Stripping paint off a Cannondale frame

[jawa]

I recently brought what I am pretty sure is a 92 Cannondale Killer V frame. The paint is trashed so I was going to get a respray but then I was looking at a thread on MTRB and someone on there has used paint stripper to remove the paint off their killer v frame and then used steel wool to polish the frame.

Now, seeing as I know very little about this sort of thing, this sounds like a good idea to me to get a nice shiney look but does this sound like a good idea to people who actually know what they are talking about?!?

Any guidance about whether I should do this or not would be greatly appreciated.

 

[stew-b]

go for it they look fantastic when polished up.it will be more of a job than just stripping it though,lots of elbow grease to get a good shine.

 

[kaiser]

Go for it.Very retro, lots of folks done it BITD.

I would suggest, although there is more than one way to skin a cat.

1 paint stripper, may need a few coats
2 Scotch brite pads fine or extra fine from ebay or a body shop supplier
3 Brillo pads
4 Autosol from a motor factors/halfords good for the big tubes with a soft cloth.
5 Brasso/Duraglit the wadding stuff

Step 2 could be missed out but I think its less work and step 5 could be missed too depending on the quality of finish.

There are mechanical means with rotary scotchbrite pads and polishing wheels but for a frame I would stick with the hand method.

I've only started polishing things and there are others on here who have done some fantastic jobs(andy.l's forks) I'm sure there will be plenty of methods.

I'm also polishing a 92 beast of the east and you can see my forks herehttp://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28513 I'll have the frame up soon too when its done.

 

[jawa]

Great, thanks for the help and info.

You guys have convinced me I am not about to trash my frame!

I think it sounds like a good idea - can you still ride the bike on very sunny days once it is done or do you blind people with the shine

 

[stew-b]

depends how hard you polish it!

 

[FirstFlight]

Not sure what year they started using a yellow colored high-fill primer but it can be a chore to remove, especially on the V frames with all the welded joints.

 

[alpinestar222]

strip

Stripping is hard work!!
Just spent most of today taking my Proflex to pieces then Nitromorsing (or any similar product could be used ) my rear triangle and both Vector legs. What I didn't anticipate was how hard Hammerite would be to remove from the legs :shock: it turns to rubber.
All off now and legs looking shiny and burnished by hand with various grades of wet and dry and a lot of elbow grease/patience.
Hope it was worth the effort when I rebuild.
Good luck with your strip