Can you really paint an old bicycle ??

Hello All,

i have an old (1970s?) road bike by Nishiki that I picked up for $30 US and
I would like to paint it.

But, to have it painted would cost way more than the bike is worth. Can I do
it? Will it look like hell warmed over?

Thoughts?

--
Regards, Joe

"Joe Potter" wrote in message
om...
Hello All,

i have an old (1970s?) road bike by Nishiki that I picked up for $30 US
and
I would like to paint it.

But, to have it painted would cost way more than the bike is worth. Can I
do
it? Will it look like hell warmed over?

Thoughts?


You might take off the crank and seat post, and look inside the frame for
rust. If it has a lot, then it might not be worth it. But if it's clean, if
the frame
fits you, and if the frame doesn't have a million miles on it, a paint job
could
make for a nice bike. You can go to your LBS to order stickers for the bike.

A good paint job goes from about $150.00 and up.

M.

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 18:57:59 -0500, Grenouil
wrote:
although a car buff friend told me to try appliance paint

Good idea! Appliance paint goes on smooth, is
rather tough, and comes only in a couple ugly
colors. Colors aside, it sounds like the best
way to DIY.
--
Rick Onanian

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 22:11:16 +0000, Michael wrote:

i have an old (1970s?) road bike by Nishiki that I picked up for $30 US
and
I would like to paint it.

But, to have it painted would cost way more than the bike is worth. Can
I
do
it? Will it look like hell warmed over?

If you do it yourself -- and are not experienced and don't have all the
equipment -- yeah. But you can get it powder-coated for less than you
think. Friend of mine went to the shop I recommended, and went with a
color they had in stock, and got a real nice finish for $80. Mine, I
wanted a particular color (metalic cobalt blue) and a chromed fork, so
mine cost $150.

If you start adding up cost for paint cans, primer, and the effort
required to strip the frame, then powder coating is a bargain. It also
lasts a long time, and it very tough.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | This is my religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
_`\(,_ | complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our
(_)/ (_) | temple. The philosophy is kindness. --The Dalai Lama

"Rick Onanian" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 18:57:59 -0500, Grenouil
wrote:
although a car buff friend told me to try appliance paint

Good idea! Appliance paint goes on smooth, is
rather tough, and comes only in a couple ugly
colors. Colors aside, it sounds like the best
way to DIY.

I have repainted several bikes over the years. Auto touch-up paint in an
aerosol can is the worst. That stuff scratches waaaay too easily. I've had
really good luck with Krylon aerosol paint. I think the best example is an
old wrought iron and wood bench I have sitting in the Texas sun for most of
the day (only shaded in the early morning and late evening). The Krylon
satin black I shot on it several years ago shows no signs of fading and has
put up with the abuse of playground balls with nary a nick. The bike I shot
with metallic green touch-up paint at about the same time already has some
major scratches.

The most important step in a good finish is a good sanding job. Before you
paint, make sure you wash it thoroughly and don't get your greasy hands on
it again. Then shoot it with several light coats of primer followed by
several light coats of paint. Don't spray it on too thick or the paint will
run. Wait for each coat to dry as per manufacturer recommendations. Finally,
take your time and it will turn out nice.

Good luck!
Buck

"Joe Potter" wrote in message
om...
Hello All,

i have an old (1970s?) road bike by Nishiki that I picked up for $30 US
and
I would like to paint it.

But, to have it painted would cost way more than the bike is worth. Can I
do
it? Will it look like hell warmed over?

Yes, you can paint your bike.

I've done it. Spray paint works fine, if you don't mind touching it up now
and then - it's not quite as durable as two-stage auto paint or
powdercoating; but it is acceptable. You can remove the old decals using
lighter fluid (and even re-apply them later if they're intact.)

You don't have to strip the paint: Just sand it real good - nice and
smooth - before painting. Judicious use of primer and body filler will
allow you to build- up gouges and rough spots. Use auto primer on rust spots
(after sanding thoroughly).

If you're going to strip the paint, I recommend "aircraft paint remover".
Other strippers will work, too. It's very messy - you'll want to wear
goggles and elbow-length butyl rubber gloves. Chemical paint stripper is
*nasty* stuff! Don't get any of it on your skin, in eyes or mouth. Be
extra careful, and only strip paint outside or in a well-ventilated area.
'Nuf said.

Plain old $2 cheap enamel spray paint dries pretty tough; but you have to
let it "cure" for a week or so before rebuilding the bike (the hot summer
sun does a good job of curing). You'll probably need 2 cans of paint,
applied in several light coats. After it has dried for a few days, you can
also spray it with polyurethane clearcoat. Any department store should have
what you need. Surprisingly, I've had the best results with the cheapest
generic house-brand spray paint. Go figure.

If you want something special, there are some great new paints on the
market. They even have that amazing irridescent multi-color paint in spray
cans now (you may have seen it on Klein and Cannondale bikes frames, and on
hot rod cars). It's a two-stage paint system, and comes in three different
color schemes. The kit is under $20. It would look very sharp on a bike
frame. I have a couple of frames that might get a irridescent paint job this
summer.

Total cost should be under $10. Time spent will vary from under an hour to
a full day or more, depending on how elaborately you disassemble and/or
strip/prep the frame.

While you're being creative, why not buy a few bottles of Testors model
paint and some small brushes and paint flames, or little murals on the
frame? Get creative! It's a $30 bike; but you could turn it into your
masterpiece (or practice for your masterpiece). If you don't like it, paint
over it. No harm done.

Be sure to snap some before-and-after digital photos and post them for us to
see.

Have fun,

Barry

Joe Potter wrote:

Hello All,

i have an old (1970s?) road bike by Nishiki that I picked up for $30 US and
I would like to paint it.

But, to have it painted would cost way more than the bike is worth. Can I do
it? Will it look like hell warmed over?

Thoughts?

--
Regards, Joe

Beauty resides in the usual place. vis: the "eye of the beholder"
You can paint your own bike. You can do the job with a paint brush, spray can,
or MegaMart special electric pump paint sprayer.
You can strip to bare metal or paint over decals and all, it is your call. Who
but you (and your in-laws) know how fussy you are? ;-p It is all up to you.
If you are willing to strip down to the frame and hang it up with wire you can
do a decent home paint job.
I painted an old Norco mtn bike last winter. Could not hack another ride on the
spotty robin's egg blue frame - handlebars included!
Washed it with paint thinner and surface sanded all surfaces with something like
120 grit wet/dry paper. The very tough paint had chips out of it, but no rust
in the not chromoly steel frame. I laid down a primer coat over the existing
paint with a rust paint primer, followed by a couple of coats of my favourite
bright yellow rust paint. It dried to a tough bright yellow finish, very easily
seen at night and easy to touch up with a brush.
I did the entire paint job with a brush, as I did not have an area that would
tolerate overspray from a paint gun or spray bomb.
Some persons reactions were negative, as they thought it was silly to paint a
bike with a brush. I felt a bit negative about my efforts for a while even
though I liked the result. Then I went on my usual rides, shopping, visiting,
etc. and naturally chatting now and then with other cyclists. Reactions to my
paint job (from strangers) were mainly unsolicited. One young fella made me
tell him exactly what I had done, as he did not believe a bicycle could be
painted with a brush, and of course wanted to paint his bike too!
So I guess the question is, how professional do YOU want it to look?
Brush painting is a simple and not too difficult skill. In the days of Henry
Ford, ALL of his Model T's were painted with paintbrushes. Good news!! Bikes
have a much smaller surface area than a model T Ford. :-}
It's not hard, do multi coats, be a bit skimpy thickness of each coat. You
will do fine.

Bernie

"David L. Johnson" wrote in
message ...
On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 22:11:16 +0000, Michael wrote:

If you do it yourself -- and are not experienced and don't
have all the
equipment -- yeah. But you can get it powder-coated for
less than you
think. Friend of mine went to the shop I recommended, and
went with a
color they had in stock, and got a real nice finish for
$80. Mine, I
wanted a particular color (metalic cobalt blue) and a
chromed fork, so
mine cost $150.

If you start adding up cost for paint cans, primer, and
the effort
required to strip the frame, then powder coating is a
bargain. It also
lasts a long time, and it very tough.

David L. Johnson

A powder coat is the best bet for a tough finish - the
problem for me is finding someone local who can powder coat
at a reasonable price - return shipping cost to have it done
non-locally on a low cost frameset is generally
prohibitive.....

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 07:57:45 +0000, Grenouil wrote:

A powder coat is the best bet for a tough finish - the problem for me is
finding someone local who can powder coat at a reasonable price - return
shipping cost to have it done non-locally on a low cost frameset is
generally prohibitive.....

So, where's local? Bellsouth.net.... are you near a large city? I'm
sure there would be a decent powder coater in Houston, Atlanta, or
whereever the nearest big city is. Bikers -- that is, Harley riders --
use powder-coating for a lot of their customization.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but
_`\(,_ | what canst thou say? -- George Fox.
(_)/ (_) |

It's value as a collector's item is minimal, unless the bicycle is
very rare. I don't think Traveler's are but I hunt for English
roadsters not Schwinns. Collectors tend to look for bikes in as
"original" condition as possible. Post your question at Old Roads
http://oldroads.com/ and get their opinion.

Have you considered restoring it? It would be an interesting project,
definitely not cost or effort effective but still interesting. Help
with the logos, pin stripes and decal can be obtained. This is an
aspect of bicycling I wasn't even aware of until last year.


On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 05:22:43 GMT, "Lorenzo L. Love"
wrote:

OK, I know HOW to paint a bike, but should I? I have a 1954 Schwinn
Traveler 3-speed ( http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove/travelersmall.JPG )
Front and rear rack, fenders, generator and headlight work, tail light
missing. Rear rim looks like it was run over with a car and
"straightened" with a big ball pen hammer but is still ridable, front
rim needs replacement too, otherwise it is mechanically sound. All I
need to restore this to full functionality is new rear light, new rims,
new brake pads, new tires... and a paint job. The original paint is
about 40% gone. It had silk screened logos on the frame, hand painted
pin stripes on the fork and a big decal on the chain guard. No way I can
reproduce any of that. I am very hesitant to strip it and give it a
plain jane utilitarian paint job and destroy what ever collectible value
it has even with it's current ratty paint. But I can't leave like it is
with bare metal hanging out. What to do, what to do...

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the fact that a
person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater, and even a
newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive there's something wrong with him."
Art Buchwald