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Got this /\ and it's looking ratty! I want to paint it stealth black.
What do i need to do to prep and paint to ensure that the paint doesn't just chip off?
If you use car paint the paint will chip off anyway. Get it powder coated and mask off all of the threads and contact points well. Not sure what prep is required if any.
My prices are probably out of date, but my local powder coaters would strip and spray a frame and forks for about £40 as long as you wanted a basic colour. You just had to leave it with them until they were doing a bigger job in that colour and they'd tag it on the end.
As above, powdercoaters. I've paid £20-£50 before (the higher price was pretty much perfect, the former was about half an inch thick and a bit ropey).
Some people have done really good looking rattle can resprays. But they always end up cost as much/more than a powdercoat. The Spray.Bike stuff from BLB is supposed to be as good as it gets. But you will still need
2x cans of primer.
2-3x cans of paint
2x cans of laquer
Sandpaper, maybe nitromors (wouldn't bother, just sand back any chipped bits to bare metal and leave the rest), masks, and a lot of time/elbow grease.
And it will still chip as soon as you use it.
Definitely powder coating for a solid colour. Painting is a messy business and almost always looks crap.
If you must paint it...
Don't bother with nitromors it doesn't work anymore. Go to your local trade place and get something with trichloromethane in.
I used to use a black paint called Stoneguard in my graffiti/BMX painting days. We used to get it from motor factor style shops. It was a slightly hammered matte finish and was as hard as it gets. Black as the night and a nightmare to remove.
The Spray.Bike stuff from BLB is supposed to be as good as it gets. But you will still need 2x cans of primer, 2-3x cans of paint, 2x cans of laquer
Piffle. If you're doing a single colour you need one can of paint and one can of lacquer.
If you have rough surfaces on the frame, or decals you can't get off, or you've attacked it with coarse grade paper, then you probably also want a can of framebuilder's putty to give a better result.
Wire brush attachment in an angle grinder will have it stripped in no time, then etch primer and spray cans will give you a decent enough job if you’re careful.
I just had a kids balance bike stripped and powdercoated. Really nice job from what I can see - I picked a pink colour they already had in stock and it cost £65 to do to give an idea of cost - that’s in Bristol anyway.
Wire brush attachment in an angle grinder will
Probably make a mess of the aluminium. If you're going to use power tools, use the paint stripping pads, they're not cheap but they are effective.
That’s a good point actually the pads are much better and less aggressive. The plastic ones are v effective though they wear out quick but not a problem on a bike frame I’d guess..