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Artifex

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OK, I have done a LOT of rattle can painting and it turns out pretty good if the proper time is put into prep. But, I would like to take it to another level as an alternative to powder coating. Now I agree that all-in-all it probably works out to about the same cost wise, but I like the hands on approach if I can achieve an equivalent result. If there is already a thread on this that I have not found I apologize, and if you can point me to it I would appreciate it.

I have read here the merits of taking it down to bare metal versus prepping the existing paint if it is in decent condition. Thoughts?
2-3 cans primer, starting with an etching primer and then 1 or 2 cans base primer, wet sanding final coat with 400-600. That sound right?
Color coat, the finish with a two part clear coat. Product recommendations on that 2 part clear coat?

Now, I have two Schwinn Bicentennials to restore and rather than just a gloss white, I would love to do some kind of subtle metal flake, but I have NO idea how to do that. Any suggestions?

Thanks Folks!!!!
 
Not an expert, but your prep seems to be perfect - only times I really have problems is if there is a reaction between different kinds of paint, and sometimes I go to fast and don't follow directions on can and it lifts the paint. Someone on here said to hit the paint with a hair dryer to bake the paint and I tried that the other day with some silver rustoleum on a wheel rim (it was a sunny 40 deg day) and it really did work I mounted the tire after about 1 hour and didn't mess up the paint. As far as white - maybe a pearl finish - seen it look awesome on cars.
 
I've done that with a hair dryer; I have even put smaller parts in the oven to bake for a while at a 150 degrees or so to harden the enamel. Wife never appreciates that, but the finish comes out strong and shiny (if its gloss).
 
The two part clear is toxic so you have to wear a bomb suit, respirator type recommended by the maker of the paint, Tyvec paint suit. goggles, rubber gloves, rubber boots and a hat. No beards as the respirator won't seal properly. It dries fast and rock hard. I have used it over Dupli Color Sparkles metallic and over Rustoleum and it didn't lift either. The color coats cured for a month in my garage during the summer. If it was hot and bright I hung them outside to help cure and put them in my car after after 2 weeks. The paint was still not very durable until the clear is applied. I have had good results with Spray Max. I have a can of Eastwood 2 part clear that I will shoot once the weather cooperates. You can take it down to bare metal, which is what I used to do. For my last two paint jobs I have cleaned up the parts with Simple Green and the a little acetone. Then I dumped it into my jet sled for a week long phosphoric acid bath. I sand off any drips from previous spray bomb jobs and use can of metal etch primer and 2 cans of regular primer. I spray about 15 minutes apart and use very light coats. It covers everything in your shop with overspray so I would recommend doing it in a sheltered place outside. A visual inspection shows where to use spot glaze, sand and paint. I have a Hercules camel back frame and a Raleigh frame that have so many coast of paint over stickers and decals and rust that I have to strip them. Don't try this without proper protection as a friend of mine has developed COPD after painting his Model A without a mask.
 
That 2 part Eastwood paint looks awesome. I'll have to give that a shot, properly protected of course; thanks for that advice.
 
clamdigger said:
Some additional paint advice in a 2 part video by graucho
Click to expand...


He is using lacquer based paint, which might be OK for a bicycle, not my favorite. There is not a lot of color choices either in the paint he is using so I guess I will be using some rattle cans. I have a single action air brush but it is not working well. I plan to get another better air brush and then try some of the Dupli-Color lacquer he is using.
 
us56456712 said:
He is using lacquer based paint, which might be OK for a bicycle, not my favorite. There is not a lot of color choices either in the paint he is using so I guess I will be using some rattle cans. I have a single action air brush but it is not working well. I plan to get another better air brush and then try some of the Dupli-Color lacquer he is using.
Click to expand...
He's using a Paasche air brush. That's what I use. I've been using the same double action Paasche VL for over 25 years now. Probably have run 1000 gallons of paint thru it with no problems. Every once in awhile you need to buy new needles and tips but they are only a few bucks. I use my airbrush to paint bikes and it's way easier. Plus, you almost never get any runs in your paint. The problem with using spray cans is you really can't get a strong paint job since there is no hardener in the paint. Rustoleum dries harder than most paints but it has a 30 day cure time and you are very limited with colors. I've used that Dupli-Color on many projects and it is good paint. It's never faded and it dries hard. I'm painting my current bike project, Agent Orange with the Dupli-Color burnt orange metallic. This color flows just fine thru my airbrush. Plus you can add a little lacquer thinner if needed. You can also mix these paints to get more color choices.
 
Artifex said:
OK, I have done a LOT of rattle can painting and it turns out pretty good if the proper time is put into prep. But, I would like to take it to another level as an alternative to powder coating. Now I agree that all-in-all it probably works out to about the same cost wise, but I like the hands on approach if I can achieve an equivalent result. If there is already a thread on this that I have not found I apologize, and if you can point me to it I would appreciate it.

I have read here the merits of taking it down to bare metal versus prepping the existing paint if it is in decent condition. Thoughts?
2-3 cans primer, starting with an etching primer and then 1 or 2 cans base primer, wet sanding final coat with 400-600. That sound right?
Color coat, the finish with a two part clear coat. Product recommendations on that 2 part clear coat?

Now, I have two Schwinn Bicentennials to restore and rather than just a gloss white, I would love to do some kind of subtle metal flake, but I have NO idea how to do that. Any suggestions?

Thanks Folks!!!!
Click to expand...
First of all, good luck on your builds. This is just my opinion, take the frame down to bare metal. It's usually quicker to do that than it is to have to feather out all the old paint and chips. Plus, there will be no contaminants on the bare metal that will be present in the old paint. I don't want to have to re-paint later so just start with fresh metal. And, if it's an old bike it could have lacquer and you're trying to paint enamel over it, bad idea. Don't mix paint brands! I rarely use etching primer on a bike. It's really a wasted step. Just use sandable, filler primer. It's thicker and fills minor scratches. I do use 600 sandpaper on the primer before painting and if you started with clean bare metal it only takes a quick sanding. Usually 2 coats of paint is all you'll need for a bike. But I do 3 to 4 coats of clear then wet sand off one coat for a perfectly smooth finish. Start off with 600 then go up 1500. And if you're feeling randy, you can polish it after that.

If you're going with enamel paint, I prefer base coat clear coat. It's much shinier. It'll cost about 50 bucks for a quart including reducer but you'll still need hardener. But this quart, especially if you used an airbrush, could paint many bikes so 50 bucks isn't bad. If you want to paint metal flake, you really need to use base clear because you'll mix the flake in with the clear and it can easily take up to 10 coats of clear. It depends how much flake you want in it. That's how I've been doing it for years and it works great. Again good luck.
 
Bike Bum said:
He's using a Paasche air brush. That's what I use. I've been using the same double action Paasche VL for over 25 years now. Probably have run 1000 gallons of paint thru it with no problems. Every once in awhile you need to buy new needles and tips but they are only a few bucks. I use my airbrush to paint bikes and it's way easier. Plus, you almost never get any runs in your paint. The problem with using spray cans is you really can't get a strong paint job since there is no hardener in the paint. Rustoleum dries harder than most paints but it has a 30 day cure time and you are very limited with colors. I've used that Dupli-Color on many projects and it is good paint. It's never faded and it dries hard. I'm painting my current bike project, Agent Orange with the Dupli-Color burnt orange metallic. This color flows just fine thru my airbrush. Plus you can add a little lacquer thinner if needed. You can also mix these paints to get more color choices.
Click to expand...

My brush is toast, it is about 35 years old and was cheap. Time to invest in a new one. I have no idea what to get yet. I used it to touch up my white cars. I always bought white as it shows poor prep less. We get a lot of rust here and I would fix that and shoot white on my repair. I really doesn't work well now, the needle and tips are kaput. I didn't run 1000 gal through it, probably more like 3 gallons.
 

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