Solo_rider

I kinda have some form of obsessive compulsive but it's only with keeping my things clean and looking like new. My bike -just got it a couple of weeks back, used- looks mostly like brand new with the exception of the top tube and a couple other places where there are scratches and it just bugs me to the point where I feel it's affecting my ride, lol. Well, I know it's not affecting my ride but mentally it's bothering me and I cannot stop thinking about it. So, I'm thinking about painting the areas where the scratches are but I'm worried about the results. I know the proper way of painting (sanding, priming, color, clear, wet sanding, rubbing compound, waxing) but I'm still worried about messing things up or paint chipping later since I'm sure factories have a different process of painting. The color of the bike is something like dark charcoal and it's not glossy.

Has anyone tried painting their bike with good results ?

FlMTNdude

There has been a number of threads the past few months on this, a lot of helpful ideas in them.

AlmostTrick

I have done many in the past. Many with good results. But it's a lot of work, and I wouldn't expect your first job to turn out great. Get a junk bike frame and practice. Or, if you really like your latest bike, find a local shop that can powder coat it. It'll be a much tougher finish than any paint job you do yourself and look great.

EDIT: ^^^Rattle can Chevy engine enamel. Sandblasted frame, primer, wet sanding, top coat, wet sanding, buffing and polishing. Most who see it in person can not believe it's rattle can paint. I've likely painted 8-10 bikes prior to this one.

daviddavieboy

I would call this result good. I had to strip, did a little brazing and paint. I have about 100 hours of work into the frame including home-making most of the decals and painting, If you include collecting, cleaning, rebuilding other parts and rebuilding the bike there would be over 200 hours, I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I would call it good enough. I have plans to repaint next winter.

Lemond1985

I've tried painting bikes plenty of times, with bad results. There are a million and one ways to screw up even the simplest paint job, and glitches can occur at any point that cause you to have to start the whole process all over again. Weeks of work can be wasted by one minor mistake, and it might not even be something that's your fault (e.g., paint color mismatch).

Someone suggested a "practice frame", I think that's a very good idea, because you will be amazed at how long such a simple job can take, and how poor the results are despite your best efforts. Look at the post above. 200 hours invested, and he's still gonna need to redo it.

delbiker1 

Final touches done
I would agree with the powder coating. Locally, I can get my frame powder coated for $100 with the shop using powder already on hand, and a one stage coating. I recently had a frame done with two stage and special order powder at the cost of $180. It is very durable, takes a good bit to chip/scratch it. I could have spent a lot of time and effort, probably half as much on paint, and the bike woule not have come out anywhere near as nice. The coating also filled some dents and scratches. I did strip the frame myself. Ask the powder coating person about that.

bakerjw

It depends on how involved that you want to get.

We repainted a 10 speed for my son many years back.

• Stripped it to bare metal.
• Painted with primer.
• Painted it white.
• Painted it with day glow yellow.
• Painted it with a clear gloss.

It came out looking okay for what it was and the materials that we could afford.

I am having a custom tandem made for my wife and myself. The color has to be a certain one that is not made by powder coat companies. So....

• Prime it with bare metal epoxy primer.
• Lightly sand and scuff the primer.
• There is a 10 minute flash time between each coat of paint
• 2 coats single stage urethane automotive paint in the desired color.
• 1 coat 50% single stage color urethane with 50% urethane clear coat. <- not really necessary but it gives a deeper finish.
• 2 coat surethane clear coat.

It will be a bit pricey but it will be in the color that we want and have enough layers of clearcoat to protect the underlying color.

daviddavieboy

I cant even imagine a color that prismaticpowders doesn't have.

Wilfred Laurier

With the exception of powder coating, I have never seen a repainted bike with anywhere near the quality or durability of finish found on even the cheapest of bikes. Sometimes they look halfway decent when the paint is fresh, but it starts to chip quickly and looks like junk after a very short time.

DrIsotope

Would I consider powdercoat? Absolutely. But in my case, I wanted to paint the bike, so I did. I think all the materials (including stripper and cleaning supplies) ran about 80 bucks.

Factory paint, had the bike about 8 months.


Freshly Duracoated, disassembly, stripping factory paint, coating, reassembling all in same day.


About a year and 12,500 miles later. Many component changes, finish still excellent.

u235

This winter I painted my MTB and my gravel bike with rattle cans.. 98% prep and 2% actual painting. Color changing paint in the front, and change to gloss black in the back, flat black fork. It has been holding up well and I am not "easy" on my bikes or where they sit or lean. Looks better in the sun. Just noticed in my second pic I am in big/big ring (50-36). Something else no one else would do along with paint their own bike . Props to the Deore!

Lemond1985

Looks great, Your situation is one where it would make sense to DIY. Something different or custom, that would cost a fortune to have someone else do for you, can be done pretty easily, with your own talent being the only limiting factor.

On the other hand, it's not a great feeling to bust your butt on a simple single color bike paint job for a month or more, only to have the final result look not even as good as what you'd see on a bike that sells at Walmart for $100.

Doctor Morbius

And that is exactly why I haven't bothered to paint any of mine. I'm afraid I would just make them worse as I have zero experience in this department.

tkamd73 

1982 Bianchi Champione del Mondo Before


After

If your obsessive compulsive, have a professional do it, I doubt you’ll be satisfied with the results otherwise.
I am, I did, and very happy with the results.
Tim

MikeyMK

Factory paint is hard stuff, and ages like a fine wine.

Brush or rattle-can paint isn't, and doesn't. It's shyte.
It's okay for tidying something up on the cheap, but you'll only ever ruin a perfectly good factory paint job with it once.

I chopped up and shortened a tandem for my current whip. I used etch primer and industrial Hard Hat paint by Rustoleum, but naturally it's proving a temporary cover. I figure I can enjoy a change of colour now and then, at least...

MikeyMK

fietsbob

1957,, black primer under a green 'candy' top coat ,, with spray cans,,

AlmostTrick

What? Where does the rear wheel go? I'm confused, Help!

indyfabz

Cerakote is the future of bike frame coloring. Just sayin'.

delbiker1 

Prismatic Powders.com and you can see all the colors/hues they have, one stage and 2 stage. It is over 6,500.

MikeyMK

Early mock-up with an LTS rear frame..



And completed with an STS rear frame..

AlmostTrick

Thanks, I figured it was something like that but wanted to see it!

Next question, what kind of critter(s)? (need pic!)

u235

Rattle can paint is not that bad. It can be a sit down and point and shoot product but the results of that effort will be what it is. Put yourself in a professional booth with professional paint but do all the work yourself and you might get similar results to you yourself doing a rattle can job. Rattle can paint is different in that it takes a longer time to "cure" and takes care with the coat thickness and attention to any recoat times. If you have ever had extremely soft paint after a few weeks, something was not ideal and it may never properly cure. I'm not saying rattle can is the same or ideal or compares to a professional doing the job or powder coating but the conditions and the way it was applied is the a MAJOR factor on the results, more so than the paint itself. In the end, there is very little incentive to master rattle cans. If you are painting things often, you skip that step and go right for a full blown setup.

Kedosto

Back in the day I painted a lot of bikes. Rattle can paint jobs are mostly a product of your effort. Put in little effort and get a less than optimal result. Put in a lot of effort with focus on quality prep and prime and you’ll enjoy a paint job that rivals anything a shop can produce. Unfortunately, rattle can paint isn’t very durable or chip resistant, so a lot of effort is spent for a short lived result.

These days I prefer powder coating. There’s really nothing that matches the durability of a quality powder coat. That, and the fact that I can simply drop it off and pick it up all shiny and new.


-Kedosto

jade408

I know nothing about the results, but I saw this paint at one of my local bike shops.

https://spraybike.us/