[beboptank]

Would like to repaint a frame myself. I will be using equipment provided by some family members to help me out. All one needs is the subject (The frame), the guts, and the confidence.

Haven't done a ton of research on the step by step process. But will do as I approach the final decision to do so. Understand that wet sanding is a crucial step in order to get a glass smooth finish. But some paint jobs I've seen, even those done by auto body shops are just... kind of lack luster.

I'd be looking for a finish such as this.

OR

Before I get trolled. I understand that these are $$$ paint with $$$ employees doing a $$$ job.
But I just needed an example of what I mean. If anyone has any insight on how a professional finish is attained that would be great. Or point me in the direction at least.

Thank you all.

 

[Z'mer]

You have 2 paths in paint - enamel, and lacquer.
Enamel is used for all commercial cars and trucks, it is by far the most durable. Usually the best looking use a color coat topped with a clear coat, with the color coat being metallic in many cases.

Lacquer is less durable, but far easier and safer for a novice as the fumes are less toxic that the best 2 part hard enamels. Lacquer requires more labor - usually more coats, sanding, and buffing, but ultimately gives the best finish. It is usually used on show cars for that reason.
With lacquer, if you have runs or drips, you can sand them out and spray again. You finish the job with wet sanding, using finer and finer grades, then buffing compound.

You really need to consult with someone who has done it before, as the prep and mixing of the paint requires the proper thinner (based on temp).

A good auto body paint shop can help with selection of materials as well. And then there's the spray gun, compressor w/dryer, where you spray (no dust) and so on. You can do it, but to do it right, it may cost almost as much as paying a guy depending on what you have on hand now.

 

[beboptank]

All the equipment is on hand. Just need to decide on how much money to spend on the paint itself theoretically.

What we don't have is a dust free zone...

Was planning on attempting a de-boss as well. The under coat would be the pearl white pictured above with a close matching blue to the Skyline pictured.
Would be De-bossing the carbon fork and stem as well to have matching components. I don't want to say that this whole project is a pipeline dream. But is an undertaking for a newbie. This I understand. *Commence trolling lol*

 

[Blue CheeseHead]

Enamels and lacquer are the older technologies in paint and were largely single stage paints, meaning that you could shoot the color coat and be done, no clear coat needed. Today's base coat/clear coat systems are often urethane based systems. These paints utilize a catalyst. Urethane paints are pretty forgiving and runs, drips can be sanded out of the base coat.

Regardless of paint selection, the key is the prep work. Lay down a perfect coat of paint on a poorly prepped surface and the result is failure.

Plenty of very high quality paint jobs have been done in peoples garages for decades. Minimizing dust helps. Wetting down the floor will help control dust. Lacquer dries very quickly so airborne dust does have less chance to stick to it.

 

[Z'mer]

Yeah, my info may be dated a bit, last spray job I did was a '79 BMW 528i in the early 90's. It was pitch black - the most difficult color to get right. I used Dupont Centari acrylic enamel, with a hardener that had a pot life of 2 hours. When folks say acrylic or urethane, it's short for acrylic or polyurethane enamel.

Here's a link I found on urethane paints - one thing remains the same, this stuff is toxic, and you need serious safety equipment. If you do it in the garage, make sure the kids are not playing outside on the driveway
Urethane Car Paint: Understanding the Pros and Cons - CarsDirect
I general, the old rule apparently still holds - you can put enamel or urethane over lacquer, but can't put lacquer over enamel or urethane. This makes it easier for some to shoot lacquer primer for sand / fill coats, then finish with the final (expensive and harder to use) color/gloss coats.
So be careful if you don't remove the old finish completely first, if using lacquer.
pros and cons of lacquer
Lacquer Car Paint: Understanding the Pros And Cons - CarsDirect

 

[DaveT]

Here's a discussion by Joe Bell, arguably the best bike frame painter on the planet, on the steps he takes to to finish a bike with his signature paintwork. How We Paint Bikes by Joe Bell and Crew

 

[ericm979]

All the equipment is on hand.
What we don't have is a dust free zone...

What kind of equipment? The equipment used to paint cars will put out too much paint too fast for painting small tubes. An airbrush would work better. Tubes are difficult to paint, especially the junctions. It is difficult to get good coverage in the tube junctions without getting too much paint on the parts that are closer to the gun. A gun that puts out a small amount of paint will make it easier than one that puts out more paint.

You can make a paint booth with plastic sheeting. I made one in the back room of a house once. Clean up first then wet down the floor to control dust when you're painting.

Some epoxy paint is toxic. Make sure you're working with non toxic paint and/or the correct breathing gear. An exhaust fan can pull fumes from the booth but you're still going to be breathing them.


Practice on something easier, like some sheet metal. Cardboard soaks up paint, it doesn't behave the same as metal. But cardboard is good for testing the setting on the gun before painting.

 

[Migen21]

I'm not an expert on the subject. What I know is that even with the best equipment and materials, I could never produce a high quality paint job. It's not my skill set and I have zero experience.

I am fairly certain that you can't 'attain' a high quality finish on one bike by reading a how-to online. It might help you figure out what you need, but ultimately, spraying a finish like this takes experience. There are a lot of people painting stuff out there, but only a few who are really good at it.

My suggestion is, if you want a good finish on your bike is to ask around your local bike shops, frame builders, etc... see who they recommend. Find some references from folks who have had work done.

Now, If you want to get into the business, or even as a hobby, of refinishing bikes and re-selling, etc.. that is a different story. In that case, get your equipment and materials lined up, and find some old frames to practice on. Then practice, practice, practice.

Remember that having a decent looking finish is only half of the challenge. It also needs to be durable (i.e prep is important, process is important, materials are important, application technique is important)

 

[looigi]

Years ago I used Dupont Chromasystem paints, HVLP gun, and built a paint booth in my garage to do high quality, durable, complex paint schemes. Gotta use the complete system with cleaners, reducers, primer, solvent based color coats and finish with two-part PU clear coat which binds the all the layers together. A place that sells automotive paints can set you up with that or other similar paint systems.

 

[upstateSC-rider]

I know you have all of the stuff, and the desire, but the know-how is the trick.
I'd rather have a guy that knows how to paint with a can of rustoleum than someone clueless with all of the best equipment, no offense.
I say tape it off yourself and talk to some custom motorcycle shops about estimates. Maybe you can better advice there too.

 

[bvber]

Try it on mock-up frame (plumbing pipe from hardware store?) and if you like the result, then go for it on your bike frame.

 

[beboptank]

Thanks all

Going back to the drawing board and checking in with my expectations. I think I'll be trading in my expectations for fun now based on all these replies.

Brother in Law is confident of his ability and seems to know something about painting. When discussing this with him earlier he seemed to pick up on everything that was mentioned in this post!!

He agrees and understands that the prep work is absolutely important. Seemed to know how to prepare carbon fiber surfaces for paint and definitely knew how to prepare aluminum.

So I decided to dumb down the project with just a solid white throughout. Before the final layers are added. Either I will or a talented artist one knows will sketch some cool designs and shapes with a black brush. The inspiration for this came from the homepage article on this website.

NAHBS 2016: Caletti?s Award winning road bike features intricate artwork | Road Bike News, Reviews, and Photos

^Can be seen here if some of you haven't read it yet^
I'm hoping to maybe do some Picasso influenced sketches and lines on the white paint. But if The artist quotes me at a certain price mark. I'll have some fun and slowly do it myself!!

Thanks for all the input. Ya'll have helped me narrow down what should be done and in no doubt my expectations have been significantly lowered down to the point to just have fun and learn!!

If anyone else has some insight I'll absolutely take it in and consider what will be shared!!

Thank you all again.

 

[bvber]

Hot rod flame maybe...?

 

[beboptank]

Hot rod flame maybe...?

View attachment 312975

I was thinking a jealous troll actually JK JK