Professional frame repaint

[mcshroom]

There's a decent chance the badge is stuck on with glue. Heat the badge up a bit and run a piece of dental tape through behind it and you would probably remove it if so.

Video of doing the same here: -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8phyK1zMpk

 

[alicat]

How did you get the gold details?

I painted the lugs on with some hobby paint from Hobbycraft and bought the transfers and head badge and fixed them myself. The lugs took lots of attempts but when they looked as good as they were ever going to, I let them dry and lacquered over the top. I lacquered over the decals at the same time. It was easy to wipe all the failed attempts off. I can't remember what I used, possibly acetone or something alcohol-based.

The decals were much easier - I wet them so it was possible to slide them into place and get the positions right before they dried.

 

[Illaveago]

What colour is it ?
What is the rest ot the paintwork like ?
The reason why I'm asking is if the rest of the paintwork is good you could have a local repair done. The dent filled and the colour faded in to the existing paintwork on the crossbar.
You can buy materials online for making your own waterslide transfers on your printer either for laser or inkjet printers.
You could photograph your transfer. Measure the transfer on your frame and calculate the correct amount you will need to enlarge it . Or you could simply use the trial or error method. The difficulty in making your own transfers would be with metallic and white colours, as you can't get these from printers.

 

[Andy in Germany]

There's a decent chance the badge is stuck on with glue. Heat the badge up a bit and run a piece of dental tape through behind it and you would probably remove it if so.

Video of doing the same here: -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8phyK1zMpk

I'm surprised: I'd expect a lug inthe back of the badge so they could position it easier. Thanks for the information, it'll help me decide...

 

[Andy in Germany]

What colour is it ?
What is the rest ot the paintwork like ?
The reason why I'm asking is if the rest of the paintwork is good you could have a local repair done. The dent filled and the colour faded in to the existing paintwork on the crossbar.

That's a good point: the rest of the paintwork looks okay, a bit scuffed perhaps and there's some damage from when it had chain suck a couple of times, but the bike is 20 years old, so that's okay.

This happens to be the non-damaged side:

What sort of shop would do the job you're talking about? I'm guessing a normal car spraying shop could handle it.

You can buy materials online for making your own waterslide transfers on your printer either for laser or inkjet printers.
You could photograph your transfer. Measure the transfer on your frame and calculate the correct amount you will need to enlarge it . Or you could simply use the trial or error method. The difficulty in making your own transfers would be with metallic and white colours, as you can't get these from printers.

We're going to be using this method, although with new designs, on the bike I'm rebuilding with Eldest Son. Which reminds me: I need to get on with that...

 

[12boy]

I pried off a raleigh headbadge which had little plug things that fit tight in the frame. I never put it back, but if I had some, epoxy in the hole and on the plug would have done the trick, I am sure. As far as your other project goes rattlecan jobs dry to touch pretty quick but I have heard they take about 2 weeks to fully harden. Being impatient I stuck it in an old accord I had. The high desert summer sun can get the inside of a car to over 140 Fahrenheit and after a week in the solar oven that is an Accord in July, it seems the paint got pretty hard. It has held up fairly well.

 

[Illaveago]

I pried off a raleigh headbadge which had little plug things that fit tight in the frame. I never put it back, but if I had some, epoxy in the hole and on the plug would have done the trick, I am sure. As far as your other project goes rattlecan jobs dry to touch pretty quick but I have heard they take about 2 weeks to fully harden. Being impatient I stuck it in an old accord I had. The high desert summer sun can get the inside of a car to over 140 Fahrenheit and after a week in the solar oven that is an Accord in July, it seems the paint got pretty hard. It has held up fairly well.

I have found that if you keep the number of coats of paint down to a minimum, 2 coats of etch primer, 2 coats of basecoat, 2 coats of lacquer, a hard finish can be obtained from aerosol cans when it is baked. I have cooked test panels in my oven at 180 C for 45 minutes and found the finish hard enough to resist fingernail marking . I waited until all of the fumes had left the panels before I placed them in the oven.
I didn't use any primer filler as I have found that gives a soft centre effect . A hard outer layer with a soft middle.
I wouldn't put paint containing isocyanates, polyurethanes in the oven as I was told by a doctor that isocyanates can be released when heated.

 

[Illaveago]

That's a good point: the rest of the paintwork looks okay, a bit scuffed perhaps and there's some damage from when it had chain suck a couple of times, but the bike is 20 years old, so that's okay.

This happens to be the non-damaged side:

View attachment 466404

What sort of shop would do the job you're talking about? I'm guessing a normal car spraying shop could handle it.



We're going to be using this method, although with new designs, on the bike I'm rebuilding with Eldest Son. Which reminds me: I need to get on with that...

That is a good question . Are there any small bodyshops or cycle repairers in your area where you might be able to enquire ? I expect that they may want you to dismantle some of your bike to make it easier to handle.
The matching of the paint may have to be a close approximation and a place which has a mixing scheme would be an advantage as only a small amount needs to be made .
I hope your colour isn't the same as was used on the Nissan Primera mk1 GT, the colour which changed from red to green just by moving your head , as the cost of the paint used to be £360 for 0.5 litre many years ago and was a special order only !
Good luck in your search .

 

[Milkfloat]

To look at this another way, is it really worth spending this much money on a workhorse that is going to get dinged again?

 

[12boy]

Auto parts stores sell auto paint and can mix up color match pretty well. If you take your frame, or a fork if its the same color, in with you, they can sell you a small bottle which you can use to cover the wounds on your frame. This is a working bike and not a rare or custom machine, so I wouldn't want to invest a lot of time or money. Of course, you may feel it is worth it. The other thing is the climate where you are. I have lived in high desert for 60 years and rust is slow to develop. BTW, while I had the bike down to frame and fork I would probably apply some frame saver. If you aren't familiar with this, WD 40, boiled linseed oil, and Boeshield all dry to a hard waterproofish finish. There are also products like Weigle's frame saver made for the purpose. What you is spray or pour the liquid in the frame and rotate it around so it covers the inside and then let it dry for a while. Would be a real PITA to do a paint refurbishment and have the frame rust out from the inside.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Auto parts stores sell auto paint and can mix up color match pretty well. If you take your frame, or a fork if its the same color, in with you, they can sell you a small bottle which you can use to cover the wounds on your frame. This is a working bike and not a rare or custom machine, so I wouldn't want to invest a lot of time or money. Of course, you may feel it is worth it. The other thing is the climate where you are. I have lived in high desert for 60 years and rust is slow to develop. BTW, while I had the bike down to frame and fork I would probably apply some frame saver. If you aren't familiar with this, WD 40, boiled linseed oil, and Boeshield all dry to a hard waterproofish finish. There are also products like Weigle's frame saver made for the purpose. What you is spray or pour the liquid in the frame and rotate it around so it covers the inside and then let it dry for a while. Would be a real PITA to do a paint refurbishment and have the frame rust out from the inside.

Thanks for the tips, especially about the frame saver: It'd be useful for the other frame was well, so it's well timed. We're in the hills here and well away from the sea but in winter the bike can get pretty damp.

The bike is arguably rare: almost no-one has heard of M-Trax bikes, and google only brings up the odd blog entry and Ebay items.

Ironically today I was getting on the tram and someone got off with what looked like an original condition butt-jointed titanium M-trax 1000. Of all the tram stops in all the world, he has to wheel it onto mine...

To look at this another way, is it really worth spending this much money on a workhorse that is going to get dinged again?

She's a workhorse, sure and she's 20 years old, but she's been with me through a lot...

 

[CXRAndy]

I understand there are companies that can recreate decals from photos and dimensions.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I just had this response from someone in the bike industry regarding powder coating:

Powder coating... I have mixed feelings about. Where I live things can rust quickly as I am living on a hill near the sea, so we sometimes get salty mists or fog. The good thing is about powder coating is that it is a tough material. The not so good thing is that if you want it to work, every single bit of rust must first be removed, or the rust tends to creep underneath the coating. Another issue is any threads or fittings like cantilever or V-brake braze ons will need the powwder coat removed to make them work and threads need re-tapping.

I used to have a powerd coated tricycle which was powder coated from the factory, but the slightest scratch (Its life... Even though the coating is thick, it happens) would enable rust to creep underneath the coating and spread.

Has anyone else experienced these issues, either the difficulties in making the screws fit or the rust? The bike doesn't have any rust now, and I'd get it sandblasted before painting to remove anything I've missed, but this does give me pause.

Maybe a pro spray isn't such a bad idea after all...

 

[Kempstonian]

Bottom bracket threads can be protected by screwing in a couple of old cups that you don't mind getting painted. Smaller threads would be easier to tap out, but could also be protected using old screws.

I have two frames being powder coated at the moment. Oh how I wish I had remembered to protect the threads!

I'll do it next time though...

 

[roadrash]

As @Kempstonian says threads are easy enough to protect, and I have found powder coat to be more durable, regarding knocks and scratches ,than paint