I’ve put a whopping great scratch on my head tube by riding into a rusty wire fence 😭 and am going to try and patch it up with some spray paint after I’ve cleaned and primed it

I need Matt/satin black, are there any types or brands of spray paint to go for or are they much the same?

https://spray.bike

Really if it’s just a touch up then Poundshop matt black will be fine. Even the matt is normally more satin than real Matt. Spray into the cap, let it evaporate a little (thicken) then apply with a cocktail stick.

It’s a bit more than a touch up unfortunately, about 10cm long and scraped through to the metal so I’ll need to spray it on rather than paint to get a decent finish.

VHT Epoxy: https://www.vhtpaint.com/specialty/vht-epoxy-all-weather-paint

Used it on engine parts, car wheels, hubs, bike parts, and providing you apply to a properly clean and degreased surface, it’s rock solid. I’m properly crap at painting and I’ve managed to make a reasonable hash of it, and it hasn’t come off anything I’ve used it on yet!

Plus it doesn’t need primer so can go straight on to bare metal.

Try and find a match amongst the car repair kits you find in places like halfords.

It’s a bit more than a touch up unfortunately, about 10cm long and scraped through to the metal so I’ll need to spray it on rather than paint to get a decent finish.

That will be a huge amount of work if you want it back to factory finish. Needs to be rubbed down, primer, undercoat, top coat and probably lacquer. Rubbed down after drying for each layer and probably multiple coats in each layer. Even then your chances of an invisible repair are low

Thanks for the tips. I’m not aiming for perfect, just better than I could do with a brush or applicator. I’ve primed the bare metal with a few coats and rubbed it back so the surface is fairly clean and smooth, hopefully it’ll take the paint well

Lidl chalkboard paint works a treat. I did the grill on my shogun with it. It’s pretty tough too.

well I had a go at it:
before final primer:

after paint:

there’s a couple of faint lines where the paint was a bit heavy but it looks ok. OCD wants to rub it back a bit and do one final coat but I should probably leave it. Hopefully it’ll last

That looks good from that distance. Wouldn’t worry what it looks like right up close

yeah, it’ll be covered in filth again before long.