How best to get a glossy paint finish? Can it be done with a normal spray paint can?😕

[synchronicity]

I have this upper triple clamp (fork crown) that needs painting black and I'd like it to match the lower one (which is glossy).

I've stripped the paint chemically and nearly finished getting the last of that off. Everything is sanded back, almost ready to go for the next step.

Is this something I can do myself or am I better taking it somewhere to be painted professionally?

 

[enigma]

Hi There,
Have you ever spray painted with cans before..? Me personally if its a wall hanger it will never get damaged, so no issue, if its a rider then whatever you do pro or yourself its not likely to last like a factory finish.. so I would rattle can it with a quality system such as upol.
Always etch prime alloy, which means four cans ( etch, prime, colour, clear ) and north of twenty quid in paint, however you would be able to paint many fork crowns with the cans you need. Thin coats well dried, applied as directed by manufacturer.. I have done a lot of car restoration, infact just about anything I buy is tatty or needing repair! Even the light fittings and stuff for my house! So that's the warning, its addictive once you develop skills...!
Its totally subjective but small stuff would be difficult to get painted I imagine, piles of bits at a time is common for powder coating, which may be the original finish on a fork crown? But this sounds like a job for a nice day outside... fumes and overspray can be an issue if not familiar..
Someone will likely answer better than me! I will throw up some pics of parts I did for a fine wheather rider bike many years ago, its holding up amazingly after careful masking and painting, and leaving in the boiler house at work to 'cook' nice and hard before fitting! regards Ben

 

[fguki]

I do professional paints with ordinary rattle cans. 60% depends on which can you use. If its a cheap one from the hardware store or a good one (ca. double price) from a paint dealer is a huge difference!

I also use a lot of "SprayMax" 2k primers and 2k paints. They are awesome to work with and the SprayMax cups are really really good. No comparison to the cheap ones from the hardware store.

In the end, its all about practise! BUT the thing you have to consider the most is: thin but very even layers! Thin!!! then wait for 2 minutes and do another thin (layer).

If you have a good eye and some experience, you will see when you are doing good. When you spray, almost every paint appears to be rather matte. As soon as your layer turns glossy, youre good! That also goes for matte paints. They appear glossy at first (when your layer is good) and when still wet.

Also: In the moment you spray, your surface may not seem perfect. But wait another 20 seconds. The surface fluid will flow and flatten out and be evenly coated and then appear much better. So: be patient! Patience, and multiple thin coats with an application pause of about 2 minutes (depending on the paint 1k or 2k etc. A 2k paint dries much faster but takes longer to harden out completely) is king and your way to go!

Just buy a can and make a test on some other part that is similar.

Also remember that a base coat (color) always can be rather thin! When its full black, its full black! Or when its fully coated yellow, its yellow! You better apply an extra layer to your clear coat in the end. Making the base coat (color) thicker and thicker and thicker is quite useless.

 

[Repacker]

Though this thread is about repainting a frame, there's lots of good info and background in it for you:

Paint your wagon! Or rather a shiny frame the rattle can way

Ok as I paint my own frames with rattle cans I was asked to do a thread on painting them so here goes. Apologies up front for the lack of pictures or any details I miss as the weather is not as good as it was so I've had to take the painting opportunities while I could which doesn't always give...

www.retrobike.co.uk

 

[enigma]

Hi There,
Have you ever spray painted with cans before..? Me personally if its a wall hanger it will never get damaged, so no issue, if its a rider then whatever you do pro or yourself its not likely to last like a factory finish.. so I would rattle can it with a quality system such as upol.
Always etch prime alloy, which means four cans ( etch, prime, colour, clear ) and north of twenty quid in paint, however you would be able to paint many fork crowns with the cans you need. Thin coats well dried, applied as directed by manufacturer.. I have done a lot of car restoration, infact just about anything I buy is tatty or needing repair! Even the light fittings and stuff for my house! So that's the warning, its addictive once you develop skills...!
Its totally subjective but small stuff would be difficult to get painted I imagine, piles of bits at a time is common for powder coating, which may be the original finish on a fork crown? But this sounds like a job for a nice day outside... fumes and overspray can be an issue if not familiar..
Someone will likely answer better than me! I will throw up some pics of parts I did for a fine wheather rider bike many years ago, its holding up amazingly after careful masking and painting, and leaving in the boiler house at work to 'cook' nice and hard before fitting! regards Ben

These parts were done with mostly upol cans. I have access to full spray gear and use a detail gun for car work when I paint frames… and 2k laquer which I wouldn’t suggest you do at home. For parts though take time and decent results that last are possible.

 

[fguki]

It doesnt really matter if you do 1k or 2k "at home". Theyre both bad - of course! What does "at home" even mean to you?

 

[enigma]

It doesnt really matter if you do 1k or 2k "at home". Theyre both bad - of course! What does "at home" even mean to you?

Well that seems rude, ‘at home’ means in the garden or shed not in commercial space set up for the use of spray painting.
…. To me.
2k mixed in a gun is a whole different ball game to upol cans. I was only trying to explain there is a difference between rattle can laquer and the finish you can expect over proper gun shot clear. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.

 

[fguki]

Not meant to be rude.

I am talking 2k rattle cans all the time. Also, the tool u use doesnt matter (pre filled can vs. spray gun). Its all about the content. Theyre both not good. neither 1k, nor 2k, neither cans nor spray guns (for health and environment) so lets just leave that aspect aside for a moment.

I do everything „at home“. It all depends on what you have. an air cleaner, a proper mask at least etc…

please just stop generalizing. it all depends.

 

[KayOs]

I'm going to blabber on from the side, but I can only highly recommend this channel on the subject of painting.

https://youtube.com/@ETOE

 

[ishaw]

One thing I learned when spraying frames in my youth is that prep is king. Make sure you've cleaned and cleaned again before spraying.

Another thing I found to my cost once was temperature. If it's too cold, gloss paint dulls when it dries in colder temps so do it somewhere warm.

If doing outside, expect flies to swarm and stick to your nice paint finish.