The result is still not perfect but probably as close as I'm going to get:

You can just make out the difference between the old and new paint near the fork crown.

Here is the bottom bracket -- the difference is more apparent but still perfectly acceptable:


I am pretty satisfied with the paintwork now.

realsteel

In other news, I also added these rather nice black Ale toe strap buckle covers to the pedals:

realsteel

Here are the various consumables that will be used for assembly:


Wax polishes for paint and metalwork, wax spray for coating the inside of the tubes, WD-40 here and there, machine oil, bearing grease, anti-seize compound and super-glue to keep nuts and screws in place.

realsteel

First up, the hub threads were coated in anti-seize compound:


This is based on molybdenum disulfide and graphite and prevents thread galling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galling) which is particularly problematic for aluminium.

Here is the Shimano Dura Ace freewheel screwed onto the hub:

noglider 

For what it's worth, I, along with many others, leave the strap out of the last part of the buckle. This way, I can adjust the buckle while riding. Pull the strap to tighten, push the buckle to loosen. The strap sticks out, and so what?

Kilroy1988 

If the strap is set up correctly (actually using the teeth on the buckle, unlike in the above photo), I can't imagine it being very easy to adjust while riding, unless if you want to slowly tear up the bottom of the straps.