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After the stencils and masks are all peeled off, we clean and degrease the whole thing, inspect the lines on the graphics and put an clearcoat over the whole thing.

Wish I'd chosen a lighter basecoat colour 'cause it's really quite tricky to spot the black outline around the yellow logos!

The stencils are cut by a CNC plotter and weeded and mounted so they can be used for airbrushing.
The multi-coloured ones are multi-stage processes with one colour going on, then a new stencils on top and new colours added etc...

I spent a (very) little time re-drawing the graphics.
Four is more than three so its obviously better by one... so it's a 4rensho now.

Once the filler is on and shaped and the whole thing is primed, cured and a key is put in it, colour goes on.

This was a metallic 'Midnight Purple' from the 90's Nissan Skyline for those who care.

After that it got a gentle dusting of flake in a three-colour blend.
The flake is suspended in a clear binder so that it can be applied through a proper HVLP process.

After media blasting, the frame went under epoxy primer.
Rubbing down the primer puts the "key" in it ready for colour and helps highlight high spots and low spots.
these low spots get filled and the re-shaped by hand and the whole thing is re-primed.

It was clearly not a 3rensho but the stickers said otherwise.

Bought this online for next to nothing to give an NJS style finish for my portfolio whilst at the sane time, painting my own bike up quite nice...

Gaz, did you get blasted in the end?

Any time.

In your case, I couldn't recommend anything other than liquid masking fluid!

Good luck!

In short, the answer is no.

A small/portable compressor with a 20-30 litre tank will serve most applications you'll need if coupled with a midi/mini sized gun anywhere from 0.8 - 1.2 needle and nozzle kit.

You can downsize a compressor that size with water traps and different fixtures and fittings to make it run an airbrush but it will be noisy.

A compressor that size is fine for your living room, fine for decking and most basecoat application; if it loses pressure, it'll fill up and you can wait. What you can't do with a tank that size and an HVLP gun is a clearcoat, even on something as small as a bike. Clearcoat isn't just squirting product at a substrate as many other approaches are; it's vital to keep that wet edge and maintain that perfect overlap so if the pressure drops or your tank gets too empty, you're knackered and your clearcoat is ruined.

For an airbrush, you can use a pocket sized, tank-free compressor for less than £50 for most things. You can also get wireless USB rechargeable screw-on compressed air tanks.

For reliability and hot-swap colour and product changes, I run two Iwata Studio airbrush compressors with dual quick release fixtures and a 2 litre tank. One of which is set up to take a "full size" gun and I use a SATA Dekor with a 0.8 setup and this is for larger logo coverage that would build too high with a full sized gun and take too long with an airbrush - stuff like big carbon frames with massive lettering. You could use a setup like this for small and mid-sized panels but you'll need a big compressor for anything beyond that.

Get a Stanley compressor from screwfix for less than a oner.
Spending more than that will buy you too much compressor if you're not using it frequently enough.

Look into getting yourself a range of guns for different fan patters/sizes and coverage.
0.2/0.35/0.5 should be your airbrushes
0.8 can get you an airbrush/midi gun hybrid
0.8/1.0 are good midi sizes
1.0+ in a full sized gun will give you lots of coverage but eat loads of air.

Can I ask what application you need liquimask for rather than tapes or cnc stencils?

Do a couple of Google searches on DIY 'cause this is doable as a DIY effort.

Try Metrolplating or Poteon in the UK if you're not feeling up to doing it yersel.

The bike will need to be fully disassembled in order that it can be done properly.
That's true of all "proper" refinishing.
Not fully disassembling is a sure sign of a bodge.

If you go the route of having it done professionally keep in mind that even you want a small area covered, that's not always an opportunity to ask for a cheaper job. Tooling up can often be the same if you want a stem or a full bike refinished.

Lots of anodising logo graphics often include media blasting... it's easier to get sharp lines and logos with the masking and blasting steps rather than passing a current through the metal.

Thanks!

I'm also here too... https://www.quinntessentialcustomsworkshop.com/

Hydro-dipping is a lot of fun for repeat patterns and such like but any type of plunge process isn't well suited to tubes as it can't "meet" perfectly.

Next thing to consider is that hydro dipping doesn't always apply colour in the way it is designed. It's often ink just sitting on the surface. I know I go on about this a lot but it is vitally important to apply paint "properly" if you want a strong and robust finish. Automotive products aren't made for a paint brush or a low-pressure application etc. We can do great things by breaking the rules - marble textures, splatter for example are popular - but strong, well-cured paint is from a gun, over a well prepped and primed substrate and is then sealed under an appropriate clearcoat (or two) and then wet-flattened and polished.

What I do with Dan at Cole Coatings or with Paul at Quinntessential relies on no one particular novelty or style; instead we pride ourselves on executing any type of finish to the highest standard we can with the best products and tooling... that is to say; single colour on a shit frame or twenty colours with mad airbrushing and specialist effects on a carbon race frame... you'll get the same level of quality in the finish.

That type of effect you're talking about can be done in lots of ways but for something as highly detailed and textured as your image, I would recommend Lucia aka Velofique. Lucia was in my workshop a few weeks ago to learn how we polish and detail a frame and I was lucky enough to see her work up close and it looked amazing - like a true starscape or galaxy. She uses alcohol inks and manipulates them to flow and float around to get unique and organic arrangements.

I've yet to put the time in to getting to grips with that technique so I wouldn't recommend myself at present but I would highly sing the praises of Lucia. Tell her I sent you.

Any (good) refinisher you do get in touch with at this time of year will have a wait list. Summer bikes get painted in winter. You couldn't get your bike over the line this side of the New Year with me and I imagine Lucia might be the same. I know Ali and Becca are booked solid at the minute and I'd hazard a guess Tommy and Jack are also.

Good luck with your finish!

Ey up.

CNC blade or laser plotter cut graphics will always give you a sharper, more consistent and quite importantly repeatable edge so you can fix your mistake!
DM me if you want me to put together some stencils or masks for you.

Flip paint off a sponge is a guaranteed fail - don't do it.
You need to lay a clean black base first and then for the chromatic product to do it's job properly it needs to lay down with some level of consistency in the coverage and a sponge won't give you that.

A rattle can clear is fine for a DIY finish.
Buy a few cans of the same brand that provide the basecoats you use - they will be from the same chemical family so they will bond well.

I'll take the track pedals if you still have them.

Get in my DMs.

Almost any of the refinishers in the country can do that for you.
The tricky bit is the colour match...

If we can find an accurate paint code, we can order it from any paint dealer and you'll have the same colour from the tin... it won't be the same age nor have the same UV protection. This means it might not be perfect from the off AND it will age differently.

Next option is to eyeball the closest off-the-peg colour and then tint or shade to match. Colour will be the same but the products won't be the same type or the same age so they'll fade differently.

All that considered, it's a straightforward process.

Hello.

I'm currently helping out at Seabass in Peckham.
They're looking to fill the space left by the departure of their current shop floor manager.
It's a real fun shop with a nice vibe.
Copy pasting the ad here for anyone keen.

---

WE'RE HIRING!
SHOP FLOOR SALES MANAGER
BUSY INDEPENDENT SOUTH EAST LONDON BICYCLE SHOP

---

Seabass Cycles is sadly saying farewell to our long-serving shop manager and friend.
Simon has been an invaluable member of our team and we’ll be sad to see him go.

We are now tasked with finding someone to fill the gap left by his departure.
If this isn't you but it could be someone you know, please forward this page!

We’re looking for a shop manager to join our busy Peckham team, gel well with our mechanics, run a tight ship and be the primary point of interaction between customers and the shop.

---

REQUIREMENTS:

• friendly
  
• personable
  
• cyclist / bike enthusiast
  
• knowledgeable of bike products, standards and components (essential)
  
• some workshop experience (essential)
  
• ability to offer diagnosis and explanation regarding client repairs
  
• ability to accurately feed repair information to the workshop team
  
• management experience (essential)
  
• confident in a customer-facing role dealing with all levels of customer service interaction
  
• able to manage procurement, returns, warranty claims etc with various dealers and brands
  
• confident with epos systems
  
• comfortable with email correspondence
  
  

Role, duties and responsibilities will be numerous and varied.

Applicants will be able to start within two weeks for a short hand-over/induction period.

Competitive rates of pay to be discussed
Bonuses, trade perks

Enquire via email or over the phone.

hello@seabasscycles.co.uk

+44 (0) 20 7635 7005

Any time.

If you just want a flat/solid single colour gloss finish on steel/aluminium, you're always better with a powdercoater (who knows what they're doing). powder is far tougher than wet-spray products.

If you're looking for fruiter stuff like metallics etc AND you have carbon forks then wet-spraying is your guy.

Cole and Quinntessential are two wholly separate things.

Cole Coatings Workshop is Dan and myself.
We work on anything that we can fit in the booth but based on our job commitments, we're only painting things we've designed; we don't have time for much else sadly.

Quinntessential is Paul Quinn, former Cole Coatings Workshop apprentice.
I also work on Paul's designs, customer comms, polishing, detailing, airbrushing etc.

Both use the same space but Paul is there full time so he can tackle more stuff.

If you're happy to accept that the clearcoat itself contains to anti-corrosion chemicals, then the answer is "yes".

EP or ED coatings are great for protecting steel.
Some brands do it as standard before paint.

If you go down the route of having the raw substrate cleared, I'd recommend utilising some kind of brushed effect on the surface of the metal. This will help clean the substrate and remove any contaminants likely to be the root of rusting and it will provide a key or 'tooth' for the product to bond with.

Having a high-polished or even slightly buffed steel frame clearcoated can look great but the product is just sitting on the top and it will flake off if you look at it funny... like all the old cromovelato ones you've seen after a ride or two.

We can also add inks/dyes/candies/flakes to the clearcoat so you can add just the smallest flourish.

If you want to include branding to the design, we'd apply the direct adhesion clear, key it, airbrush the graphics on, then clear and polish it as normal.

At the minute, Cole Coatings Workshop is only painting our own designs a few times a year because Dan and I have have other commitments but to have Paul at Quinntessential do it for you, it'd be £150 flat if the bike arrived in the condition you'd like it to be preserved in.

If I'm not mistaken, some powdercoaters might be willing to give you a clear powder direct to the steel, it would be potentially cheaper but this might not strictly be 100% clear and could look a bit nicotine stained in appearance.

Hope that helps.

How much coverage are you looking for?

Harder makes an XL which has a .6 nozzle.
After that, have a look at the SATA Dekor which comes with a .8 as standard I think.

Pressure aside, if you don't have the tank capacity, you're fighting a losing battle.

You can get almost anything done on a bike with a decent midi gun.
Some painters will be strict devilbis users, others will die fighting for SATA and then there are weird Iwata people... you'll be fine with something from Sealey if your product and prep is good. Your gun should have a .8-1.2 needle and nozzle combination with the smaller working for most basecoats and the larger end being better for UHS, primers or clear.

https://colecoatingsworkshop.com/#/dear-susan-hooptie/

This isn't something you should do.
There are limitations with the products and the bonds.
Instead, you use a clearcoat direct to the steel and treat it as a primer and apply the fade over the top.

You CAN fade with clearcoats but fading requires you to be sparing with the product and in doing so, you aren't getting the right coverage and the paint will chip off.

Just use regular sign vinyl.
Opt for an "economy" vinyl... it will be thinner.
Blast a heatgun or hairdryer over it and it'll soften and shrink onto the factory finish better than straight slapping a sticker on there.

As much as we might say "decals" they're all still stickers and you'll still see and feel that they're stickers. Even the top online sellers with exclusive licenses for old brands and such are still providing stickers... thin as they are, they'll never appear flat under a clearcoat without additional work and even in that case, they'll represent a weak point in the layers and they'll be prone to chipping off.

Waterslides or dry-rub transfers will get you the smoothest appearance but the application is a bit tricker but custom ones are EXPENSIVE. 4D Modelshop is where I buy custom graphics when paint ing simply won't give the level of detail I need.

If you paint matte, best practice is to apply gloss first anyway.
Matte clear isn't as strong as gloss... it has a chemical accelerant in it which forces it to cure faster, preventing it from forming that glassy skin you get with gloss.

Get the gloss on there, allow it to part cure for a few days, then wet-flat it at 500-800 grit (depending on your confidence) and then get the matte over the top. the matte will land flatter and look cleaner overall.

In my humble opinion, matt is almost never worth it if you actually intend to use your bike.
Matte can't be de-nibbed very well whilst refinishing so you can end up with greater surface inclusion and it can't be polished if you scratch it. If you get thigh rub or you have any kind of luggage rubbing on a matte finish, it will actually buff it up.

A good budget way to get a non-gloss finish without re-clearing is to throw a few quid at something like Rupes wetflatting discs or 3m Trizact at 3000-6000 grit and use that very wet, with a soft interface pad all-over the bike. It will dull off the sheen enough to give you the matte effect without having to re-clear it.

In terms of pairing different types of products together, try wherever you can to use products designed to work together. The solvents will interact in order to give an optimal chemical bond. There are many exceptions to these rules but if you don't know them, play safe.

Having the finish LOOK good is only one part of it... what's the point in having a five-colour airbrushed graphic under matte clear if you're going to scratch it in a day?

I'll take the Alpina fork if it's still going please?

Rusty bike.
Wide bars.
Mission Workshop on a front rack?
Me.

Hai!