[Closed] Stripping paint off an alu frame- any tips?

do powder coaters not do the stripping as part of the process?

Yes they do. It's just quite expensive to have it dipped and stripped then coated. If I were going to spend that much, I may as well get it resprayed for virtually the same cost.

Yep, if you get it stripped, polished and clear coated it will work out around £150. That's what I did, didn't trust myself to do a good job

Bead blast and powder coat only coast £40 down my way.

Have stripped several frames myself, by the time you've brought the stuff and all the time it takes imo pay some one else to do it.

Stripped a Cannondale rear triangle ages ago and it looked great - paint peeled off with minimal nitromoors. Tried the same with a Giant Trance rear a few years back and was a real mess - different paint, didn't come off cleanly and the ally underneath looked horrible.

Battered bikes look cool anyhow. (or is it just me?)

Yep, if you get it stripped, polished and clear coated it will work out around £150.

No it won't. No it bloody won't. I'm not paying that! 😯

Armourtex near me in Hackney do a whole strip and powdercoat from £65 for an alu frame. Probbly less for just a strip and clear lacquer coat. They're very highly regarded amongst the Fixierati here, and can do some lovely colours. If I am going to get it redone, I'll use them.

What's the deal with leaving it raw though? I've seen other bikes just raw metal. Looks quite good; just basic and funktional, utilitarian.

What about polishing? A proper PITA? Years of painstaking work?

I'd call it a day's job. A long day if it's a FS frame as they're fiddly and you'll need to mask (or remove) the bearings. A much quicker job with a hardtail.

Nitromors, a paint brush, a couple of toothbrushes, a load of newspaper, some safety specs/gloves and a damp cloth. The main sections of paint will come off very easily - it can actually be quit disturbing the first time you do it as the paint makes noises, bubbles up and falls away before your very eyed!! Nooks, crannies and around the welds usually needs a few applications and sometimes working at with stripper/toothbrush. Really stubborn little flecks can be encouraged with a sharp point (like a needle).

What you have to do with the bare metal depends entirely on how it looks 'au natural' and what you want. A neat finish can take anything from 10 mins to three or four hours. What ever you go for, I'd advise against a clearcoat as it will look shit very quickly once it gets a few chips. The bare metal is more durable a finish and can easily, and quickly, be revitalised with just a few minutes of metal polish/buffing.

You stripped your Dynatech with nitromors no? so you know how evil that cack is. I bet if you just go for black or white, a colour they do in batches, and go down the powdercoaters with all yer threads, headset etc sealed properly and give the bloke 35 quid, they won't say no. what bike?

Cannondale Kev. One reason is it's tatty; I noticed a fair patch of paint has fallen off the disc mount, and another is to get rid of the Cannondale branding which attracts the attention of too many scrotes. Quite like the 'battered' look.

Think I'll Nitromors the bugger, then have a go at just getting it to look reasonable, before going mental with the aluminium polishing malarky...

Armourtex in Clapton do some proper nice paintjobs, best to get them to do the whole thing really. I think for this frame, seeing as it's quite old now, I'll just strip it meself.

Stripped, it could look a bit like this:

[img] [/img]

Which is quite nice actually.

Yes, I think I'll do that.

do it. it'll feel like a new bike. Fresher and newer feeling if someone else does it and you go pick it up, rather than huge effort on yer own part? like that old vertex that keeps changing it's spots! I keep thinking to sell it, but nice bikes are keepers 🙂

Just breathe on the frame, all your hot air will just melt the paint away. 😆

😉

😆

Can I just get you to look at it Gary-C? Your nasty face will be sufficient to strip the paint off. 😉

Kev; that's sort of part of the idea really. It'll be getting a Reba, as I'm selling the Lefty. So it will feel quite different once I'm finished with it.

Quite interested in the idea of polishing it, but that's some serious hard work. Might do a small area as a test.

What stuffs for polishing alu?

I smirked Gary_C!

Nah, Elf, my face would melt the ally.... 😆

😆

So you're only safe around Titanium then?

Ooh I'm getting right fired up for this. Earlier, it was just an idea. Now, I really want to do it.

Kev, you gotta keep the old Vertex mate. Can't sell that.

Ear, you seen me email about me broken seatpost?

Ooh look shiny!!

[img] [/img]

Oh dear. What have I started? 😐

[Hijack] Does anyone know if anodising be stripped in the same way (ie. dipped or bead blasted?? Quite fancy this for my FS [/Hijack]

SCHHHwiiing!! ohh that so nice. shiney. **** yer seatpost it's rubbish. shine it all.

Considering doing this for my bike. So will a powdercoaters dip, strip, polish and laquer? If so can anyone recommend a firm to do this?

I've got about 99% of the paint off of an old Marin Riftzone. I was going to have it anodised but now I'm planning on leaving it raw. There's still some stubborn paint in the nooks and crannies of the swing arm I've got to get rid of. I've used a litre of Nitromors on it so far. The top coats of lacquer and paint came off very easily but the undercoat is a lot tougher. Good luck!

Oh, poo.

Now I'M doing it!

Got an old kona blast frame .which is now cooking in stripper...I figure I only need a few bits to build a awesome single- braked single speed pub bike..

Ok crankset, front wheel, grips, seat and seatpost required, but you get the idea

Yep, I stripped a cannondale mb a few years back with nitromors, no problem, tried to laquer myself but couldnt get an even coat. Id take it to someone who knows the score amd professional finish 🙂

Ah what forgot all about this!

Right. I'm off out to get some Nitromors...

Anyone heard about [url= http://www.soda-blast.co.uk/ ]soda blasting[/url]? Reckon this would be a good idea for paint stripping? I'm doing my Cannondale one way or another.

Well I've had a good go at it, but the paint is tougher than anything, and Nitromors is doing very little really. Softens it a bit making scraping it off a bit easier, but that's about it.

I had toyed with the idea of polishing it up, but that's a whole other world of pain I reckon. The bare alu bits are looking ok just 'brushed' tbh.

Oh, and a little tip:

Don't use nitrile rubber gloves, as Nitromors will melt through them. Vinyl ones are ok though.

what type of nitromors are you using? the automotive one is a lot stronger than the house hold one. also, it'll only work on paint, not powder coat...

I can sell you a Kinesis frame that doesn't need stripping 😉
Please don't post any more shiny, I'm already wondering how I could get the 456SS that shiny.

it'll only work on paint, not powder coat...

I think I've worked that out now. 😀

The only option seems to be something called Permatex Gasket Remover which seems to be nasty carcinogenic stuff, so I'm going to just sand the rest off. It's half done now anyway.

I would recommend, to anyone contemplating stripping a Cannondale frame, to have it done professionally. Because it is a pain in the bum. I woon't advise any sort of sand-blasting type method, as that can remove too much metal and weaken the aluminium apparently.

Have stripped several frames myself, by the time you've brought the stuff and all the time it takes imo pay some one else to do it.

I could have listened to this in the beginning.

Ah well.

It will look good once done though.

Well I've had a good go at it, but the paint is tougher than anything, and Nitromors is doing very little really. Softens it a bit making scraping it off a bit easier, but that's about it.

How long are you leaving it? How thick do you apply the Nitromors? Specialized paint starts falling off after 30 seconds or so; Orange powdercoat takes a few minutes.

Seat Post in the post thuis morning
posted it pikey second class and it still cost me the same as a pint!

Elfin: We're in this together! I've spent the day frustrated that the paint on my Cannondale is still very much on! 🙁

well, inspired by this thread, I resurrected an old Kona Blast.

Bike was "free" as most of the bits were from the Shed. Apart from a few bits like cables and headset, its all STW sponsored from past and present too...

[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/5743404756_2405db7190.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/5743404756_2405db7190.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5743404756/ ]IMAG0218[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

I got bored rubbing the paint off in the end so it is a bit "rat" . perfect for short 4 mile work run though.

In my case, I used some ronseal stuff which you leave for plus 6 hrs. It is a tenner though and I used half of it so not recommended. I had some for stripping doors already

It's quite popular to polish the aluminium swingarm on motorbikes. A quick google came up with this place selling kits.

http://www.btinternet.com/~eric.guy/kits.htm

You have to use clear lacquer afterwards otherwise the aluminium will oxidise.

mansonsoul - Member
Anyone heard about soda blasting? Reckon this would be a good idea for paint stripping? I'm doing my Cannondale one way or another.

i've had two frames soda blasted and i'd highly recomend it,just had another done this week and dropped it off at the powder coaters yesterday.frames have always come back looking brand new.
this was an real old dog of a kona frame,made from easton ultra lite,a quick buff with a scotch brite pad and it was looking sooper shiny - then i spoilt it by painting it 🙁

[IMG] [/IMG]

You have to use clear lacquer afterwards otherwise the aluminium will oxidise.

This simply isn't true. Aluminium oxidises very quickly, so what you have after you've washed the stripper away is pretty much how it'll always look. It does not corrode in anything like the way a steel frame would. Polished frames will dull a little over time, but a quick rub down with metal polish fixes that. The only thing I have ever known to diminish a stripped/polished frame is the marks from sweat dripped onto the top tube.

Nitromors will stip powdercoat, it just takes longer. Besides there's powder coat and there's powder coat. It's a process and can use different chemistries which will have different resistance to the chemicals in notromors (primarily Dichloromethane and Methanol).

I imagine soda blasting is not blasting at all but is soaking in CAsutic Soda (Sodium hydroxide, NaOH). In my experience NAOH will strip most paints eventually, especially if it's hot.

Three fish is right, aluminium is much more reactive than iron but the oxide formed is tightly adhered unlike rust which flakes off. ALuminium frames aren't pure alluminium though so that makes a difference. Laquer will help keep the finish for longer. A car refinisher may be able to help as they use clear coats when painting cars. Might not cost you much either if you wait for them to do another job.

soda blasting is.....blasting with bicarb of soda. Nice and gentle for thin ali tubes.

A few of my projects involving stripping (with Nitromors) and either re powdercoating or polishing;

Norco-was horrid rootbeer, easy to strip.
[URL= http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/324/norco20062.jp g" target="_blank">http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/324/norco20062.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
[URL= http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/332/norco20064.jp g" target="_blank">http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/332/norco20064.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

MK3 Chameleon, very easy to strip 'dog poo' brown coating
[URL= http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7508/sl381323.jp g" target="_blank">http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7508/sl381323.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Brooklyn Racelink, quite difficult to remove powdercoating with nitromors and brass and stainless 'toothbrushes'. Recoated.
[URL= http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4959/sl380577.jp g" target="_blank">http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4959/sl380577.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Brooklyn again, but shot blasted and polished anodized 'Tree' sprocket
[URL= http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2384/sl380575.jp g" target="_blank">http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2384/sl380575.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Another Brooklyn! Park frame, nearly impossible to remove coating with Nitromors, recoated (eventually), also Seatclamp and dropouts shot blasted and polished,
[URL= http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/8251/sl381172large.jp g" target="_blank">http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/8251/sl381172large.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
[URL= http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5862/sl381180large.jp g" target="_blank">http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5862/sl381180large.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Cove parts; Saint cranks, Thompson stem, Juicy caliper and lever. All shotblasted and polished with mopping wheel in die grinder.
[URL= http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9507/sl381077large.jp g" target="_blank">http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9507/sl381077large.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
[URL= http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/830/sl381081large.jp g" target="_blank">http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/830/sl381081large.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
[URL= http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/8523/sl381082large.jp g" target="_blank">http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/8523/sl381082large.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Get polishing!

not a good photo but Elf, yu may remeber this ride and the bike, (the only other single speed beside your merlin) it was stripped and home 'rattle can' sprayed.
[img]<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3576/3397833441_57ee59b2eb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="STW london ride, March 2009">[/img]

okay.....why is that coming up as a lik not a photo?

singletrackmind - Member
Seat Post in the post thuis morning
posted it pikey second class and it still cost me the same as a pint!

I love you and want to have your babies. 🙂

You'll have to get me drunk first though....

mansonsoul - Member
Elfin: We're in this together! I've spent the day frustrated that the paint on my Cannondale is still very much on!

I tell you; this powdercoat would survive a nuclear blast. All Nitromors does is soften it a bit really, but it's a right bugger getting to the stubborn bits in the nooks and crannies.

I've had a trial run at using finer and finer grade sandpaper, then very fine wire wool, then a bit of aluminium polish, on a test patch. Comes up really nice. I was toying with the idea of proper polishing it up, but tbh, it's a mounting bike to be ridden, not an ornament, so that would just be a bit of a pointless waste of time. I'd cry every time it got scratched.

I would have it stripped professionally next time, but it is a very therapeutic process actually. I've had a very peaceful day, happily rubbing away...

I will post pics when it's done. It's gonna look proper nice. 🙂

Elfin, yeah Cannondale clearly like their powdercoating to last. I've managed to remove a bit of lacquer and the stickers underneath so far. The areas where the powdercoat had chipped have let the nitromors work better, and a bit of it has come off. I'm going to get some hardcore brushes and try and sand some paint off to help the nitromors work, but it'll be quite a job I reckon.

Definitely post some pics up once its done Elf, or even what you've got so far.

scotchbrite is your friend.

update?

my bits/ bobs are 75% roughed....

I wasn't going to polish, but if it flattens well, I might.

Well, I've got most of it off, but jolly well have not had a go at it for a few days cos it's bin a bit chilly outside. It's taking a fair amount of elbow-grease to shift the stubborn bits in the nooks and crannies, but a bit of Nitromors to soften, then some concerted rubbing with sandpaper and a brass wire brush, and I'm getting there slowly. I'm finding using different sandpapers then some fine wire wool is leaving a nice smooth finish, not 'polished', but still quite nice. A go with aluminium polish will give it a good sheen.

I think it's gonna look quite industrial, rather than pretty. But I think it ought to come up nice.

Update: frame looks sketchy as hell,I can't get into the nooks and crannies at all, and I don't know what to do now. 😕

Update: frame looks sketchy as hell,I can't get into the nooks and crannies at all, and I don't know what to do now.

cheer yourself up. Get yourself some wet and dry / scotchbrite and set to work on a bit you think looks bad. Make it look all nice and you will know it is worth it.

NB I borrowed a very hard triangular scraper for the recessed parts . Looks awful at first but flattens out ok.

Dancake, thanks for that triangular scraper tip. The main tubes are stripped and looking fine really, it's just the fiddly full suspension bits that I'm struggling with.

What you need are some wire brushes that you can put in a drill. Brass wire though; steel is too hard and will ruin the frame. A Dremel type thing is handy for the very fiddly bits. And ffs wear eye-protection. Please.

I just wrap a bit of sandpaper round my index finger and rub away at small spots. Takes ages, but does the job. All round the BB area and where the tubes join. My Cannondale has nice smooth welds which are easier to do than standard welds.

Take yer time and don't rush it.

Hope to have mine done in the next week...

my frame is all done (ish) so I decided to spruce up some linkages. (basically remove anodising in drain cleaner then get polishing kit out)

got bored in the end so its a real half-job (one sided) . with time it could be nice though...

[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/5787632002_f2260c6d05.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/5787632002_f2260c6d05.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5787632002/ ]IMAG0230[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

UPDATE TIME:

Ok so. Not a lot of progression as I've bin busy, but here's a couple of pics.

Before:

[img] [/img]

During:

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

After:

Not done yet! Hoping to get it finished this weekend. Hope reducer headset arrived (lovely!), so just frame to sort out. MM next weekend!

Plan is: take off paint with rough sandpaper/wire brush. then use finer and finer grades of paper right down to ultra-fine w+d. Then, right, some fine steel wool. Finishing off with Brillo pad with some alu polish, final rub down with alu polish, done.

It's a bloody long-winded process. Will look good once finished though. And I've saved a few grams off the frame! 🙂

Just spent a couple more hours on the swingarm of my Rift Zone. I've now decided I've got as much off as I possibly can and I'm going to see about getting the remaining 0.1% removed and then have it blasted. Still not sure about leaving it raw or having it anodised though...

Fresh back from holiday so it is thread resurrection time 🙂

Any updates? Anyone finished?

I am going the Wet/ dry - steel wool look. I have saved the polishing for small parts like the linkages/ cranks / dropouts maybe as it takes a while and I cant be bothered

next question is decals.Shall I or not?

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/5845245199_93eb1da176.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/5845245199_93eb1da176.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5845245199/ ]IMAG0262[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

[IMG] [/IMG]

my recent effort.

Dont bother with paint stripper with dichloromethane missing, nitrmors etc is now rubbish, a days effort got me nowhere. Went to a local hardware store, got some dirty paint stripping without the active chemical removed, paint jumped off within 20 mins, minimal effort.

Yellow pages.

A lot of work - I'd happily pay someone to do it properly, although I much prefer paint. Fair play to all you guys who have enough spare time to fill doing this !

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/5859746318_56fb7c5321.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/5859746318_56fb7c5321.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5859746318/ ]IMAG0268[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

its growing...

I did mine a while ago and it looks much better than the original poo brown. Nitromores was shite and it took ages half way through I wished I hadnt started it and nearly took it to the powder coaters and had it recoated. I finished it by just rubbing it down with wire wool and love that the paint wont chip off and look rubbish. Having said that I keep thinking about having it coated in primer grey with some metal flake over the top, maybe next time I need to do the bearings.

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/5842046756_4b1ab33800_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/5842046756_4b1ab33800_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/29930426@N04/5842046756/ ]IMG_0028[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/29930426@N04/ ]i_ache[/url], on Flickr

deanfbm...can I ask, was your rocker red before, or did you get it done...? If so where ?

I've just ordered a polishing kit to do my Ventana. Hoping it comes out like this one on the Ventana site:-

[img] [/img]

time has run out so it is back together...will tart up later. Hopefully a few decals etc..or maybe not. Dunno yet

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5862970542_3623697a55.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5862970542_3623697a55.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5862970542/ ]IMAG0279[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

I did a "test-strip" on my Ventana last night. Paint bubbled almost instantly, so looks like its going to come off ok. The bare alloy looks like it has been lightly blasted before powdering so a bit of polishing to be done.

Now gone over with the autosol. Wasnt going to do this at first, but did a little test and sort of carried on

Came out so well, I regret not spending more time flattening the frame (was originally going for the rough raw look

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/5869470984_8598d0f705.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/5869470984_8598d0f705.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5869470984/ ]100_2561[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

nb getting a shine was no effort at all and took no time. Do it before you build the bike up though, kids

The last alloy frame I did was lightly sanded then Nitromorsed for a few moments to work into the tight areas.

A pressure washer is great for getting at the tight bits 🙂

I found the easiest way is to find a local alloy wheel re-spray company as they use a soft media blast rather than a sand blast so it doesn't blow through the frame. cost me £20.00 and a couple of hours to do the final polish up myself. Easy peasy

Just finished getting (almost) all of the paint off my Marin:

[img] [/img]

There's still some paint in the nooks and crannies of the swingarm but I've had enough now. Never again!

OP - looks great. 😕

loving the pikey look 😉

IMO (although I haven't tried to strip paint from a bike frame) get it done professionally.

Never again!

That's kind of where I got to... 😆

Mine's just down to the metal. I could sand it and polish it all up, but tbh, after building it up in a raw unpolished state for Mayhem, I figured that it would only get scratched and chipped very easily (no hard anodising of the soft alu surface, see?), and all that effort would be rapidly undone.

I'm now contemplating having it powder coated....

RAL 1007 JCB/Lotus yellow:

[img] [/img]

BH pink?

[img] http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlG0Gm7j8g2fRerGgseuTiiUjvlGbTzEcpS9tSGfv7XhdMwWaF [/img]

Nah. My frame's not tough enough to cope with such a colour...

Mind you, now you mention it; black with tiny BH pink accents would look gorge, no?

Or what about black with tiny pink BH logos?????!

Bugger. This needs some thought....

What about BH pink fade to lacquered alu?

I'm taking my naked Marin to Steve The Anodiser on Friday 😀

Fresh from Steve:

[img] [/img]

Makes all the toil seem worth it now!

I'm toying with respraying the frame I got for my GF but I'm not sure it's worth all the time and effort to strip it. what are the chances of keying the existing paint back, giving it a colour overcoat and as dash of lacquer actually sticking? I have a decent compressor and spray guns in the garage from my brothers stint as an allot wheel refurbisher, si I guess all I need is paint and thinners...

Just finished building-up the newly anodised Marin and took a quick pic:

[img] [/img]

I've just left mine in it's raw tatty state. it's just a bike. If I do owt with it, it'll be getting powdercoated. I'm not wasting time polishing it when it'll only get scratched to buggery.

are santa cruz painted or powder coated?

bump