Painter Tips

[Tom Gagliardi]

I've found a local painter that has painted my last three frames. I'm pretty excited about this as he's only two miles away, we've come up with a price point that works for both of us, and most importantly he seams more concerned about doing nice work than the money. To quote him "if you are ever not happy with my work, I'll re-paint it for free".

He never painted bicycles before, but does a lot of high end motorcycle work. He's already built a special fixture for holding the frames while painting and I can see the improved quality of his work in just three frames.

I think the first three came out real nice, but did notice some chipping around the BB shell when tapping and facing.

I'm looking for any tips anyone has that I can pass on to him to improve his process. i.e. blast media used , sanding, types of primers/paint, curing, number of coats, etc.

Thanks,

Tom

[Curt Goodrich]

Tom,
I'm glad you've found a painter you can work with. Without knowing what your painter is using for materials and prep this sort of question is sort of unanswerable. Regarding tapping, I'm assuming this means he's getting paint in there? Tell him not to. Regarding the faces, face the frame before paint. Not after. If you need to remove paint from the faces do so with a knife blade after you've filed lightly around the OD of the face. This separates the paint on the face from the rest of the shell. Then just scrape off the paint. Remember clear coats can take a long time to be fully cured. Like a month or two. So the paint you're messing around with is very fresh and delicate.

[Dave Anderson]

Hi Tom,

Like Curt said...it would be best if you or he can be more specific with the questions. If he's used to painting high end motorcycles, though, he should have a good idea of what to do. Tell him to treat the bike frame more like a custom painted tank or fender than a motorcycle frame. The level of finish on a custom bike frame is typically several levels higher than that on a typical motorcycle frame. Film build is also important, especially on a lugged frame, and so he will want to keep it on the thin side.

Dave

[Tom Gagliardi]

Curt and Dave,

Thank you for the comments. I had no idea clear coat took that long to cure. I'll start facing pre-paint with your tips for removing extra paint.

bikeredblack.jpg

[nspace]

Noah/VeloColour told me the same thing about the paint taking about 30 days to reach its full hardness. I accidentally had a tool slip from my hand while installing the components and it hit the frame and chipped pretty easy (albeit very small and thankfully in an obscure place). Beyond that curing period the paint got much harder and resistant to chips. Looks as good as new everywhere else years later.

[acorn]

He could be a great painter, but if he doesn't have an oven the paint will never harden and be very durable. You could easily tear off a big chunk of paint on any facing or threading of the frame if the paint isn't hardened on there.

Motorcycles don't get the facing, chasing, and stuff like that that bicycles do. Bottom line. All bicycle pro painters need an oven. If he doesn't have one, then move on to the next painter.

[Craig Ryan]

He could be a great painter, but if he doesn't have an oven the paint will never harden and be very durable. You could easily tear off a big chunk of paint on any facing or threading of the frame if the paint isn't hardened on there.

Motorcycles don't get the facing, chasing, and stuff like that that bicycles do. Bottom line. All bicycle pro painters need an oven. If he doesn't have one, then move on to the next painter.

None of my tech sheets say baking is required. Baking is usually used to expedite the process between steps. Where did you get this info, and for what paint companies product?

[hmbatrail]

I'm with Craig on this one. Where did you read that baking was required? And I've chased many a thread on motorcycle parts post-paint. Should I have not done that? ;)

[Amaro Bikes]

We have started to use a flexibilizator (not sure how you call this in English) added to the last layers of varnish and seems to work pretty well for better chip-resistance against hits and sharpies.

As mistakes to learn from, excess of paint is also usually a trouble caller...

[Jonathan]

I concurr, an oven does not make paint more durable. I can't confirm this through experience but I've had two painters tell me they thought the opposite. Force curing made the paint less chip resistant. I suspect it's like everything else with paint. Prep and Technique and cleanliness are king.

Tim, it's pretty well known you shouldn't even ride them after paint. Too delicate.

As far as the op goes, I think the best thing is for your painter to reach out to someone who paints. A lot gets lost across an Internet forum.

[Curt Goodrich]

An oven should be called a force dryer. As others have said, it only speeds the process. The chemical process of paint hardening will occur almost regardless of temperature. It's just that higher temps speed the reaction. Paint manufacturers talk about when a product is deliverable vs. fully cured. They're not the same but what painter can afford to hang onto a paint job to fully cure before delivery?