Ti ... To paint or not to paint (Kona content)

Ok ... Looking for some opinion ...

... And before I get flamed on the spot let me just provide some context.

So, I bought my 1994 Hei Hei frame off here over a year ago ... Wasn't in the greatest of condition and it had a really ugly scar on the rear stay where a disc tab had been hacked off.

See build thread for pictures and progress

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=266228

Anyway, I've spent more hours than I care to admit removing the tab remenants and brushing all marks out of the frame ...

The problem is that there are some areas of cable rub on the headtude that no amount of elbow power is going to remedy and it is doing my head in ...

I know this is a 20+ year frame and scars like this tell the story of a bike used as its creator intended but for this project I'm really struggling to get over it.

So ... I'm thinking about getting the frame painted and having the offending areas filled ... I went to the Bespoke show in London this year where Enigma bikes had a number of painted ti frames on display with exposed raw chain stays, I thought they looked amazing ... and certainly sowed a seed for this project.

I've gone as far as to talk to Enigma, who now offer bespoke paint jobs, and they are confident that frame could be sprayed witnout any perminant damage to the frame I.e it could be reversed ... Although, it would be a costly U turn

There also seems to be a bit of a precedent (he says building a case) for hei heis being painted ... Allegedly some team riders rode painted hei heis back in the day and then there is this ...

http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/27-5-6 ... b-kona.jpg

So what do people think? ... am I on the verge of comitting an unforgivable sin of cardinal proportions ... or just finding a way to take this project forwards in a way that meets my OCD nature?

Note ... if the frame hadn't already been hacked about and didn't have the scars it has ... I wouldn't dream of doing this.

I'm thinking of getting the frame painted in a hot style finish with exposed raw ti stays and bb (like the Kona Una) with custom Hei Hei 94 decals

Re:

There are 2 ways of thinking about this; there is plenty of precedence in painting Ti frames (especially leaving the stays raw) and just a quick look at the Indi Fab owners area will show some great examples.

However, would this be the way to go on a classic 94 Hei Hei? It would look great part painted but it would loose quite a bit of that originality that probably attracted you to it in the first place. Indeed, part painting it will give it a modern look and you would need to decide if that's something you would want.

Alternatively, you could go straight for a Kona Stars n Bars paint scheme with raw stays. This is still classic Kona with a modern twist. Retro in the true sense of the word

Hey... soo, when I bought my Kona Hei Hei someone had painted parts of it... the paint came off in 5 minutes with a 3m Scrub pad... I don't think it would be that hard to remove it..

Question... are you riding this bike or displaying it?

Paint doesn't bond that great to Ti so it tends to flake off in chunks... with regular painted steel frames the paint will scratch but with Ti it is more likely to come off in flakes... This is because it bonds to itself better than the Ti...

Someone who knows more about this should chime in as I'm not an expert... =)

Re:

Depends on the primer,,a metal etch primer would not scotch brite off,,

Re: Re:

mrdryskull":29w668ye said:

Depends on the primer,,a metal etch primer would not scotch brite off,,

Click to expand...

True... Even epoxy primer is tough too so it might grab

LDP - I'd definitely be looking to create a retro look and feel ... I'm not sure about the stars and bars finish but I'd like to achieve something along those lines ;-)

Shutter - Good question ... I guess I'm aiming for 90% display bike, 10% retro mtb ride on dry summer trails ;-) ... I'll make sure that I quiz enigma further on the durability of paint on Ti

serotta ti hard tails were part painted they looked great with the brushed ti alongside paint,,,,,ide go for it feller

Booo for the stars and bars,,Canadian at heart ! ,,,maybe maple leafs.

Re:

I like it

Couple of pics (same bike!) I had saved on the PC....




You do need to research the primer/paint process though. For example lots of people repaint their 'mag' forks without using the correct 'conversion' coat.

Cheers

Splatter ?