Aardwolf

Hiya Folks,
I'm looking to try frame painting but I live in a London flat so I'm going to have to do any spraying in the garden.
So it seemed to me that a painting stand would be needed, here's my version I knocked up over Xmas - New Year.

The idea is to clamp the frame at the BB onto a handle and then put that handle on the stand or hang it up indoors while the paint sets.
I've just got a 1952 Bertin so I can test it now - and it works just fine.

Edit: You can also unbolt the base and flat pack it for storage .

Update (2023/08/04): Reduced the base to 34" width, it's still perfectly stable and goes through doors slightly better.

Frame turned vertically:


Frame turned horizontally:


Forks:


Frame removed from stand and hung up (inside normally) for the paint to set:



And here's the plans:

Reynolds 531 

Awesome. Thanks for sharing your idea.

noobinsf 

Bravo!

Andy_K 

Very nice!

I've been doing this with a repair stand. I use a snug-fitting seatpost (so far, I haven't had trouble finding one) to hold the frame and a sacrificial bottom bracket to protect the threads there.



This has worked reasonably well, but it's difficult to rotate the frame while the paint is wet.

Last year I bought a Wagner paint tent, which keeps the overspray from settling all over the garage. For outdoor purposes you might not care as much about that, but the tent would also help keep dust off of your paint. Of course, the tent makes having a proper respirator more important.

zandoval 

Thanks for the details!!!

Aardwolf

Yep, I'm going 1K formulations in the short term.
I do understand the reasons for 2K, but my plan is 1K spray primer and clear, brush 1K colour.
I'll give that a try and see if I like the results.

(I'm testing the plan for when a Holdsworth Cyclone (1959-1965) turns up).

obrentharris 

Nice design. Nice build.
Brent

Prowler 

Well done! “Every time I’ve painted a frame” (once) I took a similar approach but used a long rod inserted all the way down the seat tube. Plenty of bearing surface = minimal stress at any one spot. Rod clamped horizontally, I could hold the frame out and rotate it as need to paint the knooks and crannies. I then used a shorter rod thru the HT to hang the frame to dry, then baked it in the back seat of the car for a few hot summer days. That frame has held up very well.

SJX426 

@andy k - The tent is intriguing. They look too shallow to rotate the frame unless it its hung by the HT. How did you use it? Is the tent strong enough to hang a frame?

TugaDude

Thanks for showing us your great idea and for taking the time to detail the build. I love DIY and your solution is a creative one.

Chuck M 

I have a couple of frames I'm going to have to look at painting in the future. This looks very well thought out and useful. Thanks for the ideas.

jdawginsc 

I have a great design in my head for one. Unfortunately I do not weld!

Pompiere

A stand is much better than hanging the frame by a piece of wire. Being able to rotate the frame so you can see all the hidden areas pays off with complete and even coverage. I don't paint frames very often, so I didn't build a dedicated stand. I clamped a broomstick horizontally in my Workmate stand and slipped the frame's seat tube over it. I used another dowel to hold the fork. The weight was toward the head tube, so the frame would hang with the head tube down, but there was enough friction to hold the head tube on the top while I hit all the nooks and crannies. I don't have a picture of the painting in progress, but you can see the broomstick in the clamp.


B&D Workmate/paint stand

Andy_K 

I got the "large" tent which is 6x9 and five and a half feet high. It has enough room to move around inside. I hung the frame on the workstand shown in my picture. As mentioned, I can't really rotate the frame a lot, but I can grab the seatpost and flip it to the other side. The tent is big enough for that. The tent is definitely not strong enough to hang anything from it.

There's not a lot of room in the garage bay with the tent set up, so the only picture I have is of a painted bike drying inside the tent.

Bad Lag

Aardwolf, that's a a great DIY project, both the stand and the painting of a frame.

I continue to think about this, so let's call it critique not criticism or questions so I can better understand how your paint stand works.

Would it be better if the foot which extends out under the frame were a bit longer (out under the frame)? As it is, it looks like the stand might tip over due to the long cantilevered arm holding the frame.

Alternatively, or maybe in addition, would it be better to have a counter weight opposite the frame to bring it into balance over the center post? Something like a 10 pound weight over an arm 1/2 the length of the frame's support arm (just a guess).

repechage

wet the ground, keeps dust at bay also.
I am not a fan of a "tent" I am sure it works save that chemicals can enter through your eyes too.

health and safety are an overall evaluation.

as a chum way back at college stated flatly, there are no old Imron painters.
that is outlawed in California now.
and of the two part catalyzed paints have great performance and are just that much more treacherous.

Aardwolf

Yep, I thought about the centre of balance.

My size frame is about 23" seat tube, so centre of mass of the frame is maybe 11.5" from BB.
The footing extends 18" from the center, so in theory if the BB was more than 6.5" from the center it might topple.

However the frame weighs 2.3Kg and the stand itself weights 4.39 Kg so the center of mass never gets that far from the center.
The furthest I can set the BB from the center is about 8.5" (the 30mm dowel came in that length) and it's no where near tipping.

mtbikerjohn 

That is awesome engineering..My wife & I are jealous of the "London flat with a garden" part

Aardwolf

It's a communal garden (about 8 flats) but I rent the ground floor rear flat with a 'patio' door directly onto the garden.
I've also got a side passage straight to the road with only 4 steps.

smd4

Genius.

VintageSteelEU

It looks like a very good design. Personally I would probably add a tent around it (like a party tent, nothing fancy). One time I was trying to do some touch-up painting on my balcony (quite a big one, luckily) and it was just impossible, even though the day wasn't windy. Were I ever attempt that again, I would definitely get a tent. Then again, after all repaints, even though I think I've done them very well, I think next time I'm doing anything more than touch-ups, I'll send it somewhere to be done. I don't mind doing it myself and I would be happy to do that, but I simply don't have a proper set of tools and space to do that any more. Especially that I believe using 2k paint would render much more resilient results.

Speaking of good results, I found out that the rattle can spray paint (I used Rust-Oleum automotive stuff for my project) can be very tough and long lasting if you can allow it to harden properly, preferably for a few months in a warm environment. When I was stripping the paint from my Grand Sprind the second time, it was even more difficult than with the factory paint I had to remove the first time (it was very bad). So definitely if I'm ever repainting a frame myself, I will just leave it be for months.

Velo Mule

These stands are better than my usual hanging the frame by wire technique that I usually use. I will have to do better the next time I paint a frame. The paint comes out good, but that is because I am taking pains to get under the frame, and avoid hitting the frame as I work.

This Schwinn was done in the winter, so it was in the basement. I used Duplicolor for the color coat. It is difficult spraying with indoor light, especially where I am not getting extra light on the frame.



A fixture that can keep the gun or can level as I spray would be a huge improvement over having to shoot up to get the bottom surfaces.

tendency

Remember - no wind! Nice stand.

tendency

I Like duplicolor as well - hope you wore a mask spraying indoors and had good ventilation.

Velo Mule

Good point. I resisted getting a respirator as long as I was spraying single component paints. Once I got one (I was shooting 2K paint), I realized that I was a cheapskate idiot for not getting it sooner. Now I use it whenever I paint. If it is aerosol, I use it. I learned how to take it apart, clean it and replace the filters as well. I'm also glad that I got it pre-COVID, since the shortage caused the price to rise substantially.

Best $$ I've spent.