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Is it any good? I need to respray a pair of rigid forks gloss black. Part sand down the original colour, 2/3 coats with a fine Grit sand in between then a coat of clear to finish.
Any better than plasticoat or kobra cans? Both of which seem to get majority good reviews
Read a few reviews of easy to chip once done.
I've had decent results. Some tips:
- don't sand back the existing stuff with too coarse a grit, the scratches will show through; just use a very fine one, the paint only needs a very fine key
- if you want a good finish and your current fork has surface defects then the putty is a good move; it's quite dry, though, so be super gentle sanding it
- the opacity of the paint is very good; you can get away with a single coat, though chances are you'll miss a bit somewhere so aim for two
- you'll want more than one coat of the transparent finish, I'd recommend three; it's true that the paint itself chips really easily but the lacquer is there to stop that, and now I've been using more of it I've had much better durability (BTW one 400ml can will be enough for three coats of a full frameset IME).
Hi, just done this with spray.bike, on a shotblasted frame.
Spray.bike is thick, soft and flexible. Lay it on far thicker and from much closer than you would with normal spray paint. It's much harder to get it to run. Spray from 5-10cm. The primer and clearcoat though are more like normal paint, although a little thicker. Still move slower than you woudl with normal paint but the clearcoat needs to be 20cm away.
Mine doesn't appear to chip - it's still very soft, so it can deform. I fitted then removed a front mech and you can see it's marked the paint - but it's not flaking.
When you apply the lacquer, err on the side of being further away. Too close and it'll create runs. And when you apply the paint, be sure to spray the first bit (1-2sec of spray) onto some cardboard or something, as it'll be some sticky, bubbly gunk that you don't want on your frame.
In case it's not obvious, trying everything on an old offcut of shower rail or curtain rod first is a good move 😉
There's a pretty narrow window with the lacquer. Too far away and it doesn't gel. There's a fine window where it looks like its gone on too thick and there's a haze of solvent bubbles in it, but it dries to a thick gloss. Having a heat gun on hand can help if it's cold where you're working.
Interestingly I found the finish very fragile.
Used the primer, 3 coats of paint and 3 coats of lacquer and followed the instructions. Got paint chips from having the bike in the shed against another bike.
Cool thanks for the help guys, 3 coats of lacquer is fine.
The forks are new so no defects just the wrong colour. Plan to use some 3M fine line tape to make some interesting strips/patterns with the original colour then overspray everything black then peal back the tape and the lacquer.
I will probably wait till the weather is warmer.
Is it like some paint finishes that get harder/stronger over time?
I hope so as it's quite soft still. My rubber-covered work stand clamp marked the paint when it was about 18 hours old.
It'd be better to make some funky design with it I think. I went for a single flat colour all over which I reckon is the hardest because there's nothing to break up the blemishes!
Make sure you leave enough time in between coats for the paint to dry before applying next coat or it may never harden up . More light coats are better than fewer heavy ones.
Is it like some paint finishes that get harder/stronger over time?
Without an oven to bake the painted parts and speed up the curing process , many paint types can take upto a month to reach full hardness.
After respraying my bike frame in enamel , i left it leaning against the kitchen radiator for 3 weeks so as to avoid chips & marking when coming to re-assemble the bike
Any better than plasticoat or kobra cans? Both of which seem to get majority good reviews
Read a few reviews of easy to chip once done.
Well totally randomly my Steel DJ frame was black and in the process of dissolving the aluminium seatpost the previous owner had left in I stripped a load of paint.
Not being over fussed I happened to have some black appliance paint. (For kitchen appliances)
I had planned to clearcoat it after (as I have some as well) but once dried and cured its been surprisingly durable and anti-chip. (Only seen it in either black or white though)
Anybody used the kieron glittery clearcoat on stripped and polished aluminium frame.
I hope so as it’s quite soft still. My rubber-covered work stand clamp marked the paint when it was about 18 hours old.
This is my main issue with it. Several months later and I was unable to put the bike in the stand without marking it. I have since resorted to helitaping the whole thing.
Appliance paint like this? Hmm...enamel should be better than powder if left to harden.
Luckily I only need black
This was my experience with it too. That said, its perfect for freshening up an old frame, for next to nothing cost wise, so I can't complain.
All the advice on this thread is spot on.
I've tried the Kieron lacquer, and its lovely.
I am getting stickers made, then I will probably need more clear coat to spray over. I may get the sparkles. Anyone got any pics?
This was my experience with it too. That said, its perfect for freshening up an old frame, for next to nothing cost wise, so I can’t complain
Neil - are you taking about appliance paint rather than Spray Bike?