Repainting frame need some advice

[Anonymous]

I am going to repaint my frame and would like to take it down to bare metal. Should i get it sandblasted, Or should i chemicaly strip it? Also what type of paint has anyone used on a frame?
Thanks Mike

[Anonymous]

Sandblasting is by far the easiest. A chemical strip is messy and will not get all of the paint off of the hard to reach areas without a lot of elbow grease. If you do sandbast - take out your steering head races first.

The best paint to use is powder coat. It is a little pricey - about $200 - but worth it IMHO. If you choose to not powder coat there are lots of people in here with recomendations of other paints.

[mark]

Both are good choices just be sure to take precautions in each case. The blasting would be effective but will develop heat in the areas with thinner metal, and may produce an unevenly cleaned surface if more time is given to some areas. Blasting can ruin bearings and bearing surfaces if not sheilded properly (removal advised!!), imagine throwing a hand full of sand into your head bearings.... The chemical stripping can be done in the garage with little or no mess and a LOT less noise than sand blasting. The only noises I made was when a small bit of this stuff landed on MY SKIN and went unoticed until it started to burn. I use a stripper called "circa 1850". Its a furniture stripper, in gel form, $8 for a litre (and a litre is plenty, but get two just in case). I like using old tooth brushes to apply the "gel" all over the painted surface in a nice even layer. Just brush this stuff on with a toothbrush and watch it work. You simply brush it around a bit once it starts to bubble the paint and wipe it off. The longer you leave it on and move it around, the more paint it takes off. You can go over the bike once and still come back to tough areas and just gob some on and rub it around to remove alll the stubborn paint. The chemical stripper will leave you the beautiful factory bare metal hidden under all the paint, with no abrasive or heat factors of media (sand, nut shells, glass bead, etc.) blasting. I did my entire gas tank for about $1 (still have lots of my can left). and it looked flawless!!.
SO!!!!!!!....sandblasting = quick, more expensive, noisy, and less forgiving
and..........chemical strppier = one afternoon (and who doesnt like spending MORE time with their beloved GS), time to catch errors, cheap, easy to clean up, and does a great job!! PLUS--the self gratitude of a DIY job!!

Any quality paint will work, but powder coating will last for a lot longer.(not sure if you can wet sand it like you can to a clear coat on paint....)

Hope this helps

Mark

[Billy Ricks]

If you choose to paint and have somewhere to let it dry without having airborne debris stick to it epoxy would be the best choice, it's very tough and hard to chip. If you need something that dries quicker automotive acrylic enamel would be the best choice. Acrylic lacquer is more brittle and will chip easier.

[Anonymous]

I think I will go with the stripper probbaly. has anyone tried pj1 epoxy frame paint in a aersol can?
Thanks again
Mike

[Anonymous]

Mark,

I don't think you want to wet sand powder coat. I believe he is talking about a frame not a tank. Here is a site with lots of info on powder coating. He is very expensive - you can find local shops much cheaper. He does a good job of explaining the various coatings.

http://turtletough.home.attbi.com/powdercoating.htm

If you use a sandblaster - don't do it in your garage. 8O Take it to their shop and let them do it. It will cost more than the stripper - if you are not on a tight budget it's an option.

There are lots of nooks and crannies on a frame to use a stripper. You can do it granted, but I'll bet it's a lot more difficult than a tank.

[Anonymous]

Back in the 80's the hot paint for frames was Imron. Was extremely tough. Don't know if it is still around or new paints have surpassed it.

[Anonymous]

Back in the 80's the hot paint for frames was Imron. Was extremely tough. Don't know if it is still around or new paints have surpassed it.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Chemical stripping ONLY sand blasting ruins the metal finish. Had a car engine compartment sand blasted once NEVER AGAIN

[Anonymous]

It ruins sheet metal yes.

[earlfor]

I wouldnt consider sand blasting a motorcycle frame. Sand can be had in various grits, but even the finest is not as fine as coarse glass beads which also come in grits from course to fine. If I was determined to blast the frame, I would use fine glass beads because they will leave the smoothest surface. The drawback is that fine beads will remove the old finish rather slowly, so you would pay a high labor charge for the time invested. My preference would be to use a paint stripper. It will leave a smooth metal surface and the cost will be minimal. As for paint finish. I have seen powder coatings peel and chip just like any other paint. Generally, powder coating is considered to be the most durable, BUT....I do not believe it is possible to get the high gloss from a powder coat that you can get from automotive or marine high gloss finishes. You can clear coat over a powdercoat though if you must have the high gloss. However, clearcoating will make it difficult to do touch up and have it blend in well. Imron paint by Dupont is alive and doing well. I use it frequently. I also use Cook, Sterling, various U.S. Paint systems,Interlux, Pettit, Concept and multiple component epoxy coatings.
Balancing price against durability,gloss, and ease of application and repair or touch up, my choice in paint would be U.S. Paint's Awlgrip. Its a three part linear polyurethane
marine coating (paint) that comes standard in about 50 colors and can be mixed for custom colors. The catalyst is available in brushing or spray formulation. With the quick drying times if mixed for spray application, it cannot be brushed, but if you purchase the components for brushing, it can also be sprayed. The drawback to that approach is that it will sag and run easily so you will need to be skilled with a spraygun. It sets to an extremely hard finish and has excellent gloss and very high durability. It is impervious to gas, oil, solvents and acids once cured. For best results, a primer should be used on the bare metal and sanded with 220 wet/dry paper with soapy water. A catalyzed epoxy based primer such as Dupont Corlar will give excellent results.

Earl

It ruins sheet metal yes.

[Anonymous]

I wouldnt consider sand blasting a motorcycle frame. Sand can be had in various grits, but even the finest is not as fine as coarse glass beads which also come in grits from course to fine. If I was determined to blast the frame, I would use fine glass beads because they will leave the smoothest surface. The drawback is that fine beads will remove the old finish rather slowly, so you would pay a high labor charge for the time invested. My preference would be to use a paint stripper. It will leave a smooth metal surface and the cost will be minimal. As for paint finish. I have seen powder coatings peel and chip just like any other paint. Generally, powder coating is considered to be the most durable, BUT....I do not believe it is possible to get the high gloss from a powder coat that you can get from automotive or marine high gloss finishes. You can clear coat over a powdercoat though if you must have the high gloss. However, clearcoating will make it difficult to do touch up and have it blend in well. Imron paint by Dupont is alive and doing well. I use it frequently. I also use Cook, Sterling, various U.S. Paint systems,Interlux, Pettit, Concept and multiple component epoxy coatings.
Balancing price against durability,gloss, and ease of application and repair or touch up, my choice in paint would be U.S. Paint's Awlgrip. Its a three part linear polyurethane
marine coating (paint) that comes standard in about 50 colors and can be mixed for custom colors. The catalyst is available in brushing or spray formulation. With the quick drying times if mixed for spray application, it cannot be brushed, but if you purchase the components for brushing, it can also be sprayed. The drawback to that approach is that it will sag and run easily so you will need to be skilled with a spraygun. It sets to an extremely hard finish and has excellent gloss and very high durability. It is impervious to gas, oil, solvents and acids once cured. For best results, a primer should be used on the bare metal and sanded with 220 wet/dry paper with soapy water. A catalyzed epoxy based primer such as Dupont Corlar will give excellent results.

Earl

Awlgrip is a marine paint correct? do you have a idea how much a quart with caytalist would run. I am familar with imron but the activator is so damn expensive (only avialbile in quarts for $65 around here). have you ever used dp epoxy primer from ppg under awlgrip?

Mike

It ruins sheet metal yes.

[Anonymous]

As for paint finish. I have seen powder coatings peel and chip just like any other paint. Generally, powder coating is considered to be the most durable, BUT....I do not believe it is possible to get the high gloss from a powder coat that you can get from automotive or marine high gloss finishes. You can clear coat over a powdercoat though if you must have the high gloss.

If powder coating peels or chips it wasn't put on correctly. It's not the paint it's the goober who did the work.

Take a look at the web site I refered you to. There are high gloss powder finishes available. They do not recommend a clear coat.

I'm pretty sure most in this forum will not choose power coating, I just wanted to correct some misconceptions.