1) Is it possible to get a decent finish out of a can/tin – and is brush better then aerosol?
2) Any recommendations about which paint works best?
3) Presumably a coat or two of lacquer is needed to protect/add shine?

yes it is possible but it takeas a lot of work – I wouldn’t bother agfain having done a few. Id get it powder coasted

Painting a frame will be like painting anything else, aerosol is best, slow and easy wins the day.

good primer, spray it on and let it dry, using a fine wet and dry wet with water, something like 1200 grit, give it a light sand, another layer of primer sanded again lightly to smooth the layer.

lay down a thin layer or colour, sand with 1600 grit also wet with water to smooth, lay down another 2 coats and rub back again keep the coats thin and apply one more do not rub this back, leave the frame to dry for at least 48 hours, and then apply a coat of clear lacquer in a dust free environment and then leave 72 hours to harden properly.

Thats how you will get a decent finish to warrant doing it diy, id suggest powder coating though, i have just had a quote of £48 to blast and powder a frame, the finish will no doubt be better and much more durable.

Perfectly possible to get a decent finish, it doesn’t tend to be that durable though. I generally use car paint from Halfords (expensive) or a motor factor.

My tips would be warm the cans before hand, shake them really well and be very careful when they’re getting towards empty because they start to spit. Don’t spray if it’s very warm or the paint will be virtually dry before it hits the frame. If you paint outside chances are you will get bugs stuck in the paint.

Most car paint is pretty brittle… Though actually, is the Halfords stuff still cellulose or have they changed to something else with the new environmental laws? The old celly was pretty rubbish, there’s a crater on the front of my motorbike caused by a 70mph bumblebee strike so imagine how well it stands up to rocks.

If you just want to colour it in, go with hammerite but it’ll chip like a mofo. My commuter’s hammerite yellow, actually looks pretty lovely (I dustcoated it, very nice tactile finish) but it gets a new chip every time i look at it

All of these options will work out barely any cheaper than quality powdercoat, if at all, and will soak time like you wouldn’t believe. Tin of nitromors, tin of primer basecoat and clear, wet and dry paper, rubbing compound… And I really don’t like the idea of cutting and polishing the clearcoat on a bike frame, it’s laborious enough on big flat panels never mind fiddly tubes with bits sticking out.

Thanks for the thoughts. Think I’ll investigate powder coating – if anybody knows of a decent firm round Northants/Bucks/Oxon, let me know!

I had great results with plasti kote enamel spray paints. £15 to media blast and £12 worth of paint. As tough and hard wearing as OEM paint finishes.

hi
it can be very rewarding but powder coating is cheaper for straight coloue but gets expensive if you want metalic+clear coat
rattle can jobby

si

I agree, its possible to get a good finish but durablity isn’t quite the same…not awful though.

I nitromors stripped a frame, took several coats of stripper, most of the 500ml can. Once frame was clean and tidy I gave it 5 coats (one can) of primer, 30 mins between coats, can kept warm in hte house (it was winter time – bike was in garage). Left for a week then a very very light and fie wet and dry. Then it got 7 very thin coats (one can again) of top coat, 30 mins between coats, left a week. then t-cut the frame, and give 7 thin coats of lacquer. super finish, peugeot diablo red, a sort of metallic cherry-ish, red. Lasted reasonably but has chipped more eaasily than normal paint on bike frames, and the cost of bead blast and powder coating is only about 10 or 20 quid more than the cost of striper, primer, top coat and lacquer.

i did my own bike frame,i was off work with a broken foot and was bored.had enough bits in the garage to build a bike up so got on with it.had it soda blasted then used rattle cans,a few coats of etch primer,2 cans worth of colour and 2 cans worth of 2 pack laquer baked on with a heat gun.
i agree that powder coating works out cheaper and more durable,in fact i’m sending a frame off now for powder coating,but i fancied having a crack at it plus i did it to match my vespa 😀