Best cheap ass way of stripping a frame and painting it with good results?

[bonzobanana]

I bought a cheap Dawes Galaxy 1983 frame and forks locally for £1.20 as a ebay win. I was hoping to go for a patina look and just clean it up as best as possible but its a little too far gone for that. I'm not interested in going for the original look and besides the parts I use will be what I have as spares rather than new purchases. I think I'd like a silver finish with black decals. The decals will be home done just basic 'Dawes' and 'Galaxy' on it. I'm not going to get new Reynolds stickers. Any cheap ass bike restorers/rebuilders out there and what are their tips and tricks to a cheap non original rebuild.

 

[chris667]

Powdercoating, if you want something professional. Don't specify a colour - ask for the same colour the next thing they paint is.

You won't save any money by doing it yourself when you take cost of paint into account unless you already have paint.

I had an old Raleigh Mtrax once which I bought completely stripped. Steel frame. I had a load of gold hammerite leftover from Focus DIY closing (10p a tin! I had a lot of gold-painted hammerite metal things for a few years after that). Looked OK as a ten footer.

 

[Venod]

I have had a few frames done at a car wheel refubishers, they strip it then powder coat it, lots of different colours, they did an old cranks as well in a chrome looking paint finish. £50 for frame and forks, £15 for cranks.

 

[Cycleops]

Powder coat. Unless you're a cheapskate then it a rattle can.

 

[Drago]

Give it to a powdercoater and say, "strip this frame and power coat it with good results, and do it for 40 or 50 quid please." Job done.

 

[Rooster1]

Also doing a Dawes frame at the moment. I have hand sanded it, primed it, repeated the process over and over and over and now it is getting a rattle can paint job. Lets see how it turns out. Probably carp but we will see.

RESTO POST
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/dawes-fox-restoration.291865/

 

[fossyant]

Powder coating is the cheapest. Rattle cans can be more expensive. Done two bikes now with rattle cans and been impressed with the results, but its about prep and not rushing it. The Ribble cost about £100 in paint as it was a pearlescent. The Diamond Back about £30 as it was a gun metal metalic. The pearlescent needed lots of prep as it was virtually clear going on a white base coat.

 

[fossyant]

PS you can get decals quite cheap off ebay.

 

[steve at cornwall]

Hand sanding works (eventually) or use an angle grinder with wire wheel to get it all off quickly. Rattle cans ain't what they used to be, even hammerite in a can will melt straight off at any sniff of petrol or solvent. Cheap cans fro discount homeward sheds seem to be porous and let the rust form almost overnight. I'm lucky enough to have a compressor and spray gun so can use cellulose at about 20 quid a litre which will do 3 /4 frames I reckon!

 

[TheDoctor]

PS you can get decals quite cheap off ebay.

531 stickers are cheap too - https://www.isaydingdong.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=531

 

[fossyant]

531 stickers are cheap too - https://www.isaydingdong.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=531

Yup, although a replacement Columbus SLX one wasn't.

 

[TheDoctor]

Yup, although a replacement Columbus SLX one wasn't.

Well, Columbus wouldn't be worth having if it was cheap!

 

[sleuthey]

During the first lockdown 3 years ago I got a 1990s MTB and converted it into a fixie. I just sanded the shole frame with 80grit and a wire brush and painted in Hamerite. Now 3 years later it's still going strong with no rust coming through.

 

[Gunk]

Personally I hate powder coat, it’s too thick and never looks original. My Triumph Tiger Cub frame has been powder coated and just doesn’t look quite right, it almost looks plastic coated

I would always wet paint

 

[All uphill]

During the first lockdown 3 years ago I got a 1990s MTB and converted it into a fixie. I just sanded the shole frame with 80grit and a wire brush and painted in Hamerite. Now 3 years later it's still going strong with no rust coming through.

I did something similar at the same time, but used rattle cans.

I was very pleased with the results but it took days to prep, days to get a really good undercoat on and more days to get a high gloss finish. It then took weeks to properly harden.

Materials were just as expensive as a cheap powder coat.