DIY: paint your frame!

Today I painted my frame. And here are some tips and tricks on doing it.

Notes:
-Make sure to clear hard pressure by spraying away from your project a good 1 second should do it. Or... learn the hard way like me and create a big over spray.

-NEVER lay Lacquer paint over Enamel... Better yet, keep Enamel with enamel and lacquer with lacquer paints. I would suggest Lacquer for frames because you would be able to wet sand, polish, wax it.

-Patience is key. Do not rush. Wait for coats and layers to dry. After taping something down WAIT until it is fully dry to take it off. Or... learn the hard way and watch it peel off with some paint on the project. Wah wah...

-I did not use duplicolor this time. I have used it many times before and for some reason their paint starts fading away. So I tried something different this time. Bought it at the local Autozone



Original...


1)Tape off whatever you need to tape off...
Sand down your frame! I used 320 grit just to flatten the surface. If you do not sand down your frame your paint will most likely chip or peel off easily.




2)Primer! Without primer the base color will not stick as good! Make sure you are at least 8-10 inches away when spraying. Go left and Right or up and down and at a steady motioned pace. DO NOT spray the whole thing all at once like you're drawing something. This will lead to an uneven paint job and over spray. I personally do 3 layers of primer. 1 small layer then wait 20-30 mins. Then another layer slightly heavier then wait another 20-30 mins. Then another layer. Just make sure you do not spray to close or spray too much. Let dry for 45mins to an hour.

3)Base coat! So you waited your hour and checked the forum in between the times Now its time for the important coat. Do the same thing that you did with the primer. Same drying times. Dont miss any spots! Look under and over!



4)Clear Coat! Shiny! Same as step 3. This time keep doing layers and waiting until you run out of clear coat





5)Leave it to dry for a good 24 hours! Do not remove tape like I did because it will peel some of the paint on the frame. Do not touch the paint it will leave a finger print.

6)Take a shower


Ill post pics once it is fully dry and complete! Before you ask the reason I painted it white again is because I wanted it to look clean without any decals. Thanks for looking!

good write up

Be careful when u mount yr rims don't scuff the drop outs ... I learned the hard way...

Nice work! =D

i wish i saw this before i painted mine

i blew it and i think i'm going to give it another go soon.

poorman wrote:

i wish i saw this before i painted mine

i blew it and i think i'm going to give it another go soon.

what did you do wrong?

you can't tell from the picture but the paint job is pretty spotty. i also don't have a clear coat over it. i want to go with a different color too but i don't know what!

Nice Work!

Me I let my frame dry for about 72hrs. Or to make sure my paint has cure, after 48hrs I use a blow dryer to the whole frame and let it cool down for a couple hrs Or if it really hot outside, I put my frame inside my ruck on top of trash bag for a day, it's like baking it : ) It help cure the paint too. I'm just lucky enough to have an Honda Element so there's no carpet or fabric touching the frame.

Has anyone tried using any graffiti-specific paint? paints like Molotow/Belton, Montana (german/spanish), Ironlak...

I was thinking about doing my frame up in ironlak's tar black


or one of molotow's coversall tar paints...

Trem wrote:

Has anyone tried using any graffiti-specific paint? paints like Molotow/Belton, Montana (german/spanish), Ironlak...

I was thinking about doing my frame up in ironlak's tar black


or one of molotow's coversall tar paints...

I'm going to try Montana soon since I have a bunch of cans laying around my house from other projects. Did you do the ironlak?

Nahh. I asked around on art primo about using bitumen based paint ("tar paint") on painting bicycle frames, and they said not to use it. the paint comes out like tar, so it has somewhat of a sticky finish. they said to just use belton premiums. I was also looking at the MTN 94s... look around on youtube for some videos of the stuff, it looks pretty legit.