Respray fork over existing paint.

Golden Steed

At the moment my inbred currently has a gold front fork but I would like to respray this either black or white to be more in keeping with the bike.

I'm not looking for a paint shop finish but want to do a good job. What paint if any would be best to use to spray over the existing paint?

CitizenLee

When spraying anything it's usually best to sand down the old paint 1st to get rid of any flakes and stuff. So for your forks you don’t have to sand them back to bare metal, just enough so they're smooth and clean.

Then spray on a coat or two of primer to help the new paint stick. White primer will make your new paint look brighter, as opposed to black or gray primer which will dull the colour. Don’t be too heavy on the primer.

As for paint, if you're not bothered about a proffessional finish then Halfords do 300ml cans for about a fiver. Loads of colours too, and clear coat which is good for a nicer finish.

Also, there's loads of good spraying guides on the net if you need some tips.

A couple from me are:

-Always keep the can moving and don't concentrate the spray in one area, do repeated passes instead
-After giving the can a good shake do the 1st spray away from what you're spraying, overwise you run the risk of splatter when you 1st press the cap down
-Give it a light sanding between each coat. Helps stop drips and blemishes.

Hope this helps!

Lee

PS - I'm no expert but I have sprayed loads of stuff.

Golden Steed

Great thanks!

CitizenLee

No probs. Happy to help!

TomR

Make sure you mask them up well, and dont go spraying any bearing races. Also don't lay it on too thick around the dropouts else when it comes to getting the wheel in you'll have to force it in and end up messing up the paint, which'll then proceed to flake off and ruin all your hard work

azzb

buy a paint stripper for b & q then use primer before u put on colour coat i bought my paint from halfords!!

OR USE THESE

Instructions:

Take all the parts off of the bike. Cranks, headset,wheels ect. Clean the bike really thoroughly to remove any grease or dirt.

Take a peice of sand paper (not too coarse) rub all over the bike frame. You should rub all the way to bare metal, but if your lazy just give it a good once over. Scrape any loose paint off with a wire brush.

Clean the frame with a wet rag and then dry it with a dry one or a paper towel. After that rub all the fuzzy shit off the frame.

Hang the bike on a metal hook so that its easy to paint.


Next lay down 2 coats of primer. This will help the paint stick to the frame better, it also blocks rust from reaching the frame. Make sure when you buy it it is Rustoleum Brand*. This coat doesnt have to be too even as it wont matter.

Paint coat should be applied an hour after you layed down the primer. Make it nice and even, no drips or globs. Coat it 3 times to ensure you get to every little nook of the frame. Make sure it is the color you like if not repeat the whole process and use a different paint.

When this is done, get your clear coat, this is to make it basically waterproof it also helps with rust. Apply this on top of you basecoat. Give it two coats but, not too thick. This will dry to the touch in a couple minutes but will dry nice and hard if you leave it in the hot sun for a day.

When it is dry wipe it down nice and clean. Now put all the parts back on your bike, If you cant take it to a bike shop to do. You’ve just custom painted your bike!
This is the finished product: