Is this a realistic project for an amateur? I’ve got a very basic aluminium frame with carbon forks and I’d love to dress it up for its first IM outing this summer. Has anyone had a go at something similar? Do I stand a chance of getting a good, durable finish or will I spend a fortune on sand paper only to wish I’d never started?
I have spray painted a variety of item including a beater-bike as an adolescent. I would do this only as a rust prevention strategy and not for cosmetic reasons. Your bike will look like you stole it, so ride it like you stole it.
Only hand sand the painted carbon, for the aluminum frame take and get it walnut shelled (or yes you will wish you never started). Make sure you put in a crappy bb when you get it done. After it is walnut shelled you can paint, powdercoat or whatever. The walnut shelling will cost like $50, then of couse the paint phase you can spend as little or as much as you want. A friend of mine airbrushed 2 bikes for me, one aluminum, one carbon, they both turned out great. I am very carefull with my bikes so I am not sure how durable it is, but no dings after like 500 miles.
Good tips but (and I’m gonna show why I posted BEFORE getting out the wire brush here), - is walnut shelling a type of sanding? Where can I get it done - an autoshop again or a more specialist place?
Walnut shelling is just like sand blasting but with small bits of walnut shells. The shells are soft enough to not damage the aluminum, but still take off the paint. I suppuse a wire brush would work but it may leave lines in the frame which would be had to get out, maybe not.
I am in So. Ca. and found this place through a bike painter, but I am sure good auto body places will know of someone in your aera. The place I went to does sand blasting, bead blasting, walnut shells, and a few other types. They cleaned everything from classic frames and bodies to aircraft parts. I feel it was totally worth the $50 because he cleaned every little nook and cranny, it can be really hard to get paint out of welds and between bars and bridges.
Have them test the shells in a hidden spot first just in case.