randyjawa 

Someone, in another thread, suggested that Spray.Bike was a good paint like product to use for painting bicycle frames/fork sets. It looks interesting and I am thinking of trying it out myself. With that in mind, has anyone else tried the product? If so, your thoughts and suggestions would, probably, be a great benefit to those of us who are faced with a "gotta paint the bike" problem.

Wileyone 

Wow 12 Hour dry Time before rebuilding. Sounds to good to be true.

Crashola

I have not used it, but I am interested in giving it a try. Here is one review I found online:

Review: Spray.Bike paint | road.cc

romperrr 

Ooo I'm interested. The review does say that it's not terribly durable though. It's about 18$ a 400ml can. How does that compare to prices for other rattle cans?

cdmurphy

I don't have any experience with it, but I'd be a bit leery of any finish that isn't either catalyzed, or baked. Also, the fact that it's only matte would be a deal killer for me. Matte just strikes me as cheap -- like you couldn't bother to top coat your primer.

I can't find much online regarding it's chemistry, other than it's "Acrylic", which could either mean acrylic enamel (decent), or water based acrylic (latex craft paints, not so good.) I'd want to know a lot more about it's durability, and corrosion protection before using it on a bike I cared about. From the website, it sounds like it's major claim is that it "looks like powder coat" That's great, but I would rather have it "protect like powder coat". Maybe it does, but the overall lack of reviews and any claims beyond appearance by the sellers doesn't give me warm fuzzy feelings.

3alarmer 

...the neighborhood bike shop here is a dealer. She showed me some of the stuff they had painted with it, and demonstrated the use (it's held much closer to the surface, and applied differently than regular spray paint.)

It looks OK, but I have no idea of how durable it might be. I was thinking about trying it out on a Raleigh sports as an experiment, but at those prices I just bought a cheap 4 oz spray gun from Harbor Freight for about 18 bucks and will use it with my portable compressor. They also sell a crappy (but probably adequate) blast gun that works with walnut shells fro prep ........if you already have a compressor, it's another way to experiment on the cheap.

randyjawa 

My feelings, exactly, which is why I thought of this thread. I am also concerned about, the previously mentioned "matt" finish. It does seem, when I watch some of the videos, that the more you rub the dried product, the glossier it becomes. I am seeking pictures of what a well rubbed surface looks like.

This is what caught my attention, regarding gloss or shiny...

Anyway, though if the "it sounds to good to be true thing" is present, the idea is worth a bit of study.

Crashola

I was looking at that too about the clearcoat. At $17 a can each for the colorcoat and the clearcoat, the $$ will add up pretty quickly.

Salamandrine 

I'm exceedingly skeptical. Looks like cheap craft paint, repackaged and repriced for bikes. Matte finish is meant to hide mistakes and lack of skill. IMO 99.9% of bikes will look wrong with it though. I agree with cdmurphy, acrylic is too vague. Is it acrylic enamel, water based acrylic, or acrylic lacquer? or some hybrid? I've always felt it was best to avoid proprietary finishes from companies that won't disclose what they are.

For only a few dollars more, you can buy House of Kolor automotive finishes in a rattle can. If I ever decide to do another home repaint, that's what I would do.

One hardware store rattle can finish that looks good without any rubbing out is Hammerite. Stinks to high heaven, but it is pretty easy to get a pro-ish looking paint job right out of the can, as long as you don't mind the texture.

Back to Rustoleum pro - it's an acrylic fortified alkyd enamel. If applied properly, it dries quite hard, but it takes a long time - like a couple months. Best to let the primer dry for a month before top coats, and wait a few days between top coats. I suspect most people apply too many coats too soon. If I was going to use it again I'd consider rigging a home baking oven with some IR heat lamps.

Lascauxcaveman 

The pics on that review make it look like a pretty rough paint job. Add to that the bit about not being very durable and I don't see how this stuff is even as good as a properly done basic rattle can finish, which you can make look pretty terrific, even though it's not very durable. And do it for a lot less than 60 quid.

Rotten

Under their section covering prep it states to use alcohol for prep cleaning and never acetone as acetone is one of the paints ingredients.


I'm not familiar with paint chemistry, would make this paint better than the average spray paint.

Crashola

Maybe the MSDS provides more info?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9h...yZXBROERJ/view

I won't even attempt to decipher it and leave that to those among us with the proper expertise. P.S. I remain happy to this day that I dropped O-Chem back in the late 80's.

rfmarotti

I've ridden with those folks (Squid Bikes, check out their website for some tips/ideas using the product). Their bikes look great at least riding alongside them. And I know they are hard on their bikes. Finish appears fine. If you're going to be constantly going over it with a microscope probably pay for a powder coat but otherwise I think it'll do.

Salamandrine 

Probably shouldn't be so hard on them, since they are trying to offer a product that helps cyclists. Matte finish is perfect for urban commuter bikes, as are the artsy-craftsy homemade special effects they encourage. The basic idea seems to be a sort of fool proof finish that is easy to do and dries fast.

I'm not a chemist either but I'd guess it is some sort of acrylic lacquer. That would account for the fast dry time.

tiredhands 

I think this stuff was only recently introduced to the U.S. market? I was only mildly interested in the paint until I saw they had salmon and gold flake. I knew then I had to get it to turn my languishing Super Course project into a rosé-all-day 3-speed sport tourer. I definitely intend on giving it a shot, it's just a matter of when. Got to find a 3-speed hubset first.
I'll also be getting a frame resprayed by a pal with a proper automotive setup, so I should be able to provide a comparison. No promises as of when, but forthcoming nonetheless.

icepick_trotsky 

This stuff is marketed and sold by Squid, a cyclocross frame manufacturer. They're famous for their wild and DIY rattlecan paint jobs. It might just be because they're selling it, but they definitely swear by it. See their gallery for some inspiration:

https://www.squidbikes.com/blogs/photo

smoothness 

i've seen it and felt it in person. as always, it's in the prep and the person who wields the can. if you're terrible with hand control, you're going to get cruddy results. there's someone local to me who is really good at it, and has been able to get gradients and other effects that look pretty good. it's not gonna be a glossy finish unless you spend time fiddling with it, and i don't know if it can be wet sanded or compounded.

unworthy1

Also not a chemist but based on the MSDS (thanks, @Crashola) I would say that Acetone/Xylene/methylethylacetate would make this a lacquer.
And rattle-can lacquer on bike frames (IMHO and experience) are quick to apply, easy to rub out and polish but fragile and easy to damage in use.Plus I have never been able to polish up a matte or satin lac to look "high gloss".

Bad Lag

I don't understand the prohibition against acetone as a solvent to clean the frame. Certainly, any cleaning process would allow adequate time for solvent evaporation. Acetone is extremely volatile and dries completely and quickly. Put the frame in the sun and let it get hot and the acetone WILL be gone.


So, given that, is it the residues left behind by acetone cleaning that are the problem?


Alcohols are slightly polar so they will remove water adsorbed onto the surfaces. IIRC, acetone does not do that. Is that the reason?


If I ever needed to paint an entire bike, I think I'd go for two-part (catalyzed) automotive paint but this is good alternative.

Salamandrine 

I suspect they are trying to discourage the use of acetone because people might be tempted to use it to clean between coats. Any sort of lacquer will wipe right off if cleaned with acetone, so it is dangerous to have around lacquer finishes.

Anyhow I agree, if you clean up an old frame painted with stoved enamel or something, put it in the sun a few minutes and and acetone will be gone. OTOH I think there may be certain finishes that would soak it up, and those might take a lot longer to off gas than you would think. I prefer to use naptha to clean up before recoating myself - or soap and water.

stigson

Hi! I watched one of this guys builds and he did use Spray.bike paint. He actually did it two times (he wanted to change colors) and he documented his methods. He used different methods and the second time looks like a professional job (from a DYI standpoint). I don't remember what video, but if you take the time to search, you can have a great paint job.

He is Pithy Bikes on Youtube. (I cant post urls yet...).

Edit: Found the video and can post urls now :