How to paint a bike ?

1994jacob

so.. I need to paint my bike and have a rough idea of how to do it. (sanding,priming ect.) all i need now is the actual paint and equipment! anyone know where I can pick up primer/good quaility bike paint/lacquer??
any tips for doing it would also be helpful

Apricate your help!
Bike Novice.

doozerie

Halfords sell spray cans of primer, paint, and lacquer, and their website has instructions on how to use them. They also sell sandpaper, though it's not cheap there.

1994jacob

cheaper then a prof. job anyway ! thanks will prob buy it all in halfords unless someone knows of a cheaper place?

CaptnGumption

I repainted a bike using mostly Halfords stuff. Be sure to get one or two cans of primer, two cans of paint and one can of laquer.

I bought only one can of paint and my local store in Carrickmines was out, so I looked in Letterkenny, Liffey Valley and ended up having to drive to Naas to get some.

Use paint stripper to get the original paint off. I started sanding the paint off and it took forever. Nitromorze is supposed to be good.
Halfords is expensive for sandpaper but you shouldn't need too much if you use the gel.

I hung my bike from a coathanger in the garden shed and used it as my spray booth, make sure to use somewhere well ventilated and not too dusty. Be sure to let it dry for a good while so the paint hardens correctly.

Be sure to throw up a few photos of your work! and good luck

1994jacob

thanks halfords it is then ! il put up pictures when finish but only if im proud of it !:D

one more thing, did you guys use halfords own brand or go for the more expensive paints and primers?

doozerie

I used Halfords own brand, just on a small portion of frame rather than a full frame, and it was fine. Be careful though as it is easy to spray on too much at once and if that happens you'll either have to wipe or sand it off and try again.

I've used Nitromors for stripping paint off doors before. It is effective, but as you'd expect by its nature it is nasty stuff to use so you'll need to use it somewhere very well ventilated and you'll need decent gloves. There was talk a few years back of Nitromors being removed from the market due it being so toxic (emphasis was on its risk of damage to the environment I think) but I'm not sure if that ever happened so it might still be readily available.

CaptnGumption

I beleive Nitromors is still available, though make sure you wear good gloves when putting it on, gardening gloves or something thick. I used thin plastic gloves with my paint stripper and it burned right through to my hand. Wasn't so nice.

Halfords own brand is fine.

abcdggs

Strypit paint stripper works better than nitromors, although it stings a lot more if you get it on your skin



Also good tips here

jollylee

I painted a bike before and had it shot blasted before I painted it. Its def the best way to go and will make spraying it a doddle. Can't recommend the halfords cans. I used their paint for my bike and thought there was very little in each can. Pick a car colour you love, get the paint code from the web and get that paint mixed and canned in a motor factors. You'll get better value.

The BIG mistake I made when I sprayed my bike was putting on too much paint at a time. You will get a run if you do this and it ruins the job.

Lots of light coats are the way to go when priming, painted and laquer-ing.

Make sure you leave loads of drying time between coats too. Best of luck and post some photos as you go!

enoonan

Just one other tip to add to the rest above. Painting in this weather will be a pain in the ass. It will take ages to dry and could possibly ruin your finish due to the cold and moisture in the air.
If you get the frame back to bare metal, heat it lightly with a hair dryer or heat gun before putting on the primer coat just to remove any moisture/cold. It should help give a good finish.

Best of luck with it and make sure you put up pics!!

Eoin

Captain Havoc

I don't know if this'll help or hinder but LIDL have a paint spray gun for €15.

1994jacob

thanks will definitely be taking all of your advise into acount and will do a DIY job on it! il start buying the equipment now so pics will be up by next weekend.
thanks

kumate_champ07

abcdggs wrote: »

Strypit paint stripper works better than nitromors, although it stings a lot more if you get it on your skin



Also good tips here

Ive used this a few times, works great but wear old clothes with long sleeves or have quick access to running water. I did it out the back and got a few little bspecks of paint on my arms, it starts to burn bad pretty quickly! once I washed it off asap the pain went away.

lenihans sell it. larger size tins work out much better value if your gonna do a couple of jobs.
theres a lenihans in rathmines and capel st

feck sake lads

why dont you save yourself a lot of hassle and get it powder coated;)
you will never get a finish on it using spray cans ,if you really want to go ahead and do the job yourself your best bet would probable be best to get coach paint from your local motor factors and maybe some acid etch primer.
good luck anyhow hope it turns out ok.