[Closed] DIY lacquer raw steel - spray.bike any good?

Any thoughts? Thanks

Most custom frame builders will refuse to lacquer a raw frame as it will still rust and flake. Btr had a bit of a story about it on their instagram post a few months back

Might be worth having a look at what Squid Bikes do/use? They're always on social media painting something..

Yea, it'll rust. Thought about copper plating?

I've had a professionally painted clear lacquered steel frame that rusted in about three months. Loved the look, but it's just not worth it

Shame. Do the consensus is that lacquer doesn’t work very well. Other options? Clear powder coat?

Thanks

Chris

I used 2 pack on a frame I let corrode lightly, but didn't use it enough afterwards to know how it fared. It's in the loft.

Copper playing may look cool. Surely it’ll tarnish greeny fairly quick though?

you could try owatrol rust treatment which just penetrates everything, stopping rust, but dries clear.
oil based and can be painted over with oil-based paint/varnish/laquer, tho i haven't done that myself.
give the inside of the frame a swill around with it too.

i don't think it chemically converts the rust, so any existing rust stays rust coloured, if that's relevant

@cjr - I say clear lacquer, maybe it was clear powdercoat, they redid it in powdercoat when I sent it back. Either way, it didn't last. The black looks like new years later, so they weren't amateur painters.

Stanton clearcoat their steel frames with a 'special process' which they say lasts a lot longer than usual methods. They might do it for you if you send it yo them?

Stanton offer that with a pretty serious disclaimer though - the raw finish has no rust treatment, so it only lasts about a year and then you have to send it back to be rust treated and repainted in another colour (which is £200-300)

Thanks all. Think I may go for the diy option and let it patina in its own way. It’s a fun bike frame so never going to be a full pro-kit looker! Haha

Hi cjr61,

Whenever I'm questioned about what coating to use I have one default reply "what do you want the coating to do and how long do you want it to last?"

If you only degrease and coat you frame it will begin to rust, personally I think it'll look great! Lots of little red rust threads (filiform corrosion) will start to appear, it'll look aged and have an attractive patina.
Sweep blasting and several lacquer coats will help protect it for longer, you won't get that same polished steel effect and eventually rust will begin to show.
If you can't stand the thought of any visible corrosion a solid colour is your only option. Filiform will still be there, you simply won't see it.

One final comment on painting, preparation is the key to a good lasting finish. Poor prep, world's best paint = poor finish.
Great prep, mediocre paint = good finish.

A ran an Evil Sovereign raw for ages - i used to wax it and if any surface rust started it buff it off with scotchbrite and wipe over with wax again. More hassle than a painted/PC finish but it looked gnarrr!

Thanks Leeroy and RNP. I’ve ordered a can of lacquer to give it a little longevity but I’m going au natural. Let it age!

cjr61
Member
Thanks all. Think I may go for the diy option and let it patina in its own way. It’s a fun bike frame so never going to be a full pro-kit looker! Haha

Yeah if you're ok with that, and/or accept that it will need redoing at some point, then it does look great.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

You can get 2pac in a can. I’ve used it on carbon fibre and it’s very hard wearing once cured.

Copper playing may look cool. Surely it’ll tarnish greeny fairly quick though?

From what I've seen, it doesn't go green, just dulls in colour. You can play around by adding sticker templates when fresh, allow it to dull & then once dulled remove the stickers to reveal your preserved shiny bits in the pattern that you designed.

Went down the DIY lacquer route:

Still need new decals but coming on....
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For the record, spray.bike lacquer is the same as everyone else's lacquer. It's the powder-coat in a can that's unque.

DIY it and it will end up looking like this. Which may be a good or bad thing depending on your PoV.

[img] [/img]

It’s the powder-coat in a can that’s unque.

This is something I need to know more about! I can see how it could apply but they're is no way it can cure. Sounds to me like our marketing BS.

Can I ask how this changes if the frame is aluminium - obviously you don't need to worry about rust, but is an off the shelf spray lacquer worth it to retain the polished alu look?

I can see how it could apply but they’re is no way it can cure. Sounds to me like our marketing BS

It isn't the same as actual powder coat, but it's not normal paint either. It's a thick plasticy coating that retains some flexibility.

Can I ask how this changes if the frame is aluminium – obviously you don’t need to worry about rust, but is an off the shelf spray lacquer worth it to retain the polished alu look?

Aluminium still corrodes, instead of red rust filiform corrosion, you'll start to see white oxidation filiform. If you look at diamond turned alloy wheels on a car that's a few years old you'll see the effect.

Sounds to me like our marketing BS.

I'm not aware of them having marketed it as "powdercoat in a can". It's just formulated to work well on the narrow tubing and awkward shapes of bike frames: very high pigmentation and less tendency to run. (If you spray it from too far away, though, it dries in flight and does take on a powdery form.)

Just because I’m never happy...but can you polish DIY Lacquer to make it glossy? Polishing compound? T-Cut? If you can how long should it be left to cure to ensure it’s hard?

Cheers

Ok, can someone explain how steel that has been lacquered will still rust? Surely the coating prevents oxygen reaching the metal.

Hi Ross, my (limited) understanding is that lacquer and any clear coat are slightly porous still so will allow moisture to cross through. I’m going. For the slightly rusty raw steel look ideally!

If you can how long should it be left to cure to ensure it’s hard?

For an air-drying coating it would normally take around 5-7 days to fully harden. If you're just polishing use a G4 compound.

Ok, can someone explain how steel that has been lacquered will still rust? Surely the coating prevents oxygen reaching the metal.

All coatings are porous to some degree and will allow moisture and oxygen to migrate through. Generally speaking, the thicker the coating the better the corrosion protection.
Different primers can aid corrosion protection by either slowing down the spread of corrosion, acting as a physical barrier, or becoming s sacrificial layer (zinc rich).

Corrosion is something that can never be stopped, but by using the using the right combination of coatings and maintenance we can slow it down and control it.