tendency

FWIW:

I've done this a number of times and now achieve results that rival the best professional paint jobs I've seen (not to toot my horn too much! ). It does take practice. You'll probably wreck the first frame (or two) you try. Great thing is you can always start over My advice is to use a system all from the same vendor - so, same vendor for prime/paint/clear. Personally I only use duplicolor which is an acrylic laquer. Nothing beats a properly done laquer finish IMO.

My process is:
1) take frame for sandblasting
2) thin coat of etching primer on bare metal. let 'flash off' for an hour or so (depending on conditions).
3) apply couple coats of sandable primer. depending on how well the primer went on ill let it flash off for a couple hours then start painting. if there are imperfections in the primer I'll let it dry 24 hours then do a light wet sand.
4) apply laquer. this takes practice. i'll typically apply 9-10 coats building up progressively thicker. sometimes more.
5) let laquer fully cure for ~10 days.
6) wet sand/polish.
7) use the best clear coat you're comfortable using. really like Duplicolor 1K which is urethane based. If you know what you're doing the best clear is a 2K but highly toxic.
8) after clear has fully cured wet sand/polish (if necessary often is not).
9) enjoy!
Tip: ALWAYS follow directions from manufacturer on how/when to use their system.

Takes practice, time and patience but it's something I really enjoy. Once you get good at it you can achieve pro level finishes. Good luck!

NOTE - I only paint steel frames. Process, as mentioned above, has some caveats for aluminum.
Double Note - get a proper respirator to save lungs.

daywood 

Although the main discussion in this thread is about painting frames, which I also enjoy, I want to put in a plug for painting components with powder coat. It's inexpensive to set up to paint small components, there's a world of colors available (although I have mostly used Henry Ford's color palette), and you don't have to wait for a warm, dry day to do it. The size of components I can currently coat is limited by the size of the oven I'm using. I've thought about picking up an old range to do things like bars and racks, and maybe forks. I think it's probably more practical to send frames out to a local pro rather than setting up an oven at home big enough for it.

Here's my set up:




Here's a set of components I've powder-coated chrome silver for the bike I'm currently working on. The goal of this build is to use as many on-hand or purchased-used components as possible. These components in their original states were black, white, or clear-coated aluminum.




Here are a couple of crank sets where I've powder coated the cranks, pedals, and chain rings:



Here's one where I coated only the pedals and cranks:




Here are a couple of brake calipers. I'm currently working on the set of original side-pulls to put back on the purple Schwinn.

SkinGriz

If I wanted to search it out, what term would I use for those adjustable length head stems?

Soody

'major taylor stem'

brewerkz 

First bike, stripped to bare metal, filled a few dents, then primed and sprayed with SprayBike products, came out ok.

ehcoplex

As bought.... for $10



Hand-stripped, sanded, etc. Primed and painted with Spray.bike. Already a couple chips just from moving around in the basement, so I'm not overly confident in the durability of Spray.bike. Got another frame in the queue that I might try the thinned-down brushed-on Rustoleum treatment... (though after doing this one early last summer I did swear I'd never do it again and would let the pros handle the job, but.....)

SkinGriz

Thank you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=majo...&client=safari

brewerkz 

similar observation, not sure if I should have applied more clear coat, but my spraybike finish is delicate too.

ehcoplex

Yeah- I felt like the spray.bike clear wasn’t glossy or thick enough, so I put a couple coats of another clear over it (after researching compatibility), but it’s still pretty fragile seeming.

mstateglfr 

Did you guys rub the paint shortly after it was dry to the touch? That removes and dry over spray and compacts the paint.
I've used that stuff for a few frames and one is a kids MTB- it has scratches, but those things would be on any bike. It's been really solid and durable.

ehcoplex

Yup. Though I seem to recall (might be wrong about this...) the directions said rub it with wax paper, which didn't make a lot of sense to me- seems wax paper might leave a residue of wax on the paint surface which could inhibit the adhesion of the clear-coat. I think I used a thinnish brown paper bag or something...or maybe I did use wax paper as instructed & just thought 'hmm, this seems kinda weird... I think the issue may be more with their etching primer, as the chips are down to the bare metal, indicating to me that the primer isn't particularly well-adhered to the metal (which was very well sanded and cleaned with mineral spirits before priming). Anyway, it was a $10 bike I originally bought to cannibalize some parts from and I wasn't really expecting perfection. I'd rate Spray.bike decent, but not great.

mstateglfr 

Fair rating.

Squid Bikes uses the stuff for all their frame painting and the creativity is at 100 while the quality is probably an 85. You can see issues in the painted frames in IG that I had to also deal with when garage painting some frames.
The spray.bike paint definitely isnt as smooth as liquid paint, but the usability was much higher and that helped determine the route to go for the frames I have painted with that product.

I was just surprised to see the finish is delicate because thats the last thing I would hold against the product, based on the few frames I have worked on. Not the smoothest paint- yes. Not the easiest process for avoiding overspray- yes. But it not being delicate is something I have actually appreciated.

Anyways- its all home painting anyways so a lot of the value is in the experience!

sfazio 

Beautiful Job!