Don’t know if this is a stupid question or not…

I’m going to rattle can spray job a frame for my daughter. We don’t have a garage or other suitable space so it will be in the garden on a dry day. Needs to be pre xmas. Will it matter that the frame is 4 degrees when sprayed or should it be warmer for the best result?

Warmer will definitely be better, for workspace and frame.

Warm the frame in house first , spray outside and then take it back inside between coats . maybe a satin finish would be better less chance of blooming.

Don’t bother spraying it yourself. I only pay £10 for a local powder coaters to do my frame. It’s a more durable finish better suited to a bike where knocks are inevitable.
Unless you are doing it as a project with your daughter. In that case then I have had success painting frames out in the cold as long as it’s not damp. You need to be careful heating the frame first as you can get condensation. Really this time of year isn’t ideal and again I would recommend powder coating.

Andy

Short answer, yes. Long answer below.

Two things I would consider. The first is vital and that is the dew point. In cold humid conditions you are likely to get pretty close at this time of year. The cold metal will mean that you get condensation ruining the wet paint. If you store the frame inside first you should be ok. Also don’t do it first thing with a cold frame or late in the day when the temperature is dropping.

Paint generally doesn’t tend to like being applied below 10C unless it is designed for those temperatures. It slows down the rate of chemical reaction/solvent evaporation (delete as appropriate). With paints that rely purely on solvent evaporation it is less of an issue. Also once the frame has started to dry you can move it indoors to let it finish off once the worst of the solvent has gone. The frame temperature will matter as if it is cold it will be a huge heat sink.

A half decent rattle can should have application details on it. Maybe read some and see. Not really my area of paint knowledge.

double post

As everyone says the drier the environment the better. Probably about 20 degree’s is ideal depending on what sort of paint you’re using.
If you add up the costs of rattle can paint plus time it might be worth popping it into your local body shop or powder coaters and giving them 20 or 30 quid. Less messing and a better job at the end too