painting

cyfa2809
cyfa2809 Posts: 121
edited June 2009 in MTB general
i want to strip my frame and re paint it. its 6061 aluminium. whats good to get the paint off with minimal effort and low cost? also does anyone know about glow in the dark paint that can be applied to metal? prices etc.?

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    dont bother.

    find a painter/powder coater and leave it to them

    Or look in the Tech links sticky in the tech forum
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • cyfa2809
    cyfa2809 Posts: 121
    i want try for my self, maybe just paint some components. how do you sticky? what is a sticky?
  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    Depends how good the frame is - 20 years ago I painted my old raleigh racer by simply sanding it, priming it and spraying it - one coat of primer, sand back with fine paper, two coats of paint and I used a luminous white and pale blue - looked pretty decent job all in (the bike was nicked two years later so must have been ok).

    That said for my current mtb I am looking at either an stove enamel from Argos in Bristol or a powder coat from the likes of Windridge (look both up on internet) - cost is circa £100 for a hardtail so if the frame is worth that cost do it otherwise do it yourself but I think that can add up to get a good finish.
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • cyfa2809
    cyfa2809 Posts: 121
    maybe i will try just some components for now. its just the rear end of my full sus so not too much paint needed etc. if i was going to paint any part of my frame. i had to replace the rear as i snapped my last, its now silver wheras the frame is black. something to play with i guess
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    look in the tech forum.

    look in the tech links sticky.

    there is a link to a how too.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • cyfa2809
    cyfa2809 Posts: 121
    is that a how to... paint? or a how to... sticky? what is a sticky? is it brown and wood like?
  • llamafarmer
    llamafarmer Posts: 1,893
    cyfa2809 wrote:
    is that a how to... paint? or a how to... sticky? what is a sticky? is it brown and wood like?

    A sticky is just a thread in the forum that stays at the top of the list. It's used for frequently used stuff, like the tech links.

    Go here:

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12534925

    Scroll down and there's a painting link under "How to pages"

    My boss at work sprayed a frame in plastikote and it looked really good, but you have to be very careful when applying it. Build up VERY thin layers so that you don't get any runs.
  • cyfa2809
    cyfa2809 Posts: 121
    thanks for your help mr farmer. is that plastikote glow in the dark he used? did he use a gloss finish or does it have a decent finish on its own?