Thread started by NervousDerbes at 04.13.08 - 10:35 am

I want to paint my bike. I tried doing it myself and it did not come out good. Can anyone help with this?

Thanks,
Trey

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I found this on YouTube. It has nothing to do with bicycles. But the guy's technique in the first part is correct in terms of distance, motion, etc. The biggest thing people fuck up with painting is having patience. You have to wait a good while before adding second coats, sanding, etc.

If you already painted it and it's still wet, you'll want to get some thinner or MEK and get it off. Sand it. Prime it. Let it dry. Sand it again. Then lay down your first coat. Give it a day or two to dry. Apply your second coat. Use a "dusting" motion and stay about 6-8 inches away. Otherwise you get drips.

At least you picked hot weather for this. Your paint will dry a little faster. Don't let it dry in direct sunlight...the paint will stay gooey. The warm air in the shade is what you want. And all this stuff is toxic, so do it outdoors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znv5Fpmirds



hatehills
04.13.08 - 10:52 am

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i get my frames powder coated in irvine at olympic powder coaters. it's around $100 for stripping/sand blast and powdercoat. i tried rattle canning a frame it just wasnt worth the time and effort.

http://www.olympicpowdercoating.com/powder-coating/bikes.html





Bánh Mì
04.13.08 - 11:08 am

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If you do need to sand/resand the frame, don't go down to the bare metal. The only exception to this rule is if you have dings or scrapes that made it down to the metal, in which case you need to sand down to the metal in order to smooth it out (but only in that area).

In most cases the factory paint/primer will allow for superior spraypaint adhesion compared to bare metal or even bare metal treated with aerosol primer. It's just a better grade of paint/curing process that they use and it's best to capitalize on that when repainting.

What were the specific problems you had with your first attempt?



Eric Hair
04.13.08 - 11:10 am

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here are eric hair's instructions on DIY paint jobs. this for a matt black finish but it should work for you the same.

[To strip the frame you'll just use sand paper. DO NOT sand it down to the bare metal.

Sanding steps: After all parts are taken off of course.

1. Remove any stickers that are applied on top of the factory clear-coat.
2. Remove sticky residue with GooGone or GoofOff
3. Sand the entire frame with 200 grit sandpaper until all chips and surface imperfections are smooth to the touch. (you may have to sand to bare metal in certain spots, this is ok)
4. Sand the entire frame with 400 grit sandpaper until all 200 grit marks have been removed.
5. Perform your finishing sand with 600 grit sandpaper.
6. Wipe down the entire frame with a wet cloth to remove all sanding dust.
7. Wipe down the entire frame with an alcohol soaked paper towel; turning the towel over each time it gets dirty.

Then we will be able to paint it.]



Eddie GOpez
04.13.08 - 11:40 am

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While Hatehills is correct when he says that painting when it's hot is easier because the paint dries faster; that is only beneficial when you're painting something no larger than a front fork.

They key to making an aerosol paint job look really nice is to apply enough paint, in as short a time as possible, to the entire surface so that it is uniformly 'wet', but not so much that it drips. It's a fine line.

While this is easy to do to small parts, it becomes near impossible to do to an entire frame, especially if it's hot out and the paint on the headtube has begun to dry by the time your fiinish the seattube. Somewhere between there will be a strange transition where wet paint was sprayed on top of sort of wet paint, usually resulting in a strange texture (if it's a glossy finish). A matte finish is way easier.

And Mr. Gopez, we're gonna use black primer as paint for your bike. It dries so fast that we'll be able to put 3 coats on in less than 30 minutes. SWEET! Then we can coat it with flat clear after all the decals are on.



Eric Hair
04.13.08 - 11:57 am

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Thanks for all this guys!

I think the powder coating sounds the best. For only $100, I can't really pass that up!

Best,
Trey



NervousDerbes
04.13.08 - 12:31 pm

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