DIY frame refurb

widowmaker

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I have a frame which has quite a few chips and in need of some tlc.

Its for my 11 year old son as his first step into 26" wheeled mountain bikes, the frame is a decent reynolds 501 but does not justify a proper proffesional respray as i am sure it will take some abuse.

So i want to give it a DIY make over, strip the decals and give it a general tidy up, just to make it something he can be proud to ride for a few years.

Anyone have any tips for treating the small rust spots, degreasing etx, then rattlecan spraying it.

Ta :)
 
You'll get a shotblast and powdercoat cheaper and quicker than doing a rattlecan job. It'll last better too.
 
cce":3i12y9ts said:
You'll get a shotblast and powdercoat cheaper and quicker than doing a rattlecan job. It'll last better too.

I had a search of powdercoaters used on here and some are charging as little as £40

By the time i had bought the masking tape, primer, and top coat i would have spent the same.

:facepalm:
 
I second that. As long as you're going for a single colour, it'll be pretty cheap. I've often seen prices of around £40 mentioned here, and it looks like you've done that too.
Then get some decals done. The result will give your son a few years of joy. That's gotta be worth the extra bit of money, especially if it saves you from having to spend a week to strip and paint it yourself.
 
Yep, powder coat.
Get them to strip it too.
I painted a frame and a month later it still isn't hard enough to ride!
 
Have a look here: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=232111

I had a frame and forks powdercoated for £40.00 at LSN Coatings, Castleford: http://www.lsn-coatings.co.uk/ and I was very pleased with the results.

I did strip and spray a frame with rattle cans many years ago and did get pretty good results, but it was a lot of work. I probably spend 20+ hours over 4 or 5 days stripping and re-spraying the frame, waiting for coats to dry etc. I used a clear lacquer over the final coat and the end result looked pretty good, but it wasn't a particularly durable finish and chipped and marked fairly easily. I definately wouldn't do it myself again.
 
Much of the powdercoat cost is sprayer cleaning and setup. If you get them to blast it and send it through with whatever batch they are running (typically black or white) it should be a little cheaper - but there is a pot luck element to what colour you get!
 
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