Stripping an aluminum frame
 

i just picked up a GT GTB track bike. The frame is alloy and I was thinking about stripping it down to bare metal. Wondered if anyone had done this with a frame and would appreciate any help. The other option would be to repaint the frame myself, using many layers of rustoleum, and many layers of clear coat. Yet i'm not sure if the second option is too ghetto. I would appreciate any help

i've used that jasco paint stripper before. the one with that magic little genie on it. it works great and tastes even better. it's a cinch at removing paint and getting chemical burns. thanks mom.

I had my Al frame sandblasted and then powdercoated, both "not recommended" for aluminium. Sandblasting, if not done carefully enough, can remove a bit too much of the material, as Al is far softer than steel, and some say that the heat treatment of powdercoating can weaken the welds by cancelling out the factory post-weld heat tretment... Anyone has reliable info on this?

The frame is now fine, I will report back in two years...

Of course, if you want liquid paint on it, and dont mind ~100 grams of extra weight, you can leave the original paint on as a primer.

7000 series aluminum is essentially baked to heat treat it after weld, so any heat from powdercoating would be doing the same thing. 6000 series is heated up, then oil quenched. that is a much hotter process than 7000, so i think either way the 300ish degree powdercoat bake won't do a thing to it. i can ask my friend for specific details as he works at spectrum.

Using paint stripper (BIX) and taping off the areas that were a'ight, I managed to remove the paint and primer with two coats. "If you want (polish) you can order (polish)"---> start sanding afterwards...increase the grit slowly up to 600, add som AL polish and finally clear coat with wet sanding. That sh*t will be like chrome. KICK ASS!!!

jamison...

so you recieved the bike? you bought this from me and the last i heard from you was that you never got it, (even though the UPS tracking number said otherwise) whats up?

anyway...sounds like you got it. i'm glad. treat it well.

the paint was in pretty good shape, are you just not a fan of black?

i've rattlecanned a few frames in the past, and it really isn't worth it. no matter how many clear coats you put on, its going to chip like crazy. the paintjob that it has now is pretty durable.

Ink 1373, yeah i got the bike. I am currently working in the middle of the Catskills m-f. the bike got delivered to the wrong house, and the people were out of town. the neighbors said it sat there for over a week. but it is here and looks great. I bought the bike as a gift, for my friend, and he has a very elegant and understated set of aesthetics, so i think he would like to strip it down and leave it or do a very basic paint scheme, that is why i started the thread. anyhow i left feedback for you the bike is perfect and the midwest rules, thanks alot jamisonjamison

Don't get it sandblasted. Get it soda blasted. They use baking soda as the blasting medium. Had this done to my aluminum bike after the guy showed me how it works on a empty coke can. Took all the paint off but left a nice shiny coke can, unharmed and intact.

here's a little preview for you, if you strip it it might look a little something like this:

http://www.oldskooltrack.com/files/images/reed.gt.jpg

isotopesque: please do ask your friend so as I know if I have anything to fear... to my knowledge, they use 180-200°C (up to 400 in Fehrenheit) heat treatment.
Oh, and my frame is 7005.