Bike Paint Step by Step

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Per Manny's request and whoever else might find it helpful. I guess the 1st step is to take off everything off the bike. You'll have to figure that one by yourself. 2nd step is to strip the paint off the frame (and fork). I would highly recommend a respirator. Mine is 3M R6211. I tried working w/o one in the garage and it was not pleasant. You should probably wear some Nitrile gloves as well .. I hear paint stripping chemical will burn your skin.

paint00.jpg


There are 4 ways that I know of to take paint off your frame. 80 grit sand paper, paint stripping chemical, heat gun, sand blasting. I have tried the sand paper route .. if you're masochistic or need exercise for your hands, go for the sand paper. All these little sanded paint particles go up your nose, that cannot be healthy for you. Get a respirator if you're gonna sand or use chemicals. Chemical paint remover works well. I used Jasco brand that you brush on, but MeanIrishGuy recommended Aircraft Remover which is in a spray can. You put in on and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, your paint will bubble up and you can remove it with a steel brush or steel wool. Since I plan on doing this more than once, I decided to invest in a heat gun. I haven't tried the heat gun yet, but will give it a go this week & report back. If you decide to sand blast, make sure whoever is doing knows what they're doing cause you can destroy the frame. Jasco paint stripper & heat gun:

paint01.jpg


Steel wool & brush:

paint02.jpg


The chemical stripper doesn't take off all the paint in one try. You have to do it several times to get all the paint off:

paint03.jpg


That's all I have so far. As you can see I'm painting my beach cruiser 1st. It's actually gonna be my dad's bike. I'm doing it 1st cause he asks me about it everyday and I need to get him off my back ;)
 
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jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
The #1 mistake I see is that people forget masking the frame.

It is important to mask:

Brake tabs / Canti mounts

BB threads and Faces

Seat tube

Headtube and faces

Some go as far as filling the cable stops with something so they don't fill with tape.

Keep in mind that frame painting pretty much voids any warranty.
 

Stocky

Member
I can put that frame in my strip tank and have it perfectly clean for ya in probably 30min, maybe less .

I would ask that ya cover the cost of 1 mans time and the cost of chemical. Let's say approximately $40 bucks ?

I could then send ya to one of my riding buddies who owns a Maaco paint and body shop and I bet he could paint it for ya, the right way.
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Are going to hand paint this bike or use a gun???Is one better than the other???

I have couple of options at my disposal. One is a spray gun .. it's electrical, not air, but better than Wagner. Also have a hobby air brush. I guess spray cans would be last resort. I wouldn't use a paint brush if that was what you were asking. Probably the best thing to use is a air compressor with a proper spray gun, but I also think a lot depends on your technique and how good you do your layers. I'll try to explain better when I get to the actual painting part. I'm sure people will correct me if I explain something wrong.

I can put that frame in my strip tank and have it perfectly clean for ya in probably 30min, maybe less .

I would ask that ya cover the cost of 1 mans time and the cost of chemical. Let's say approximately $40 bucks ?

I could then send ya to one of my riding buddies who owns a Maaco paint and body shop and I bet he could paint it for ya, the right way.

Kind of hard to justify on a $20 bike, but thanks for the offer. Plus I'm a hands-on type of person anyway & learning is one of my main goals. Maybe other people can take you up on your offer?
 
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The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
You should take some tips from PixyChick...She had a thread on here that could be some help...Her ride is bang bang
 

warcricket

Like a Jerk
i HATED the stripping the paint off the frame i was using for my bamboo bike. worst part of the whole thing. :mad2:
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Frame has been stripped clean, in all its solid steel glory:

paint04.jpg


It's got a bunch of rust spots on it, so the next step will be to sand those spots to see if I get rid of most of it. Otherwise, I'll use some Naval Jelly to remove the rust. This is also the point you'll want to apply some Bondo on any dings or big scratches. The seat post is frozen solid .. will try putting it in a vice later.

The heat gun ended up not being as awesome as I thought it was going to be. It doesn't make the paint as soft as using the chemical remover. So you have to use a scraper:

paint05.jpg


Plus when I use it, I can feel my electric bill rising. I ended up using chemical remover for the most part. The paint scraper is good even when you're using the chemical remover, for the stubborn paint spots. I've also read that you can use a angle grinder or drill with wire brush attachment to take off the paint. I'll keep the gun around and see if turns out to be useful for anything else, but might sell it off.

More to come later ...

EDIT: Finished sanding off all the rust spots & got the seatpost out. Paint (primer) is supposed to stick better to gritty surfaces. Not sure if this applies to bare metal surfaces or just pre-existing paint, but sanded the whole bike down quickly with medium grit sandpaper. Can't hurt I guess.

paint06.jpg


I wanted to wash it down with the hose, but water is all turned off to the outside. I guess I have to settle for a bucket and a rag. After I wipe it down, it will be ready for primer!
 
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soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
OK, here is a question for all you chemists. I was going to hang the frame on the entrance of the garage with the door open, but am concerned about painting in this cold weather. Do you think it will be ok? How about closing the door b/w each coat? The garage is kind of cold as it is. But I don't want to wait!

Jimmy
 

J-Dro

Well-Known Member
Is this an oil based paint? Don't they usually need at least 50 deg F to dry properly?
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Is this an oil based paint? Don't they usually need at least 50 deg F to dry properly?

Oil bases, yes .. did some research, there are some paints that dry at 34deg, but it's still cold for that. I guess I'm waiting till spring :cry:

At least I'm covering all basis with this tutorial LOL
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
space heater?

I was thinking that, but don't want to risk hours of work down the drain ... I think I'll start learning wheel building/tru'ing, work on my SS and some other stuff until spring comes around. Can't even ride too much during the winter cause of health issues :(
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
when mr pixy worked from home, he built a filter and put it in the basement window and used a fan and space heater. Although, I think you may be pushing it until we see some 40's. Good luck. It looks like a cool frame.:)
 

scalpel6

Member
Paint Your Bike - The Color Factory

The Color Factory
23 Main St
Waretown, NJ 08758
1-800-624-5326

They have been advertising in the back of Velonews for years. I have never used them but it may be worth a call. $139.95 Frame and Fork is not bad for a prof job.

They offer:
Imron
Deltron
House of Kolor
Braze-ons
Candies & Webs
Neon
 
Paint stripper

A few years back I stripped and painted a steel lugged road bike.

The stripper I used was called "Citristrip" Paint and Varnish Stripping GE (from Home Depot). It doesn't contain methylene chloride, but it's still best to use it in a ventilated area. It was quite easy, I had no problems with using this product. (The painting part was a whole 'nother story).

I applied a coating at least 1/8 inch thick and covered the tubes with plastic so I could let it set overnight without it drying out. The next morning the clearcoat, paint, and primer scraped off the frame like soft (but gloppy) butter. I think I applied some more stripper into the nooks and crannys, but it required no sanding. Luckily the frame didin't have any rust under the paint.

According to the packaging the Citristrip was originally developed to replace the methylene chloride strippers used for removing paint in auto industry paint spray booths.


Per Manny's request and whoever else might find it helpful. I guess the 1st step is to take off everything off the bike. You'll have to figure that one by yourself. 2nd step is to strip the paint off the frame (and fork). I would highly recommend a respirator. Mine is 3M R6211. I tried working w/o one in the garage and it was not pleasant. You should probably wear some Nitrile gloves as well .. I hear paint stripping chemical will burn your skin.

paint00.jpg


There are 4 ways that I know of to take paint off your frame. 80 grit sand paper, paint stripping chemical, heat gun, sand blasting. I have tried the sand paper route .. if you're masochistic or need exercise for your hands, go for the sand paper. All these little sanded paint particles go up your nose, that cannot be healthy for you. Get a respirator if you're gonna sand or use chemicals. Chemical paint remover works well. I used Jasco brand that you brush on, but MeanIrishGuy recommended Aircraft Remover which is in a spray can. You put in on and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, your paint will bubble up and you can remove it with a steel brush or steel wool. Since I plan on doing this more than once, I decided to invest in a heat gun. I haven't tried the heat gun yet, but will give it a go this week & report back. If you decide to sand blast, make sure whoever is doing knows what they're doing cause you can destroy the frame. Jasco paint stripper & heat gun:

paint01.jpg


Steel wool & brush:

paint02.jpg


The chemical stripper doesn't take off all the paint in one try. You have to do it several times to get all the paint off:

paint03.jpg


That's all I have so far. As you can see I'm painting my beach cruiser 1st. It's actually gonna be my dad's bike. I'm doing it 1st cause he asks me about it everyday and I need to get him off my back ;)
 
I contacted The Color Factory a few years back and at the time, the advertised price was for "painting" the frame and fork only.

It did not include stripping the frame, or appling a primer coat, or a clear coat over the paint. The ad was very misleading. So I advise anyone wanting to do business with them to get specific details on what's included in the price.

The Color Factory
23 Main St
Waretown, NJ 08758
1-800-624-5326

They have been advertising in the back of Velonews for years. I have never used them but it may be worth a call. $139.95 Frame and Fork is not bad for a prof job.

They offer:
Imron
Deltron
House of Kolor
Braze-ons
Candies & Webs
Neon
 

RNG1

Well-Known Member
I can put that frame in my strip tank and have it perfectly clean for ya in probably 30min, maybe less .

I would ask that ya cover the cost of 1 mans time and the cost of chemical. Let's say approximately $40 bucks ?

I could then send ya to one of my riding buddies who owns a Maaco paint and body shop and I bet he could paint it for ya, the right way.

Can you do that with an aluminum frame? I have an old Cannondale frame I have been thinking of doing something with for a while and never get the time to strip it, thinking of painting it MTBNJ colors....
 
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