Frame painting

Triathlon Forum
1

Thinking about painting an aluminum frame with auto spray paint from the can. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

2

You’ve pretty well described it. I’m repainting my old steel classic at the moment. The qualifier is that I’m letting a buddy of mine who used to own an auto body shop do it. I’d probably get runs if I did it myself. He’ll do it for a couple of beers afterwards. It’s nice to have friends in high places.

3

I painted an old steel frame last summer with canned spray paint. Here are my (very limited) pointers:

  1. Try to work in a somewhat enclosed space so you don’t have to deal with wind, and anything the wind might be carrying.

  2. Take your time and be patient! Many thin coats are better than fewer thick coats, and don’t get too close to the frame with the nozzle or you’ll get drips.

  3. Wait at least 24hrs in between applications.

  4. A hanging frame works best as you can turn it to paint/inspect freely. (I stuck a bight of rope down the seat tube and out the bottom bracket, and tied it to a short dowell)

  5. If a mosquito lands on your clearcoat, she’s there for good. Make like an archeologist and spray more over top. Pretend it’s amber. :slight_smile:

4

If you should choose to paint in a inclosed space make sure it is well ventilated. You will also need to buy a respirator if you value your lungs. I dont mean the little white dust mask! If you are not happy with the results you can always send it to a pro.

5

Try
http://members.cox.net/creativecycleworks/index.htm.

6

If you should choose to paint in a inclosed space make sure it is well ventilated.
Good point. I did it in my garage, with the door open. Didn’t have a ventilator or anything, but I don’t think I lost cells brain many too…