I've got an old Commencal frame that the previous owner did a (reasonably smooth TBF) plain black rattle can paintjob straight over the top of the original paint, this is clearly evident in a several places where the paint has been scuffed right the way through to the metal and you can see all the layers.
I sort of want to smarten it up but honestly can't be arsed stripping and repainting the thing properly, I've also got a rigid fork to use with it (also black, but not quite matching) which I'd like to spruce up.
So my current plan is to rough up both frame and fork with we & Dry, apply a bit of body filler to those scuffed spots and then just rattle-can over the lot again (I'm quite a fan of BBQ paint for a cheap finish on something to be mostly outside).
What I might do then as a bit of "visual camouflage" for what will doubtless be a bit of a scrappy finish, and to make it less bland than plain black, is try and find some brighter colours (Neon Yellow/Pink/White/whatever Enamel?) to flick at it and produce a bit of a retro splatter effect.
No stripping, minimal prep, no clear coat on top... I'm reckoning ~£20 tops, no way I'm spending more...
So go on, give me your anecdotes and tips on how to improve my plan, is there anything cheaper and better than BBQ paint?
And of course tell me why it'll never work...
Wait till July
0 Deg ain't paint weather
Firstly Weeksy is right, painting at the moment is a recipe for a crap finish.
Secondly - cheap doesn’t have to be rubbish. Spend a bit more time with the wet and dry and some knifing putty. Painting should be 80% prep and 20% actual painting.
Thirdly what about Montana Crackle - should do a good job of hiding/ distracting from imperfections?
Try spray.bike paints. I've just painted my hardtail and I am very impressed with the easy process and finish. Time will tell how durable it is.
I'd be tempted to touch up the bits where it is broken through if it is black. It's a lot of work to strip a frame, sand it down properly and spray it and if you don't do it properly you are likely to end up with something worse that what you have :(. If you only do a minimal keying job and no primer you a likely to end up with something that starts flaking off in no time
Investigate a cheap powder coat finish? Rattle can paint jobs always ending up costing more than you think once you include abrasives and other consumables. Nevermind the time it takes. If you only after a single common colour powdercoating won't be much more and probably a better finish.
Smarten it up, or dont, but dont waste your time.
Body filler? wtf? That'll be tatty before youve even finished.
Nitromoors it, back to raw aluminium. Check it for actual damage (cracks)
Ride it raw alumium finish. "prototype" look.
No stripping, minimal prep, no clear coat on top… I’m reckoning ~£20 tops
If you do it that way then you might as well just buy a roll of Christmas wrapping paper and cover it in that. It’ll probably be more durable.
i did a 3 colour fade on an al camino with spray.bike cans and a sharpie, minimum sanding, cleaned with disc brake cleaner, paint has stayed on even under bike packing bags. will do another colour when bored of this one
Either leave it, or do it properly.
If you do do it properly though you may aswell go all out as per rocket dog.
But tatty bikes look ace.
El cheapo glitter infested gold might look cool no?
go all out as per rocket dog.
not sure i went all out, was supposed to be my winter project but it actually took one weekend about 2 hrs sanding, 30 minutes painting, longest bit was the time between paint drying and adding some clear coat. I was expecting it to take much longer
some of the home brew stuff on squid bikes is good inspiration
Just hammerite it.
Nitromoors it, back to raw aluminium
Don't waste your money. Nitromors hasn't worked since 2011.
Either leave it, or do it properly.
This.
Also, take lots of pictures and let us know how you get on.
@Weeksy - you are of course right... But you know full well I'm not going to wait till summer, given current temperature variations, I reckon theres a moderate chance of an 8-10 degree day in the next month or so (Current forecast says it'll be 10*C and sunny in fact), I'll wait for a sunny day
@Timbog160 - Montana Crackle looks like it needs a specific acrylic substrate, but it an interesting idea...
@bruceandhisbonus - Spray.bike seems to be the default answer these days, but it's a bit on the pricey side relative to the value of the frame TBH. I might use one of their 'pocket Fluros' for the spatter effects, but I've also seen reports of it reacting if used with certain other paints...
@leffeboy - That may be the easiest option, I've got some body filler I would use to make up the surface, just do som elocal spraying, accept a minor missmatch and hide it to some extent with my colourful splatter, TBH if I'm just going over it all in cheap BBQ paint an extra fiver to spray the whole frame...
Cheers all.
I had a frame powder coated straight black for my lads latest bike, somewhere about £45 for strip and paint, no point arsing around.
1) Definitely get it powdercoated, it barely costs any more.
2) but if you don't, then there's some interesting single coat paints. Krylon Fusion is fantastic stuff, it's not very tough but it sprays beautifully, sticks to most surfaces, looks lovely and comes in some not-black colours. ZG90 is sort of similiar and sticks well to metal. The advantage of stuff like this is that it's really easy to recoat/touch up.
(or, it sounds like just boring black but the krylon fusion matt black or simoniz engine enamel both give lovely deep matt blacks, I do love the simoniz's look though it's not a brilliant paint otherwise- a bit brittle and doesn't adhere fantastically)
spray.bike is the way to go. I've done an urban camo CX bike and a sharp looking hardtail for my daughter, and a classic look on a new Islabike Luath pro.
Just hammerite it.
I helped my friend do his Peugeot 205 with orange hammerite. Has lasted well despite a lot of abuse. Has a distinct orange peel texture to it though!
Edit - apparently it was rustoleum
Spend longer sanding down the frame smooth before you start painting you don’t have to take all the paint off back to bare metal, but it needs to be smooth.
Spray paint will show every imperfection if you don’t.
And mask all the threads, headset, etc.
You can get some good finishes if you take your time to prep properly and don’t rush the paint.
Also wait until it’s warmer for sure.
+1 for wait for a warmer day unless you have a nice heated industrial unit to work in.
+1 for forget nitromors or any paint stripper, there all crap these days.
I've done steel road forks before with Halfords paint, looked pretty good and didn't flake off, but that's not exactly a high wear area. Sand down any existing chips till it's smooth see if it works.
If it's aluminium though it will need primer.
And don't use BBQ/exhaust paint, it has to be heated to harden it. You can do it on steel parts with a hot air gun but I'd definitely not try that on aluminium. And probably not even on a steel bike.
I've got two spare cans of spray.bike in dark green you can have for a tenner plus post. PM me if you want them.
Smarten it up, or dont, but dont waste your time.
Body filler? wtf? That’ll be tatty before youve even finished.Nitromoors it, back to raw aluminium. Check it for actual damage (cracks)
Ride it raw alumium finish. “prototype” look.
Its normal for filler to be used in new frames. Not everything is perfect and initial undercoats show up flaws which are filled and sanded heavily. Its how you get a perfect finish. If you dont, it doesnt matter how many coats you put on, those flaws will be magnified and show right through
I last stripped a Klein Mantra and found exactly that, especially around the bosses.
Warm rattle cans in hot water. It makes them spray better and makes the paint finish better - less "orange peel"
My experience of rattle cans on bikes is that with modern acylic paints they chip and damage too easily
I had a frame powder coated straight black for my lads latest bike, somewhere about £45 for strip and paint, no point arsing around
Like I said £20 is the budget, not £45 (presumably mates rates, cause my local PC would ask £70+).
The frame cost me £50, several years ago, the fork cost £6. Pretification genuinely isn't worth more than £20 of my rigidly enforced budget, which is either a single can from spray.bike (once you factor in postage) or a healthy amount of cheap paints from Wilko/Screwfix/Poundland or wherever I go shopping for it locally...
Hammerite would be an option TBH, but I know from previous uses you don't always get great coverage from a can, and it will probably flake without a proper primer underneath, Great on thins that don't move, otherwise meh.
Body filler, and wet & dry I already have, so it's just a cost effective finish to slap on top I really need. I'm still quite into the idea of a splattered colour or two over BBQ black...
Also why is it only hipster types that do bike painting videos now?
And don’t use BBQ/exhaust paint, it has to be heated to harden it. You can do it on steel parts with a hot air gun but I’d definitely not try that on aluminium. And probably not even on a steel bike.
Really? I've done it before on a tatty old steel bike and it stayed on fine for a good couple of years (over old, sanded paint).
The Halfords suggestion isn't a bad one, a quick Google suggests it's in budget(ish), I used it years ago on an old frame for a mate and he was happy enough, I'd just assumed it was pricier TBH. They even do an enamel paint now (not sure if that's a good option though)...
My experience of rattle cans on bikes is that with modern acylic paints they chip and damage too easily
Yeah I'm fine with it chipping TBH, especially if it's black on top of more black... who's going to notice/care?
if you really can't be bothered to do a full job and don't want to bother with a clear coat, then hammerite 'direct to rust' or plasticote 'metal protekt' - both designed for single coat application to metals and are both tough
I got a pretty nice two tone job on my Kona for about £30 last summer using 2K car paint from a local shop. As above, I spent more time sanding than painting, and I waited for windless warm days to do it. I used filling primer basecoat over a W&D'ed frame finish and then three coats of 2K. I also went for a matte finish, which has worked out really well. Where I live is fairly kind to paintwork, but it's done a couple of days at BPW with nowt to show with it. I'll probably touch up the seat stays where my heels rub sooner rather than later as the top coat is scuffing a little.
I'll see if I can find somewhere to host images and stick something up. I was pretty sure I would make a massive mess and was pleasantly surprised I did not.
Really? I’ve done it before on a tatty old steel bike and it stayed on fine for a good couple of years (over old, sanded paint).
Yea, I tarted up a tubular exhaust manifold to sell, plugged the hot air gun into the outlet, and blocked off each of the ports in turn. You could see the heat traveling up the pipe as the paint cured.
It's matt paint though so imperfections don't show up so much, and possibly a case of good enough Vs optimal. Still seems like the wrong product for the job though, may as well just buy normal matt black paint.
I know my refurb of my steel road bike would have been way cheaper powder coated, but I've gone for a pearlescent white. Sanded frame down, loads of primer to give a 'white' base. On went many coats of pearlescent as it's transparent' Then 3-4 coats of lacquer. Managed to do it this time last year with use of heaters/heat gun to warm everything up - cans kept in house. It took a few months for the paint to fully harden, but it's been spot on since. Not so sure I'd rattle can an MTB though, given the dirt and rocks pinging off the paint.
Popped in B&M at lunch time, 500ml Can of black Plasti-kote metal protect £6.99 swung by the garage (WFH today) a couple of quick test squirts on the underside of the chainstay the Plastikote look like a reasonable match to the old paint I also found some old BBQ paint and did the same on the other stay that does look a bit more Matt and less of a decent match...
So it's looking more like a plastikote touch-up job that a full spray and then I'm looking for some sort of paint for flicking at it, smallish pots of enamel? where from?
Here you go: Kona respray
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Notes:
* Yes, the shed's a mess
* The rear tyre is the wrong way round. It'd been a long week
* The front wheel is off another bike as I had to swap out the spoke nipples on the existing one
* Initial primer was a high build coat, rubbed back with wet and dry and then reapplied. The top coats went on perfectly with no runs or bobbling; I knocked the first coat back a bit, but didn't bother with later coats
* The Ocean grey paint looked slightly day-glo when it first went on but dried to a pleasantly middle class tone
* I bought some vinyl cut stickers off the 'bay for a tenner. If I do it again I'll put on a white coat, apply the vinyl and remove after a coloured top coat, but the vinyl's proving very robust.
* I'd already re-stickered my fork as it was a discount OEM one with really clashy decals
* The original paint was pretty rubbish, and the frame second hand. I bought it and reckoned I'd respray it once the new bearings I'd put in needed replacing. It's been a good experiment and a really fab bike.