Anyone painted their alloy frame?

sweetslice
sweetslice Posts: 31
edited February 2010 in Workshop
I peeled a big piece of paint off my bike the other day due to a paint bubble forming around the head tube. Im gonna have to sand or scrape a few more smaller bubbles out as well then paint it. Do I need primer and what spray paint should I get for a top coat?
Cannondale Caad 9
Cube SL Cross Comp
Diamondback Apex

Comments

  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Hammerite has to have a special prep for alloy etc. Look at their website or email em.
    You can prob get a frame done at a powder coaters for £60 or so, but if it's a cycle sprayers, more like £100 plus.

    I've had 3 - 4 frames done/powder coated, 3 were ok, the other not so good.
  • Wappygixer
    Wappygixer Posts: 1,396
    Firstly the paint bubbled because the frame had oxidised which lifted the paint work.
    Yoiu need to clean the whole area of these bubbles and get the frame smooth and clean.
    Ideally you need an etch primer for alloy which helps the paint grip the frame.If your just doing a touch up though you'll get away with ordinary grey/white primer.
    With paint you get what yhou pay for.Buy Halfords paint and you wont get the toughness of professional paint.Some shops will mix you 2pac into a spray can (its perfectly safe to use) and this will give far supperior results.
    If you use a metalic paint you will also need a laquer to paint over the top.
  • Velonutter
    Velonutter Posts: 2,437
    I rang around to get an old Ribble Aluminium frame powder coated, found a company in Wolves who did it in under a week for £35.

    The colours although varied are quite muted in comparison to paint, but as a training frame it was perfect and very durable.

    Just remember to block up every thread including putting some old BB cups in the BB.

    By the time you have bought paint, materials etc. your will still not end up with as good a finish
  • sweetslice
    sweetslice Posts: 31
    Yes, I forgot to mention it is an alloy frame (my Cube) which currently has a matt black finish, so luckily I won't need a gloss laquer on top. I don't think I'll bother with powedercoating it (yet) so whats the best way to prep the frame in light of there still being little bubbles in the area? Fine sandpaper to get them out? It's a bit worrying to hear that oxidisation of the frame has caused it.
    Cannondale Caad 9
    Cube SL Cross Comp
    Diamondback Apex
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    the frame has probably begun to oxidise as it wasn't prepped thoroughly enough in the first place.

    Once you have got rid of the oxodised areas it would be best to prep them with an etch primer - but you might find that the etch primer begins to react with the paint already on the frame, which would not be good. Might be better just to get the whole thing re-done....
  • mmacavity
    mmacavity Posts: 781
    Bubbling / blistering paint on aluminium.
    A question for you: if it was your Audi A2 or other even more expensive Audi car would you get the sand paper out, Or go back to where you got it from and complain?
    Yes even £20000 cars can have problems with paint not sticking to aluminium.
    It is true that U-Pol acid etch or similar is needed for a DIY job. But complain to the people that supplied the frame.

    http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consume ... 38311.html

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