phoenix

I have stem I want to paint. Has anyone done this? I'm familiar with the steps to go through to paint parts, but is it necessary? I guess what I want to know is, do really need to rough up the finish to get the paint to adhere good? Can I use a metal specific rattlecan, and if so I could use reccomendations on a brand. I would like to avoid having to get it powdercoated and such.
Any help is appreciated, I know i've just bombarded all of you with a lot of questions so thanks for the patience.

schooner

Depending on the current finish it might not be necessary, but would probably be a good idea anyway. Sandpaper is cheap. I would also mask the faces where the stem meets the bar as well as the area that the fork steerer goes in. Those are made to a specific diameter and you want to keep them that way. The masking on the bar area should also cover the bolt holes there, but I would also cover or fill with wax/grease the threaded bolt holes on the fork area. Might make getting the bolts back in there.

shot

Remove the "real" bolts from the stem. Then get some cheap bolts from the hardware store and thread them into the stem's bolt holes, just thread them in there a few turns.

Then hang the stem from a piece of wire that is wrapped around the head of one of the bolts. Paint. Later, when the paint is dry, unthread your junky painted "hardware store bolts" from the stem and mount it on the bike using the unpainted "real" stem bolts.

The cheap bolts will keep the threaded holes of the stem paint-free, and give you a nice place to hang it from during the paint process......................

baldylocks

^ that or put a rod of some sort through one of the (fork/stem) holes and hang it that way. Pending finish you will want to take it down to bare metal, 2 or 3 coats of primer(light coats) and use a very fine, 400 ish grit paper on the last coatof primer. 3 coats of color, again light coats. Repeated light coats are way better than one thick coat for a number of reasons but in large part because it helps avoid drips. Lightly scuff the finish with a scotchbrite pad(very lightly), and apply(light again) clear coat. I've had good luck with engine enamel as it is pretty durable. Allways start off the piece you are painting and then move across it in even strokes. Keep dust away from it. And do what the instructions on tha can say, if it says let it cure for days, do it. I've had the best luck with auto paint, dupli-color in particular. Good luck.

Smiziley

Get it naked, and use steel wool instead of sandpaper. Use coarse wool and follow up with fine (#3 or 4 followed by #00), the price is comparable to sandpaper, sometimes slightly cheaper, you get more steel wool pads and it's better to use it on metal as it takes off less overall material. Sandpaper strips layers of metal away moreso than steel wool, which is excellent at roughing up the surface. Wash the area with warm soap and water, dry it with a clean towel, and spray. Don't touch it with your bare hands as the grease from it will cause spots and an ugly look to where it was touched.

Like said above, use a light coat followed by a medium coat. You do this to prevent drips and runs. Go for the corners and hard to spray parts first, and then go for the easier stuff. After you spray the primer, I'd wet sand the primer with 600 grit, and if you're using clear, sand the topcoat with 1000+ wetordry. Wet sanding is the preferrable thing to do here. Don't mix lacquer and enamel paint, and if you want it to last, I'd give it a shot of clearcoat. Wait about 7 days for everything to cure properly, as it will last longer. Good luck to ya.

phoenix

Thanks everyone, that was the kinda info I was looking for. Much appreciated!

phoenix

Well I painted the stem today, and so far it's turned out great. I found the most important thing in the process was patience. Here is a quick recap: I first stripped the chrome off with coarse steel wool and then lightly with some #300 grit sandpaper. Then I washed it really good and dried it while wearing rubber gloves, cuz I had em' around. To paint I used a coat hanger through the body of the stem with the end of the hanger bent up into the bolt holes (hanger was hung on the clotheline). I sprayed it about 6-10" from the stem to get light an even coats and allowed some drying time between coats to avoid runs. Worked like a champ! Thanks again all for the tips! Peace.

Oh yeah, to fill the bolt holes I did'nt have any candles for wax so I ended up using bread, yes bread compressed into the holes and worked perfectly!