amount

I'm in the process of restoring an old family bike (a Peugeot PX-10, I think, from the 1970s) for my girlfriend to ride. It's not going to be an immaculate restoration, but I would like it to look decent. I'm also trying to do all the work myself, both to save money and because I'm enjoying the project!

The frame is definitely in need of some TLC and I would like to repaint it myself. I've probably spent more than 12 hours reading forum posts and online guides on the topic and I feel overwhelmed with all the conflicting information! ("Always use enamel!" "Never use enamel!" "Duplicolor is the worst, use automotive paint!" "Duplicolor does a great job!") So I'm hoping some of the great minds of bikeforums.net can read over my plan below and tell me if I'm misinformed, crazy, or about to ruin a good bike!

First, here are some shots of the frame as is: https://imgur.com/a/HPUl4

My mom painted the frame herself thirty years ago and I thought it would be cool to keep the same color scheme. (If it turns out to be too difficult to reproduce the chrome look on the back of the, I'll just paint it red or white.)

Here's the plan:

1. Sandblast to remove the old paint. It looks like Mom put the red and white right on top of a cream-colored original paint job. From what I understand, sandblasting would be a quick and easy way to get rid of all of it with minimal damage to the frame. I would really like to avoid using chemical strippers for a number of reasons and the idea of wet-sanding everything (including the crannies around the lugs) doesn't sound very appealing.
   
   
2. Degrease to remove residual grease and oil. I would be using a citrus-based, spray-on degreaser that I picked up from Lowes and would rub it on with a cotton cloth.
   
   
3. Tape and hang the frame. After taping off the no-paint zones and plugging the various holes, I'm going to suspend the frame/fork from the ceiling out in the shed. I'll probably hang some plastic drop cloths, too, as a sort of makeshift clean room.
   
   
4. Prime and paint. Here's where I could really use some help! I've read so many things about what type of paint to use my head is spinning. In general, it seems that automotive paint is the most dependable. But I live pretty far out in the boonies (Potsdam, NY) and there isn't an auto paint retailer within a two-hour drive as far as I can tell. I'm thinking I might try calling up a few body shops nearby to see if they'll sell me some paint and then apply it with a Preval sprayer. I suspect, however, that this might not work out. My backup plan in that case is to get a bunch of Dupli-color cans on Amazon. And either way, I'm planning on just following the directions. Details:
   
   1. cover the frame with self-etching primer
   2. paint the whole frame red
   3. tape off the seat tube and paint the white band
   4. spray some white into a container and hand paint (with a brush) the head tube, the lugs, and the top of the seat stays (maybe use paint thinner to get a good consistency?)
   5. finish up with at least several a couple layers of clearcoat
5. Grease, oil, reassemble, and ride!

A few random questions:

• Is sandblasting a bad idea?
• Where can I buy auto paint (aside from an auto paint retailer)?
• Would I be wasting my time with Dupli-color? (I would do self-etching primer, paint, and clearcoat.)
• Is it even possible to collect spray paint in a dish and apply it with a brush? What if I used paint thinner?
• Anything I'm not thinking of?

Any other help/ideas/advice are welcome! Thanks!

Bianchigirll 

I believe media blasting is better than sandblasting. Check your local craigs list for powder coaters. Consider powder coating it.

Iowegian

Welcome to BF~! Looks like a fun project.

As for your questions, here's my $0.02...

Is sandblasting a bad idea?

I assume you mean media blasting. Sand is too abrasive for the thin steel of bike tubes and something like walnut shells or some plastic bead media is probably what you want. Are you doing this yourself? If not, try to find someone who has some experience with bikes to do the paint removal. I'd also consider chemical paint removal. There are some non-toxic ones out there and if the old paint is from a spray can it shouldn't be too hard to get off.

Where can I buy auto paint (aside from an auto paint retailer)?

That's the only source i know of. Are you aware that auto paint is VERY toxic, has a limited shelf life since it's a 2-part system like epoxy that once mixed starts curing immediately, and is very expensive? I'd consider other paint options if you are doing this yourself. Ask the paint store for their recommendations if you are determined to use auto paint.

Would I be wasting my time with Dupli-color? (I would do self-etching primer, paint, and clearcoat.)

Why? Most of the quality of the finished product will be due to preparation, preparation and technique, not so much on the brand of paint used.

Is it even possible to collect spray paint in a dish and apply it with a brush? What if I used paint thinner?

No idea!

Anything I'm not thinking of?

You will want to treat the rust and the best way I know of is to use oxalic acid. It's easy to do, fairly non-toxic and yields great results. Lots of info on this here at BF.

Have fun, take your time and show us the pics as you go.

amount

Awesome. Thanks for the replies! I've been reading through MrEss's posts about his 71 Atala too. Some good stuff there.

Yeah, I guess I meant media blasting. (I had thought it was all the same! Learning...) I think there might be some more serious original paint under the spray can top coat, that's why I was thinking of blasting. I wouldn't be doing it myself (no equipment!), so I'll try to find a place that has something mellower than sand.

As for the powder coating, I think I'm leaning away from it. For a while it seemed like the quickest and easiest solution. But given that it's fairly permanent (and I don't think they can do the fancy lugs in a second color) I think paint's the way to go. I'm still not 100% sure on this though...

I'm not sure I would have thought of that so I'm glad I posted! Reading through some of the BF threads after searching for "oxalic acid," it looks like this is the ticket. Would I do this after the media blasting or before? I would probably just use a paste and scrub it with a wire brush.

One more question: The back half of the rear triangle and the bottom part of the front fork have (or I should say "had") a polished metal finish. Could I duplicate this using Dupli-color? I suppose I couldn't just clear-coat an un-primed surface... Perhaps a metallic silver paint?

rootboy 

That shiny metal was chrome plating. It has some issues, but I would try to save it.
And yes, you can get spray paint into a little cup for use with a brush. Search youtube for decanting spray paint. I've seen at least video on there by some model maker who shows how to do it. It is a pain to do, but can be done.

Iowegian

As rootboy mentioned, that was chrome plating. You could re-chrome but that isn't easy or cheap or you could just blast it and paint over it. I haven't tried the 'chrome' paints but they might look nice. No matter which direction you take you'll get best results if the base metal is smooth. It will be pitted and rough under the chrome/rust. The oxalic acid will remove the rust but it won't do anything for the missing metal that has been oxidized away. I'd do an complete oxalic bath after the media blasting to remove any traces on both inside and outside. If you're going to all the work of a nice paint job this is a small add-on that will help preserve your work. I've heard that clear coat over bare steel will rust under the clear but I've never tried it myself. I'd go with either full paint or silver paint where the chrome used to be.

fender1

Any idea if one of the autobody places could paint it? Maybe if they have a job that has a color you like, ask if they can do the primary color if you do the prep? A little cash and a case of beer could go a long way........

I think you should try and keep things simple. If you are going to rattle can it and it is going to be a daily rider, I would paint over the chrome. No point in getting too precious. If you paint it with spray cans, make sure to put it in a hot attic or similar and leave it sit for a week or two. This allows the paint to harden. It will still chip easily but a less so than if you build it right up.

Grand Bois

Sand blasting is media blasting. Sand is a medium.

You can mail order auto paints and supplies from tcpglobal.com.

Lascauxcaveman 

Speaking as someone who has done this recently, unless you really want to take on a challenging and time consuming project, just get it powdercoated all red. I don't think that chrome is ever going to look very good again; it's too far gone. The powdercoat guys will include the media blast as part of the package, usually a $90-120 job for everything if using a stock color. Just be sure they understand they need to mask off threaded areas to keep the powder off of them (they probably already know this, but it doesn't hurt to check).

Then, once you've got it back from the powdercoater, if you want to two-tone it, you can mask and scuff sand the areas you want to be white, and rattlecan that.

randyjawa 

I painted my PX10 with a paint brush...



This is how I did it...

amount

Thanks for all the great replies!

All the votes for powdercoating, though, are making me reconsider... I was thinking I'd hate to find myself regretting the decision later on in the future, but maybe it makes the most sense in this case. I'll have to mull this over.

If I did go with a powdercoat, is there anything special to keep in mind? I suspect I won't be able to find a powdercoater anywhere around here that has experience with bike frames. I know they'll need to plug all the holes and tape off the threads on the fork. But is there anything they or I might not think of? (The ring on the fork, for example, where the crown race sits?)

Michael Angelo 

When I send a frame for powder coating, I install a set of trash set of Bottom bracket cups, and screws in the drop outs. Also any other screw hole should have a screw in it before it goes in for powder coat.