Paint Job?

[Mr Weirdo]

Hello...

At the bottom of the headset tube the paint has flaked off, about the size of a 50p piece.

Now I don't expect a perfect finish but any suggestions on how I could repaint that area of the tube would be welcome.

Or maybe something a bit 'custom' as trying to match the existing red paints finish would be tricky?

Many thanks...

 

[novocaine]

Twice in 2 minutes. Nail varnish, nothing says dedication like standing at the counter with bike frame in hand selecting midnight tramp rouge as the closest match.

 

[Mr Weirdo]

I did it in Boots once...

The chemist that is!

 

[Mod-Master]

If it’s the size of a 50p then I think nail varnish won’t get it looking great.

Now I’m no expert, so don’t take my word for it. But I think the best way to do it is to key the area with, say, 600grit sandpaper. And you just want to scratch the surface, not remove it. Once you’ve evenly keyed the surface and feathered out the edges, then and a light coat of primer, just to help it stick to the metal. Then evenly spray x colour spray paint, whilst trying to achieve a smooth transition. If you are worried about the transition, then get a thin piece of paper, fold it in half and stick it to headtube. Repeat that all round the damage and then, because the paper will have a curved edge, the paint will find it harder to get underneath, thus creating a sort of feather affect.

It works on cars but for bikes it’s a bit more difficult.

 

[Mr Weirdo]

Thanks for the information...very useful.

 

[novocaine]

If it’s the size of a 50p then I think nail varnish won’t get it looking great.
because the paper will have a curved edge, the paint will find it harder to get underneath, thus creating a sort of feather affect.

It works on cars but for bikes it’s a bit more difficult.

Spoil sport. but yer ok, at that size getting it look good with nail varnish isn't the best solution (good way to get a colour match though).

right, im not on my phone so serious answer.

take the frame to your local car paint place (most towns have one, but only those in the know, know where it is), ask them to colour match it in a rattle can for you, it will cost about 12 quid (which seems expensive for a rattle can, but trust me on this, they are soooooo much better than premade cans you get in halfruads) while you are there pick up a tin of etch primer, this is what makes paint stick to stuff. if it's a steel frame you could probably get away with normally primer.
now, as Mr Master said above, sanding, 600-800 grit maximum, concentrate on the paint edges that are left, you want to smooth those in to the metal so there isn't a massive step (paint is laid on in microns, a thick coat with a clear is abour 180 microns thick, which is just shy of 0.2mm, doesn't sound a lot but anything bigger than around 40 microns will show though the paint).
Mr Masters suggestion for feathering is a good one, we used to do it with masking tape, by only sticking half to the surface then rolling the rest back.

only things missing then are final prep, which is a wipe down to remove grease and dust, not done with the same cloth.
prime it, let it be, prime it again. sand that with 800 grit gentle like then hit the colour, 2-3 layers is enough, they should be sprayed within 20 minutes of each other.

now heres the tricky bit, walk away from it. don't touch it, don't sniff it, don't lick it (never lick it), leave it for 24 hours, preferable somewhere toasty but right now, yer that might not happen.

now you've left it for 24 hours, hit it with a hair dryer. warm that puppy up.

now back to leaving it. when you've left it for a few days, rub it back with 1200 grit to get rid of the orange effect.

 

[Mr Weirdo]

Thank you...soo much to think and do for one small space but important though. The difficult bit is as you say is not to touch, etc I m really bad at not touching things lol.

Thank you both for taking the time and effort to respond.

 

[Nabeaquam]

I use the small bottles of model enamel. It has a lot more pigment than other paint. If you buy a kit of all their colors you can usually get a decent mixed match.

 

[Mr Weirdo]

On smaller chips I do but I'm not sure this time maybe signwriters enamel? Have to check that out...sorry for the late reply and thanks for your input.