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I've an old Pace RC129 that's had a seat collar repair and was trying to decide what to do with it as it's kinda the final nail in the coffin for the already shabby looking paint.
So I thought id start to strip it, got some decent stripper, and started to give it a go.
Now I knew pace chromed the stays on those, but I was quite surprised to find the whole frame is chromed under the paint! (Apart from the repair patches)
Now I'm quite keen to get it back to the chrome, as I have no taste and am stuck in a time long forgotten. Well, I like 80s bmx's.
Problem is, the paint is very tough. Took 3 coats to get some off. Needs a bit of a scrape to get paint off. I reckon at this rate it'll be 5 or more. But, how do I get into the fiddly bits without damaging the chrome? I've a Dremel if that helps..
Or alternatively I find someone who'll be able to strip it, maybe chemically? Who'd do this? A resprayer, powder coater? Or am I stuck with a wish and a jar of nitromors.
Any ideas?
Tia
Google 456ebb for thread on here of my prototype 456ebb that was originally chromed.
Ended up easier to get it tarted up professionally.
Currently loaned out to a mate and really needs another tart up.
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Hmm. Seems such a shame to cover up nice shiny chrome, but I guess at the end of the day I'm not really wanting to chuck Argos £200 to sort it either
The chrome on mine was gone, re-chroming is bloody expensive. So a powder coat it was.
Nitromors has been diluted down, I forget what was in it, dmf? DCM? But it's nasty stuff (I used some neat from work on the front door last year, was great).
You can do it at home but it will take a good chunk of time to do and you need the chrome to be in good nick.
Years ago I did a Kona Kileauea frame in Chrome. Nitromors wouldn't touch the paint, so had the chromers chemically strip it. Wasn't much more that the chroming as they have to prep it anyway.
Nitromors has been diluted down, I forget what was in it, dmf? DCM? But it’s nasty stuff (I used some neat from work on the front door last year, was great).
yeah, had heard this so got some 'Power Strip'
it contains DCM, it smells a bit, but I did use it outdoors. They reckon 15 mins to bubble the paint. it does bubble, it does come off, it doesn't come off particularly easily, so I re-applied. more bubbling, more paint off, super shiny chrome underneath!
maybe I'll carry on until I've used the whole can and see where I'm at.
The nooks and cranny's I was hoping to sort using a brass brush dremel attachment, would that be a bit too much on chrome? not sure what else I could use TBH.
my local powdercoaters blast old paint off, so don't' want that near it if I'm keeping the chrome work.
I've never understood why people are obsessed with removing the paint themselves before taking it for a respray, just get the professionals to do the whole job.
As for cleaning up chrome, you'll need to polish it so you don't leave scratches. Personally I'd not bother as it'll take forever and end up looking rubbish.
I’ve never understood why people are obsessed with removing the paint themselves before taking it for a respray, just get the professionals to do the whole job.
well, normally I'd do that. however the pace frames are fillet brazed, so the idea was to strip it all if I could and see if it's in any condition to just leave raw (with lacquer). I knew the rear stays were chromed (as they leave the chainstay and rear cluster chromed, but paint the rest of the frame) but figured I could do something more gentle with those and was going to use a bit of stripper and abrasive to expose the fillets on the mainframe, as I think they look nice.
However, the whole frame is chromed, which has left me wondering if I should continue with the paint stripper and see how it is, or just bin the idea and sent it to the powdercoaters.
That was a general comment, not one specifically aimed at you. You could always have it powder coated in a chrome effect. Its not quite as bright and shiny as proper chrome but its far more robust and easier to look after plus less likely to have you chasing rust spots after every ride.
Some of these paints are are 2-pack isocyanates and best not to sand them, or at least wear a decent mask.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/bodyshop/isocyanates.htm
Thread update.
Decided to go for stripping it anyway, knowing it'll not be perfect, and that it telling a story would be nicer than just getting it coated from the off.
How it started:
stripping the paint
coming off OK?
polish and decals
first build back up!
I think it turned out OK.
got some cable guides on order so I can route the cables properly, and some end plugs...
That looks mint (apart from the wonky saddle)
That's excellent, probably shouldn't have used the paint stripper on the pot plant
probably shouldn’t have used the paint stripper on the pot plant
haha.
the hole in the fence appeared at the same time as a visit from a very fat hedgehog.
(apart from the wonky saddle)
you know when you find a bit of kit that works for you, then is discontinued, you're stuck with old shoes on a seatpost..;-)
Should say cheers to Colin @Retrodirect for the seatpost repair.
I’ve never understood why people are obsessed with removing the paint themselves before taking it for a respray, just get the professionals to do the whole job.
Funnily enough I contacted Prestige Plating in Mexborough (very good according to internet reviews) the other day about getting a BMX frame chrome plated that is currently painted:
"Ooh, no, we don't want it to arrive painted - you'll have to remove that yourself".
However, with a six month waiting list and a price of £260+VAT, sadly I'll be keeping the paint.
Is the seat tube repair not fully welded all the way around - just tacked on? Looks like a line / gap where it joins the frame?
Is the seat tube repair not fully welded all the way around – just tacked on
think that's just the photo. It's a collar brazed all the way round, the original squinty front facing slot has been filled and replaced by rearward facing slot too.
Nice job - well done for seeing it through, it looks great.
cheers.
in all honesty, it only really took about a day to sort. I got sidelined so many times by garden jobs/going to the beach/going into the mountains on dry days that it took a good couple of months to get to this stage!
The most difficult bit was cleaning up the repair as it'd been sat in the shed for ages it started to corrode. that part has been lacquered, the rest of the frame went orange peely, so i left it. It will corrode and degrade over time and I'm sure that I'll do something different when that happens, but for now, I'll be enjoying the shininess.
actually, the most difficult bit was lining up the slackset properly...
This happened a while ago...
After it being sat in the shed for an age, it's getting filled and brazed to see if that works as a repair.
I was thinking, as the original seat tube was wafer thin, if I get a longish 4-5" seatpost shim and epoxy it to the inside of the seat tube, will it add much in the way of reinforcement?
It's 27.2, so thinking of a 27.2 down to 25.4 to give it a bit of meat.
Assuming I think the frame is worth the effort, would a permanent shim help?
Ta