DIY Bike Painting

Most of us amateur mechanics don't have too much problem tearing a bike apart and then putting it back together. This time I figure I'd try something a bit more ambitious.

DIY Bike Painting.

Before I go further, be aware that a project such as this has pros and cons.

I'll start with the negatives. This is a messy, potentially toxic, time consuming, requires some some special space considerations, and time consuming project. Unless you are meticulous about your work, more often than not, you may end up with a paint job that doesn't look good. Costs can get out of hand as well if you're not careful. Perhaps you are restoring an old frame and need special decals, or maybe you want to go with powdercoat. For these reasons you may want to get your frame professionally painted. Yes it costs more, but you don't have to worry about any of the above problems.

On the other hand, DIY painting offers some serious financial incentives. Custom paint jobs seem to start around the $300 mark, while doing it yourself may only cost a few cans of spray paint. The real benefit is not financial. You get full creative control over YOUR project, and that is priceless.

There are a smattering of articles here and there on DIY bike painting. Most give a pretty good overview of the process, but they don't dive too deeply into specifics. Ride BMX Magazine posted an article a week ago that does a fantastic job explaining how to paint a frame (they don't strip their frame though).

For my DIY bike painting project, I'll be working on a Giant NRS1 full suspension bike frame. I got the frame on ebay, and although the paint is in good condition, the yellow and silver I can do without.

Start out with disassembly first. This frame had quite a few bushings, bearings, pivots, and screws to take apart. I put all of the hardware in a ziploc baggie. I don't have a headset removal tool, so for the time being, I'm leaving the cups in place.

Here is the the frame after disassembly. I'm left with 3 major parts to strip (clockwise): the front triangle, the seatstay, and the chainstay.

I used 2 products to strip the frame. I found this spray on paint remover at my local Kragen auto parts store. It works OK, but it doesn't work too aggressively. I got about half my frame stripped before the can ran out. I know you're not supposed to sniff it, but it smells like Easy Off oven cleaner. Actually, oven cleaner might work for a job like this. Plastic scale modelers sometimes use oven cleaning spray to strip paint from old models.

A better product (IMHO) is Jasco gel paint stripper. I bought a can from Home Depot. You have to brush it on, and it's messier than the spray. It works very quickly too (less than a minute).

No matter which product you use, you'll see the paint start to peel and bubble. Wearing gloves, I used steel wool and scrapers to remove the loose paint. Some graphics on the frame are decals under the clear coat. After the first round of stripping, I had to peel away the newly exposed decals then apply a second coat of stripper.

After a thorough washing with a hose and nozzle, I am left with a clean bare frame. In the next phase, I'll get the frame sanded and primed.

I'll also need to start finalizing a paint scheme for the NRS1. To aid with the design process, I came up with a template that I can print and sketch out various designs. You are welcome to download it for working on your own DIY Bike Painting project.

Coming soon: frame prep and priming.