Re-painting frame (fixing someone elses mess..)

[twisties]

Hey guys,

I'm just after a bit of advice with painting my frame. When I bought it the frame had been sprayed bright orange (almost a sherbert orange colour :LAME by the previous owner.
So it looks horrible and I finally have time to re-paint it, I just want some advice as to how I should go about this.

Keeping in mind I only have access to rattle cans, here are a couple of my questions:

1. The orange paint is chipping off in some spots, does this mean I will need to remove all of the orange paint before I do anything?

2. If I have to remove all of the orange paint should I just use paint stripper and be done with it? Or should I use a wire brush on a drill and only take off what flakes off?

3. Say I do 4 coats of gloss black and 4 coats of clear, how long should I let it cure for before I go riding? (I'm in Sydney so temps are around 16 degrees lately)

 

[eichkay]

if your happy with a rattle can job, just give the frame a good sanding then clean it off with etching wash or lacquer thinner or acrylic thinner then hit it with the cans, keep your hands off the surface after prepping it with the thinners

 

[wogtaz ryder]

Your new paint job will eventually turn into a mess as well . drop it off to a powdercoaters !

After i got a few frames done a couple months ago , i wont ever paint anything again .

I gave them dirty old messy frames and they do everything , clean/bead blast etc .

For 2 frames a swingarm and a pair of hangers it only cost me $220 , well worth the price for such a better look imo.

 

[THUMPINOZ]

What brand/type of frame are you painting? If the frame is only cheap (like my new frame was, Only about $70 including postage) its hardly worth spending more than the frame is worth on powder coating

Powder coating is a nice easy option but it can also turn into a mess & if not done properly it can peel away from the steel or aluminium & end up with nasty rust (on steel of course) underneath that you dont see for a long time, Also cant be touched up later on

If you dont want to spend too much, A nice enough paint job can be done without using clear over the top & the best thing is you can touch it up anytime, If your building a show bike then go with clear over the top?

You can use scotchbrite (Not dishwashing scourers) from a hardware/auto/paint shop to get into the tight spots (where there is no old paint flaking etc)

Make sure you smooth out the rough spots that may be peeling up etc with 180 paper, As long as you cant feel the rough spots (highs & lows) it will be fine to paint

Painting is about 95% preparation this is why most people cant paint cause they just dont prepare it properly, Applying the paint evenly & building up coats (Not just pouring it on in one go???) is not that hard really but some people cant do it so if you are not up to it get it powder coated

 

[twisties]

Thanks for all the help guys! It's just a DHZ 160 (I'm sure you're all familiar with the frame). I do like the sound of powder coat but I don't really want to spend that much so I'll just stick with the rattle cans I guess.

Thumpinoz I thought doing the clear coat would make it more resistant to chipping? I see the benefit of being able to touch it up whenever if I don't clear it though.

I've painted a fair few things before so I know the basic rules of lots of prep and light coats, and I don't mind taking my time to do it. I just want to make sure I do it properly the first time because it is a pain in the arse to have to pull it apart and repaint it if it all starts chipping off :S

 

[my67xr]

with your pressure pack painting, are you talking acrylic, enamel or epoxy ?
with acrylic or enamel it wont really help chip wise.
it is mainly used to flatten off the surface and add depth to the paint.

epoxy would be my second choice for the frame.

2 pack is my first choice,
your local auto paint shop can put mixed basecoat colour/reducer into a pressure pack for around $30
you can also buy 2 pack clear in a pressure pack too, about $20 per can.
they have finally worked out how to add hardener to the paint, but make it only work when it meets the air outside the can.

2 pack is 80 percent dry within 24 hours, and fully cured in around a week.
acrylic is fully cured in around 4-6 weeks, when it's about 20 degrees average temp
enamel is 70 percent cuyred after 36 hours and can take 2 weeks or so to fully cure.
epoxy is about the same as enamel

all the above paint cure times can be sped up with baking too.

 

[THUMPINOZ]

No chance of it chipping off or flaking off if you just do a few light dust coats to start with & a little bit of time in between coats & make sure the surface is prepped enough to make the paint stick to it, Different paint & temps etc will vary so just gotta find what works

EDIT, It will chip of though if you hit something & no matter what type of paint or even powdercoat you put on it it will get damaged just the same pretty much

Gloss paint on a dirt bike is just overkill, Nearly all the jap bikes frame paint dont stay glossy for long
I went with satin black on mine>
http://www.miniriders.com/china-builds/35841-thumpinozs-build.html

 

[8r3nd0]

How come no one has mentioned surface primer because if paints flaking off then I'm guessing its going back to metal even if it's not I'd advise using rust kill surface primer. I've learnt over the years of spraying different things at work and I always surface prime **** now. It could make all the difference between getting the ****s when paint starts chipping of when you put the bike back together or not chipping off even years down the track. That's what I reckon if your going to do it yourself but powder coating is the better option hands down do things once do things right.

 

[my67xr]

yeah i would etch prime any bare metal,
the original poster has experience painting, so i didnt bother to mention it.

i have been painting cars,bikes etc etc for over 28 years now.