Hey, this summer I'm gonna build another bike and wanted to strip it all down to the bare frame and paint it. I was wondering if anyone knew of the best way to paint a steel frame.
I know spray paint would work, but I feel like it might look like crap.
Any advice would be appreciated.

i would advise against spray paint unless you're going for the 'beater' look.... i spray painted mine, complete with sanding, primer, multiple layers of paint, and clear coat.... and the Fer still chipped very easily, and its really hard to get the paint even and the clear coat even.... so, basically it looked like ass. i then had it powder coated.

a buddy of mine paints bikes professionally and did my trials bike for me. it came out looking amazing and i recommend a professional do it if you want it to look good.


https://www.christopherlahey.com/bikes.aspx?id=1

I hear automotive paint in an airbrush is real nice.

'Rattle-can' paint jobs are hard to pull off well.

Powdercoating isn't super expensive for something like a bike frame, and is the most durable type of paint you could put on the bike. Just pick a color, and they put on a nearly indestructable coating of colored polyester on your bike. No nonsense, and good protection for the frame.

Cheap sprayguns can sometimes work out well for bikes because they suck on flat surfaces (which is why they are cheap) but do nicely for tubing. Automotive paint is tricky to work with though.

peace,
sam

if you have the skills and/or some patience, you can make a rattlecan paint job look nice. be sure to give the frame lots of light coats, rather than a few heavier ones. i've done a few frames with rattlecans, and they have all turned out nice. i am artistic though and used to write, so maybe i have an advantage. however, i tried using lacquer for my last paint job, with no clear coat, and it chips waaay too easy. it is only chipping to the primer though. i'll probably get it powdercoated next winter.

I stripped my "new" frame down to bare metal and currently have it primed. I'm waiting for a nice non-windy day to spray it. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going to do gloss black and then do the lugs and other detail with white and then clearcoat it.

I saw some 3M type protective film in the latest Excel Sports catalog for $40. That might help protect it from all the chips that people talk of in case you do end up with a decent looking paint job. If I like the way this frame rides after it's built I'll probably get it powdercoated once I get back to the US.

I too am in the process of painting a frame. I'm using auto paint. I sanded (I'm still sanding) the factory clear coat of and smoothed out the chips on the frame. I didn't bring it down to bare metal because I want the durability of the factory paint. I'm using Dupli-Color primer and white acrylic lacquer. I've heard the lacquer can be tougher than an enamel. I plan to paint it real soon. It looked as if spring had arrived, then it got cold, windy, and rainy for the last 2 weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry I do not have pics up right now, but I did a rattle can paint job on one of my fixies. I stripped the paint and roughed up the surface of the bare metal a bit with some steel wool. I then cleaned the frame with citrus degreaser. After the frame was dry I then cleaned it again with some plain water and dried it completly.

I used automotive paint for your engine block. Three coats of primer, and then 3 coats of base paint. I masked off the design and sprayed 3 coats of black. After peeling off the maskes I had some sweet green skulls. Then I let the paint cure, and I sprayed on 5 coats of clear. It took forever, but here are some tips for better rattle can paint jobs.

1. make sure your frame is clean.
2. keep your cans in about 5 inches of warm water. (I just used a bucket)
3. spray lighter coats and wet sand them if you need to smooth them out 1000grit sand paper or higher can really shine it up, a bit lower to take out bumps, finger prints, and orange peel
4. Make sure you buy lots of cans of paint. Running out can cause a huge delay. It works out to 2.5 coats per can for me.
5. Slow and steady is the key to even paint, practice on something else first.

My Dupli-Color paint job is still holding uup well, though admittedly I'm not riding a whole lot. Still, I would say it's as durable as the factory paint. Just make sure you let stuff like that cure long enough. I let mine sit for a week and it got nice and hard.

I experimented with clearcoats on my last frame and it worked out nice. I found a few foums for auto painting that gave me great tips. I got a can from an auto parts store that was meant for engine blocks and it went on pretty good. I was told to let the frame sit for a week to harden (something about spray can enamels needing more time). Then I wet sanded the frame with 2000grit sand paper and then took some turtle wax polishing compound to the whole frame and it came out with a great gloss finish.

It was probably too much work, but it is still winter in New England, so...

automotive primer, color and clear finishes from the auto store work well,
you don't have to remove the old paint, just sand it flat and clean the whole frame with a good degreaser and paint prep, usually an acid.
unless you have an oven big enough for you to bake your frame, the paint will chip eventually, especially on the dropouts, top tube etc.
power coating isn't that expensive, and will stand up to alot of abuse,
when you factor the cost of the auto paint, degreaser, sand paper, buffing compound, paint prep, it adds up to somthing not to far from a decent powder coating
my 2 cents

There is nothing compared to powder coating.
From what I've read in other postings, these guys are some of the best. Apparently there is a bit of a wait though.
https://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/

if not THE best.

I am going to clearcoat my old frame to preserve the decals. A friend who works in an autobody shop said the same thing. Said it will go on smoother. The pan of warm water is what I thought to do also. Is warmer better? Obviously you don't want to get it really hot, but like tap water? or hotter?

All clearcoats can't be the same. Any suggestions on what brands to go for? Just standard auto store stuff?

and while I'm posting...I had thought to repaint the lug outlines since they just look like grunge right now. Originally they were gold and I kinda want them to show up some. A friend suggested using one of those paint pens like from an art store. Sound good, or should I go for something more professional?

Testors model paint with a thin brush under the clearcoat, maybe? It'd cost less than $5 and I think it would look nicer than a paint pen. Check to make sure it won't chemically react to the clearcoat, as some types of paint aren't compatible.

I wonder if a heat gun would work for baking the finish? I bet it would -- they can't be baked at too high a temperature. I've got a 1500 watt heat gun that can go anywhere from warm to blazing hot and puts out a very even temperature over an area that easily encompasses a tube.

Better yet, simply rig up your bike so it can provide power to your sister's electric hair dryer. Then, you can dry the paint while riding.

BRILLIANT!

Good idea, I've used the oven for alu components, need a pizza oven for a frame.

I used enamael ?\sp paint and baked it 20 min @ 120-150 and it glassed well.

As far as rattle can, the surface removal of oils and adherance of primer is super important.
Then, it's protective clearcoat and even waxes to protect.

i rattle canned my steel frame. i sanded it down to the metal first. then like 6 or 7 coats of etch primer, i think i just kept coating and sanding until the can ran out. then i did like 6 coats of black engine paint sanding between each coat. it looks great. it does chip pretty easily, but for like $20 bucks its great. i have had a lot of experience with the paint tho, i used to write as well. i wrapped the top tube with black .25" rope to lean against poles without chipping so it still looks pretty good.

good luck

All clearcoats can't be the same. Any suggestions on what brands to go for? Just standard auto store stuff?



I used Plasti-kote clear engine enamel and it has worked oput good for me. I put on 4 good coats and then let the frame sit for a week.