London Fixed-gear and Single-speed SJS Cycles

A forum search reveled copious threads dedicated to paint. Where to get a good job done, pros and cons of powdercoating etc.
But there didn't seem to be any info on actual types of paint.
My Dad has a paint gun hooked up to an air compressor, and i was thinking of painting a frame myself. I've been told that there are many different types of paint (3 main types - split infinitely by differing chemical additives), and it is best to do some research before buying as paint can be bloody expensive. I did do a Google search but it baffled me more than it helped.
So, what i'm asking is; does anyone know about paint, and what types of paint are good for steel (and more specifically a bike frame). The frame in question is old, and the steel is quite frail... I know that i need to rust proof the frame, and undercoat it - the problem is the finishing coats.
I want the paint to be tough, and preferably something that doesn't require a clear/laquer coat.
Any help appreciated!

You need a 2 pac lacquer

I thought you were taking the piss, but a quick google search reveals that you might be on the level sir.
:)

Yes I did not mean get a deceased rapper round to do it!

Hmm, quick search says that 2Pac Lacquer is used for car painting - which is fine, but it also seems to need and oven to bake the paint on/dry...

ade, are you on a car forum as well? Just stumbled acorss this post from someone called ade:

24-05-02, 05:39 PM
Just placed an order for the paint for my car from local paint shop. Will be respraying myself (once I find lock up - or see if I can convince my mum to let me use her double garage!)
Anyway - etch primer (for bare metal), plastic primer (for bumpers), general primer surfacer (for general priming), 2 pak paint in carmine red (3 ltrs), all reducers, cleaners etc AND a gimp monkey air mask & goggles (free flow air resparator to use 2pak paint with - clips onto belt) all for ?250 - the mask alone was ?125! Not bad when u consider I was quoted ?1000+ for full respray and fixing up of body work. Guy at the paint shop reckons providing its mixed properly will go on much better, last longer and with 1/4 of the hastle of cellulose (alot cheaper too!). With all other bits purchased (bumpers, skirts, tinted glass, window surrounds, spoiler, ariel, splitter, paint, new ice and full GSi interior + cloth to recover seats with and a spray gun + compressor) I reckon I'm almost there. Only spent about ?700 - bargin! :D which to convert a 1.2 to GSi lookalike is bloody good. The cynic would say why not just buy a GSi - but wheres the fun in that :p
( + cant afford the insurance & u cand get GSi for ?700 - already looked :>)
Look out for my website coming soon showing my trials and tribulations of project GSi!
Just though I'd share that with u
Ade ;)

Nope, thats not me. I am a designer and I get my metal work that cannot be powder coated (too big) sprayed with 2 pac as it is the most durable method. It does not need an oven but it does take a long time to dry and you should do at least three coats.

Cool, thanks very much for the advice.

You won't be able to get 2 pac for home use. The rules have change and you need oxygen masks and special spray boothes to use it.

even for water based? much of the car industry now uses it but I do not know if that is still 2pac as that works by chemical reaction

ah yeah, andy is right, found this, sorry "On the other hand, Two-Pack is strictly a ‘professional-only’ product. The hardener contains isocyanate, which is extremely toxic if breathed in, and expensive spray-booths and air-fed breathing apparatus must be used. Cellulose of course doesn’t require this; a simple filter mask will do"

Looks like you'll have to cellulose and clear lacquer to harden

Just got home and parleyed with my Dad. He seems to think that you can get 2Pac paint in small quantities...He says he knows a little place in Brixton that will sort you out. However, the last time he went down there was just under a year ago, so things might have changed.
Depending on the price of the paint, and the minimum you can buy (which is either a litre or half a litre), i might have enough to paint another frame if anyone is interested...
I think i'm going to go for a mustard type colour, maybe a goldy-mustard.
But i'll just have to wait and see...

I'd get yourself a shitty old frame from the tip and use it and the excess paint to practice if I were you before moving on to the real thing. Spraying is a fine art. Good luck

and one of these

Pretty sure the industrial sized air-compressor, with the professional paint gun that's in my shed will do the job just fine.
I have 2 old gas-pipe frames that i'm planning to 'get my eye in' with. But my Dad has been painting Motorbikes for years, so i'm gonna absorb some of his knowledge.

Its breathing apparatus so you don't die.

Haha. Jokes, well thanks for that.
Shows how much i know.
Umm yeah, should probably have a word about breathing equipment with people in the know!
Seeing how my Dad's not dead, i'm sure he has something - though probably nothing that extravagant.

thread trawling brought me to this^

Does anyone know which paints can or can't be faded (you know, two colours with a fade/blend bit in between)? Am I right in thinking only powdercoat is one colour only?

Hello fixie people!

I'm currently building my first fixie, and I'm using an old Triumph touring frame that I bought when I was 10. Fotunately I haven't grown much since then so it still fits. Anyway, Now that I've ridden it a few thousand miles, and now stripped off the gear mechs, the brakes, and the mudguards an everything, the original red paint is a bit chipped and faded. I either want to touch it up very accurately, or take the paint off. I can't see the point for a cheap conversion to pay for a powdercoat or anything. Has anybody else tryed to strip all of the paint off? Does it look at all good? I'm really quite stuch about this :/

Anything appreciated
Luke

I found some info on cheap "rattlecan" sprayjobs with google.

basically the more time and care you spend stripping, sanding, priming, sanding again between coats, the more coats you do then the better it will look.

after your frame was made its factory paint probably went something like this - the bare metal was blasted clean, acid etched, primer, sanded, undercoat, sanded, 1st coat of paint, 2nd coat of paint maybe up to 4 coats or more, then stickers and finally laquered.

I have an old frame, its in paintjob is in good condition done in black stove enamel - I want to mask off and paint some white stripes on the seat tube - but don't know what kind of paint to use, anyone got any clues / experience of something like this?

This really seems like one of those jobs where the skill and experience of a pro come in handy. But maybe that's just me.

Buy a book about car respraying. It'll tell you everything you need to know.

And also, have patience. You have to make sure that every single layer is sanded to perfection before moving onto the next. It takes a lot of time. 99% of your time will be spent sanding, I'm not exaggerating.

Even rattlecan paint jobs can look as good as professionally shot paint jobs, it just takes a lot more prep and a lot of time. I know this because I used to be a professional painter.

I read this about sanding, what is the point? is it to make the next layer adhere better? I just ignored sanding came out alright but prob wont last as long.

Yeah it's to make the next layer adhere, and it's also to flatten the paint. When paint comes out of a can or gun it goes on slightly lumpy (known as orange peel (or fat lady's arse) if it's really lumpy). Sanding makes it flat and smooth ready for the next layer. If it's the last coat, sanding with progressively finer paper replaces the scratches left by the previous layer with finer scratches, until you're ready for polishing (sand up to 2,000-3,000 grit paper for a normal job) with progressively finer polish (which also leaves tiny scratches, but so small that the surface looks glossy unless you look at it through a microscope).

There's a difference between flat and smooth. If you sand stuff without a block, you'll get a smooth finish but there will be shallow ripples and the high spots will remain there, because your fingers are soft and not very flat at all. Using a hard sanding block ensures that the surface of the paint is completely flat (or at least as flat as the sanding block is). This is the key to getting a really high quality finish. For bike tubes, a hard sponge or curved rubber block is great because it deforms around the shape of the tube but is hard enough to level off the high spots without deforming.

Also, always sand with plenty of water. Otherwise the paper clogs up and you'll waste loads of it. If it gets really badly clogged you can actually scratch the paint with it, too. A drop or two of washing up liquid in your water lessens the surface tension of the water and helps clear away paint.