Thinking of Painting it Myself...Advice?

[Buster1]

Guys,

I'm seriously thinking about media blasting and re-painting one of my 'new' prewar frames that is pretty bad and covered with house paint and other junk. I'd prefer to set up a little booth in my garage and spray it myself vs paying someone hundreds of dollars to do a multi-layered two-toned paint job and clear coat.

What advice do you guys have?

I am thinking of buying a basic/decent paint gun. I have a compressor already. Then it's just a matter of prepping the frame and using the right primer/paint...right? Any suggestions?

I could use advice on:
-Paint guns
-Type of primer
-Type of paint (read the Urethane may be the way to go)
-General advice

 

[KJV]

the Dupli-color ready to spray quarts
work nice. :mrgreen:

 

[B607]

Blast it.
Don't touch it with your bare hands after you blast it.
Wipe the dust off with laquer thinner or just blow it off with a compressor, then prime it immediately.

By doing the above prep work you'll keep rust from forming for many years.

Las Vegas is so dry you should get good results with rattle can paint. The humidity is the worst problem I have painting here in the Midwest. Gary

 

[terohxr7]

My advice would be to purchase a mini HVLP spray gun with a 1.0 tip size. A 2 part epoxy primer works well, they have good bare metal adhesion and when cured provide a durable base for the finish. PPG's epoxy is their DP line and it's available in different colors. Use the primer mixed 1 part primer with 1 part activator and when dry, sand it with 400 grit sandpaper to remove any imperfections. When you are ready to paint apply the epoxy mixed 1:1 with the activator and add about 10-20 % urethane reducer and use it as a sealer, allow it to dry for approximately 20 min and apply your color. Single stage urethane paints work great for solid colors, if you want a metallic color a urethane base coat followed by a urethane clear works best. After any sanding steps be sure to wipe and dry the frame with a quality wax and grease remover.
I paint bikes for a few custom builders and this combo works well. Let me know if you have any other questions. Check out the photo link on my website http://www.paintbytodd.com for pics of some of my work.

Hope this helps!
Todd