ph0ust

hi all. so i recently picked up an '81 colnago superissimo. overall in very good condition, but the paint looks like a 30 year old well used bike- scratches, chips, etc. all over. i want to repaint the frame and am trying to decide whether to wet paint it or powdercoat it. i want to get it painted saronni red (it's currently colnago blue). there is rust on various places, including the chrome lugs. here is what i see as the pros/cons of each.


WET PAINT
i can do an oxalic acid bath and get the rust off. there will be a bit of pitting, but i think the chrome will still look great.
pros:
> keeps the chrome
> definitely saronni red

cons:
> costs more
> delicate paint


POWDERCOAT
i'm told it needs to get bead blasted first, then coated.
pros:
> super durable
> cheaper

cons:
> probably not perfectly color matched to saronni red (can it be?)
> can't keep any of the chrome (i am told they will likely blast it off, and even if they didn't, it can't be masked off during the powdercoating)


any suggestions? i'd really love to keep the frame looking original with perfect color and chrome lugs, etc. however, i do like the durability of powdercoating.

what have you all done and what do you recommend. thanks for the input.

wrk101

Losing the chrome would be a deal buster for me.

fietsbob

Imron paint is tough stuff + you can get all the decals clear coated., Pay for a Pro job.

Spectrum Powder seems to be top of their game, if you want to go that way.,
they will mask off chrome .. before blasting the rest.

bobbycorno

And from what I've seen, their powder looks better than most wet paint. Not cheap, but way beyond "good".

SP
Bend, OR

khatfull

Every powdercoater I've talked to here in MSP says that masking the chrome isn't a problem, not even chrome lugs. The problem may arise when the powder is baked. You really can't determine how the chrome will react to the 400+ degrees.

rhm

ph0ust, would you mind showing us some photos of the frame before you strip the paint off? On this forum we always like to say "but that paint looks fine!" even if that's not what people want to hear. I have painted more than my share of frames... but I'm not convinced it was ever really necessary. It's perfectly okay for a 30 year old bike to look like it's 30 years old.

illwafer

obviously you value this bike enough to go through the trouble of a repaint. with that said, skip the powdercoat option. i doubt it is going to be your commuter, and the extra durability is overrated in your case.

get the color and the results you want. get it painted and keep the chrome.

cudak888 

Before anything, let's see some photos of it. I've seen way too many "bad condition" claims that are unjustified.

-Kurt

wrk101

+1 Bike is only original once, and a repaint will very likely lower its value.

AZORCH

The powder coater I use (in Kansas City) has no problem masking off for chrome. The color options in powder coating, too, have grown substantially and I have a couple of frames that I'm very happy with. However, I'm of the opinion that you'll have a lot nicer result with paint, if you do decide to lose the original surface... as already stated, it's only original once.

jtgotsjets

Standard answer to repaint threads:

Your bike looks great. Just give it a nice polish.

southpawboston

if the powder coater you are using can't mask the chrome, find another powder coater. there is no problem in masking it off. so you can scratch that off the con list. but another con is that the finish will never be as perfect as liquid. powder is a little more crude, and only the very best powder coaters can get it to look almost as good as liquid.

ph0ust

here are some pics. believe me, it needs a repaint. these may not show it, but there are chips, scratches and gouges all over the frame. plus, a ton of beautiful touch up attempts in a much lighter blue. the frame is straight with no dents or issues though.

also, this will be a daily commuter, but i don't ride a lot of miles (i work from home).

cudak888 

As I thought - another fine candidate for bronze wool on the chrome and Scratch X/Scratch Out for the paint.

If you can't tolerate patina that mild, sell it to someone who can appriciate its originality and purchase something else that suits your preference for perfection.

-Kurt

devinfan

Beautiful bike! I love the colour. My 2 cents - polish it up and give it a good wax. +1 to scratch X and some chrome polish. I actually prefer old bikes that have some patina and look like they've been ridden over the years. FWIW if I were to come across that bike in the condition it's in now, I'd snap it up. I can't say the same if it were a repaint, as in: I wouldn't be interested. Should you ever decide to sell I think you'll find most buyers who'd want a bike like this would be of the same mind. Anyway it's a stunning bike, enjoy it.

vjp

+1

MikesChevelle

looks like it needs some new hardware more than paint. I think you'd be surprised how good the paint looks when it isnt surrounded by rusty nuts and bolts

gtownviking

If you powder coat....ask for samples of their work and also....from personal experience, go with 2 coats. I only had one...never thought to ask for 2...also, ask for the clearcoat.

here is my current project

Before...



After one coat of powder and no clear coat.



before



after

wrk101

+1 Components and hardware need to be refreshed. A repaint of this bike would be a mistake.

sced

I'd do as others have said and clean it all up cosmetically and mechanically and see what you think. If you're not happy with it then, you can paint it or sell it to someone that appreciates its originality and buy another bike.

I am not at all against repainting because I like a nice shiny bike that works perfectly.

repechage

If you have to have a powdercoat finish, do it to a different bike.

I would invest some energy and materials into just reviving the original finish.

Powdercoat will diffuse details, it is just the nature of the material, and multiple coats which is useful for protection, just do it more. Every powdercoat bike I have stripped has had hidden corrosionor visible rust under the powder, now they all looked like single stage jobs. I spoke to a reputable powdercoater for a job I had where we were coating aluminum, and he admitted that there can be microscopic bubbles in the coat, really depends on the oven guy it seems.

Mike Mills

That is one gorgeous bike!

Admittedly, they're a lot of scratches and some sorrosion on that bike but there is NO WAY I would strip and repaint that bike - NONE!

Buy a good quality touch up paint. Clean the rust and use the touch up paint it.

canyoneagle

Really nice bike! Definitely a keeper.
While I do think it is fine to preserve the "patina" with some cleaning, buffing and touch-up, I personally see nothing wrong with a re-paint. A huge qualifier for me is that the repaint *IMO* should be done as a restoration (by someone such as cycleart/Richard Sachs), even one of the lower cost re-paints from them with original decals. This is mainly because of the caliber of frame/components. If it had Campy Victory and the frame was an equivalent grade, I'd be less inclined to spend the money for a top-end paint job, though a basic strip, paint and re-build would be on my agenda.
I personally would not go for a generic re-paint or powder, again because of the caliber/provenance of the bike.

WNG

After seeing the pics of the Colnago, it's not a candidate for stripping and repainting. The finish isn't so bad. It's a candidate for an oxalic acid bath. Once the surface rust is removed, follow up with rust converter primer and touch up paint. Build up the paint layer, once fully dry, wet spot sand to blend in.
It'll look almost as good as new from 10 ft away.

chadwebster

you better not re paint that bike! iv had bike that looked wayyyy worse and a good paint cleaner and wax job makes them look new, trust me. You might have it in your head that it needs a paint job, but it is a VINTAGE bicycle and it SHOULD have some imperfections.....and i would defiantly not want that as a commuter btw, leaving that locked up anywhere would drive me crazyyyyy!.