DIY Carbon Frame Custom Paint
Hey all,
I'm planning a paint project on an old frame and thought some of you guys might be interested in what I'm doing.
It's a 2012 Giant TCR carbon frame with some visual paint damage from a number of spills and bumps I've had over the years.
Plan of attack:
Completely disassemble the frame and thoroughly clean it down with jizer then rinse.
Starting with the forks as a tester - strip the clear coat and as much of the paint as possible by hand - avoiding chemical strippers for obvious reasons. This will take time.
Fill / repair any minor damage uncovered. Then fine-fill to hide any repairs using a standard Car Body Filler.
Tape up headset, bottom bracket and any other threaded openings (bottle cages?).
I'm basing paint choices on the assumption that the manufacturers wouldn't use an oil paint on carbon fibre due to the potential compatibility issues - correct me if I'm wrong.
So, create a key using a medium grade paper (800?) then apply several coats of medium quality acrylic auto body paint leaving plenty of time to cure between thin coats. Hycote looks like a good choice.
Any decals will then be applied / stencilled prior to the clear coat.
Not sure yet if I'll use a two-pack clear coat or just a high quality single.
Not 100% set on the design yet, possibly just an off white (cream tint) with small black decals. Keeping it minimal and clean.
Let me know if you think I've missed anything and tell me how you'd paint your bike if you had the chance!
Peace out.
I'm planning a paint project on an old frame and thought some of you guys might be interested in what I'm doing.
It's a 2012 Giant TCR carbon frame with some visual paint damage from a number of spills and bumps I've had over the years.
Plan of attack:
Completely disassemble the frame and thoroughly clean it down with jizer then rinse.
Starting with the forks as a tester - strip the clear coat and as much of the paint as possible by hand - avoiding chemical strippers for obvious reasons. This will take time.
Fill / repair any minor damage uncovered. Then fine-fill to hide any repairs using a standard Car Body Filler.
Tape up headset, bottom bracket and any other threaded openings (bottle cages?).
I'm basing paint choices on the assumption that the manufacturers wouldn't use an oil paint on carbon fibre due to the potential compatibility issues - correct me if I'm wrong.
So, create a key using a medium grade paper (800?) then apply several coats of medium quality acrylic auto body paint leaving plenty of time to cure between thin coats. Hycote looks like a good choice.
Any decals will then be applied / stencilled prior to the clear coat.
Not sure yet if I'll use a two-pack clear coat or just a high quality single.
Not 100% set on the design yet, possibly just an off white (cream tint) with small black decals. Keeping it minimal and clean.
Let me know if you think I've missed anything and tell me how you'd paint your bike if you had the chance!
Peace out.
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Comments
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Awesome! Pictures please:)0
