blue_neon

Well my fork is scratched, old, the stickers are ripped and it dosn't look too appealing and i'm wanting to paint it!

How should I go about this? What should I use to strip the old fork stickers off with? Should I under coat? What type of paint should I use?

Thanks for any help!

lwsjss

Alright, what you want to do is....
1. Take the fork out of the frame.
2. Buy a can of paint stripper (around $12) and attack the paint and stickers off.
3. Make sure that every little bit of paint is off and then wash the Paint stripper off with hot soapy water.
Now theres a few ways to paint it. Spray can, spray gun, acrylic, enamel, 2 pack. Or you could get them powder coated or chromed.

Personly i would be buying whatever colour you wanted in a Dulux pressure pack, its enamel and good quality. Dont buy cheap ****.

4. spray forks, preferable in warm weather and then leave in the sun to "bake on"
5. leave the paint to dry for a good 3 days before trying to touch/ put them back in.
6. put it all back together. go and show off..

Jason.....

Dalai

What is the fork material? If carbon, stay clear of paint stripper!

roccobike

Do everything Jason said except add one step. After you thorougly rinse off the paint stripper, wait a few days before painting. I used to work weekends at a body shop. The stripper actually can attack the metal. We used to let a car sit a while before priming and painting to let any residual stripper evaporate.

blue_neon

Nah it aint carbon I dont think....its a RockShox Judy XC thats in good shape, but its scrated and worn on the outside as it is a few years old.

veteran_youth

Remove the fork lowers and seals and plug them before painting. May have to go to your LBS to get this done but it is not worth what might happen to the fork if you attempt to paint it in one piece. Maybe this advice falls under the category of "duh!" but better safe than sorry!!!

Andrew

wethepeople

Heh.

I painted an old Marazocchi (I dont think anybody can spell that) fork a while back. Took a belt sander to it, primered it, and painted it. All in the same night, in the dark. All I did was mask the stanctions and seals.

And it turned out really good, no drips or anything, it almost looks factory. But I dont suggest you do it my way .

CBolt

I would sand it with coarse paper then fine (like 220 and 600? cant remember)
Then wipe it off with paint thinner or acetone.
Wait a while then primer and paint.
If you want more shine, add a few clear coats.

DonPenguino

Remember! Important! No skipping! Tape off or glue/lube off the headset cone on the BB to keep it from getting painted.

Dr.Deltron

RockShox are powder coated and you DON'T want to use stripper on them. The stripper will easily remove the powdercoat AND eat into the metal (especisally magnesium!!!)((stripper will NOT harm steel or chrome!)) Powdercoating is pretty bulletproof so all you really need to do is peel off the sticker remnants. Then clean thoroughly with wax&grease remover. (special stuff you can get at any automotive paint supply store. They will also have adhesive remover. This is VERY HANDY stuff to have on hand. Cleans price-tag glue off of anything)
SAND with 400-600 grit wet/dry sandpaper.
MASK whatever you DON'T want paint on/in, using QUALITY tape (usually blue or green 14 day tape. $4-$6 roll vs. $.99 for tan!)
CLEAN again with wax/grease remover. (now don't TOUCH IT with bare fingers! LATEX GLOVES!!)
PRIMER using anything from Krylon to epoxy. (don't use laquer, anything but laquer!)
PAINT with compatable colors.
CLEAR so when you clean the bike you don't take the color off.
E ME if you wan to know more.
Ciao,
Dr.D

russiankdi

a good tip with paint thinner or stripper, getit on a paper towel, whip a good coat of it onto the paint, and let it sit for about a minute, then start rubbing with the towel that has the thinnger or stripper, it will come off alot easier