I have stripped the paint off an old frame i found in a skip years back with the intention of powder coating it and making a fancy commuter, now all i want is a rat bike as i'll be parking at a train station.

Will a rattle can job be okay as i won't be using primer or even prepping, or would i be better getting it cheaply powder coated.

I did one a few weeks ago using Plasti-Kote spray enamel from Wilkos.
It goes on thicker than Car Spray. Needs a few weeks to harden off though.
Quite pleased with how it turned out.

due to the characteristics of enamel (synthetic) paints you would need to leave it a couple of weeks to fully go off.

you would need to prime it to get any decent kind of paint finish, normal automotive rattle can (1k acrylic) paint will be thinner than the above as it's designed to be put on in much lighter coats, and due to it's nature this would be required to get a decent smooth finish.

My suggestion would be something like hammerite smooth for a decent cheap paint finish.

if its gonna be left at the station, then surely you want it to be as shit as possible?no? aka who cares,just use anything.matt black ideally?

Primer would be a good idea, it'll look worse than shit other wise. Wind free day, few coats, should be OK

Hammerite 'rough as guts' look was my personal favourite for bmx stuff. Used to chip off when you crashed, but that added to the look. Who cares if it's a rat bike, might stop it getting nicked.

Don't skip the primer. I've done a frame in VW black touch-up paint with normal primer, looked nice for a while but going a bit funny now. More than one person has said I should have used an etch primer.

if it's being left at a station all day, then don't bother with a spray job!
nice finish at a train stn = stolen!
there's a lot to be said for a sh*t finish when bike thieves are about

Barbeque paint is a good option. Tough as hell, and looks great in its matt black way, without being a thief magnet.

Hammerite or Plastikote can both give really nice, decently tough finishes, hammerite does chip easier than some finishes while plastikote is more likely to swirl or discolour (and it's a bugger to get a totally even finish) but they both work well. Don't waste your time with cellulose or singlepack sprays (such as cheap car paints), they're 3-part systems (under, base and clear) so they're time consuming, the top coat needs cut back and polished, and even with the best attempts, they're still brittle and fragile. Horrible for bike use.

But… Cheap powdercoat is still miles better, and not all that much more expensive.

I'm doing an old frame in hammerite yellow- I'm doing it because I like the project but it makes no real sense… But it's nice to do it yourself, and shooting paint is always a pleasure to me.

If you want it trully non-nickable, strip it (half heartedly) and don't respray it. Butt Ugly is your friend.

Babboon butt pink with a smattering of banana poo browny/yellow would be my colour of choice

Who would wanna nick that 🙂

Drop the can in a bucket of hot water for a few minutes before using it – this will make it much easier to apply

BluePalomino – Member

If you want it trully non-nickable, strip it (half heartedly) and don't respray it. Butt Ugly is your friend.

Or brush paint it really badly or spray the whole bike without masking it – tyres, seat the lot NO prep as well so it all goes flacky and falls off.

Thats kinda the problem I'm not bothered how it looks to much but it needs painting as its steel and don't want it to rust. So hammerite is the way.

Graff Time 🙂

I found smoothrite was way flaky and just fell off (even though properly keyed and wire brushed before painting).

Proper acid etch primer is a fortune in rattle cans (+£10 a can for good stuff). But saying that I just blasted and sprayed a scooter for my kids after school club and sprayed with some #8 etch I had lying around and then Wilkinsons plasti-cote copy (£3.99) – seems tough enough for now.

Powder coat by far the best option. Try and find a local metal fabricator shop that has its own powder coat line – they will be less bothered about payment than a place that makes all its money from painting. I've had things done free or for a nominal £10 – £20 provided it goes down the line with whatever is being made that day (e.g. digger yellow, appliance white, army green etc).

hammerite is good but chips off. I'd go for a cheap powder coat.

dunno if it helps but where do you live? if it's steel and you're in the south east i might be able to get it electrostatically painted for you on the cheap

hi pinches i live near cambridge, what is electrostatic painting?

Why does spray can lacqour come out badly?

a friend of mine paints steel agricultural chassis in this paint, it doesn't require and prep. you wipe the surface with a special thinner then paint the paint, it's electrostatically charged with an additive, so it wraps paint round tubes so it makes painting it very easy.

Why does spray can lacqour come out badly?

Spray can lacquer only comes out badly if you don't know how to paint lacquer. 1k lacquer (1k, or acrylic, as sold in spray cans) is quite a lot thinner than normal 1k top coat, you have to be quite brave with it and put a lot on in one hit to make it glossy but risk it running (i know this, as i'm a painter by trade)

Speaking of lacquer, I've stripped my BMX cruiser and plan on just having a lacquered finish as it looks really cool with just bear metal. What should I use, and any advice, or I just spray the **** out of it?

well, it will rust regardless. just make sure its clean and degreased before you lacquer it.

Should add, my green machine above was powder coated matt black before the green went on, we have a powder shop at work but only paint in matt black.
And I've had enough of matt black bikes. 🙂