Paging the bodgeristi - Smoothrite?

I'm in the process of cleaningmy circa 1992 GT mountain bike frame,
replacing bearings and the like, just to revitalise it as a useful
runaround.

Whilst I could go and get it stove enamled, or powder coated, it's
probably not worth spending more than a £20 on the job. So, what I'm
wondering is would aerosol based smoothrite be up to the job and any
more hard wearing than normal auto spraypaint (again in aerosols).

I'm not looking for any flashy paintwork here, just a basic plain
colour like red or yellow.

Any other options you can think of?

 

I used silver smoothrite on the race fairing and it looks fine...
from a distance. That was only because the fairing was previously
crashed and needed filling & sanding which I spent the minimal
time on. Applying the (rather thick) Smoothrite helped to cover
a multitude of sins though: http://tinyurl.com/5phz32

A few points to note:
- it's very picky about temperature and humidity, more so than
"standard" spray tins I found. Too hot/cold or humid and it
will react badly when applied.
- it can react with other paints and crackle; combined with the
above it can create a real mess. Make sure you strip off all
the old paint first.
- it's very thick and the spray nozzles get clogged if you use
it for long periods, leading to spotting. Clean the nozzles
after each use and don't use for too long.
- it gets *everywhere*, even more so than normal spray dust.

A few generic spray tips:
- wear a mask. They're about a fiver in B&Q for a proper filtered
one and will stop you blowing coloured snot out of your nose
for the next week
- preparation is the key. A smooth surface before paint means a
smooth surface once it's painted.
- sand off any old paint then use a good primer.
- mask off everything you don't want covered in paint dust. twice.
- Halfrauds now sell paint "wipes" for cleaning off the surface
before painting. These are Really Good.

HTH

 

BBQ Paint.

 

The whole thing is going to get nitromorsed for starters, then sanded
with wet & dry to remove the annoying bits of rust... OTOH I might yet
say **** it, and buy a new frame my current MTB as tarting it up seems
like a hassle, then I'd cascade it's frame down to be my road bike...
although then I get into the annoyance of working out if I can be
arsed sticking old 5 bolt deore XT cranks on, or if newer cranks mix
with older 7 speed hubs... which also seems like a lot of hassle
really. And if that's the case I may as well just throw it in the tip
instead.

Ahh no worries here, I'm planning to empty the little garden shed and
use it as a spraying booth.

Good idea with the mask, I'd not have thought about that.

 

I love the smell of creasote.

 

Smoothrite goes on great, even looks fine, but you try and get it off or
touch it up. fnar.
More suited to gates and railings, but if you must and if it's only for
a shite old bicycle, ok.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
How much more suspenseful can you get?"
- House

 

Go to a proper automotive paint supplier and get a couple of cans of
decent quality aerosol car paint plus clearcoat.

Not hugely more expensive than cheap shit rattle cans from Halfords, but
capable of producing a 'factory' finish.

(There's an article in this month's 'Practical Classics' magazine where
they did an invisible repair to a Mercedes SLK rear 3/4 panel and door
with such cans)

 

Just one more teeny little mouthful...

"Creosote", btw.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
How much more suspenseful can you get?"
- House

 

I might be tempted to get a quote for a rough and ready spray job. I
did it for a couple of my frames a long while back and it's going to
cost more than 20 squids, but may come in far enough under 50 to make it
worth while.

Failing that, black smoothrite type stuff is what I would do.

 

Any idea where I find such a place? Do most cities have them?

 

To be honest, I don't know.

There's a company that calls itself a 'Vehicle Refinishing Supplier' in
Derby - but you could also try this:

http://www.paints4u.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=5264&Mainselection
=4

A proper aerosol should have a nozzle that can be rotated 90 degrees to
give a horizontal or vertical coverage pattern with no splatter, unlike
a cheapo rattle can.

 

search yell.com for motor factor and then phone to see if they do paint.
Many do. 11 listed in Derby

 

In the morning?

--
Malc
I said "Oh pretty maid I think you done me wrong"
I said "Oh pretty maid I think you done me wrong"
"You just wait there boy, I'll do you right after evensong"
Sid Kipper

 

It won't cost much more than 20 quid if it REACHES 20 quid to get a frame
powdered. I paid 60 for a bike frame (LC 125), swingarm (in a different
colour o the frame), all the bracketry for the ancillaries, the battery
carrier, side stand and a centre stand I had lying around for a VN.

Aerosol Smoothrite will work too, but don't leave it more than an hour or
two between coats or it'll up and die on you, or transform itself into crazy
paving.

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19
..

 

And you *actually* believe they did that with rattle cans?

<boggle>


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I have seen some very good results with them, but you really have to
know how to d it. Like you say, you'll never get a decent finish with it
like factory etc.

 

But apparently *they* can. On top of all that, single component lacquer is
absolute shite for staying shiny and looking good, so even if the finished
job looks good on the day, it certainly won't in a week.

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

None of this may matter, I just discovered the bottom bracket
cartridge the bike takes with it's current crank (73x127) is
discontinued so I'll also need a new crank, and if I'm spending money
I'd rather do it on a new frame for the newer bike and cascade things
down instead.

Shame really, as I was quite looking forward to having a proper early
90's GT on the road again, but with modern forks.

Then again, I might just build it as a singlespeed instead.

hmm.

 

Are you certain on those dimensions? It's not a 68mm shell? I
thought all GTs were 68.

Isn't it a 1in headset? In which case you'd have a job running modern
forks.

Just buy a new limited edition GT Zaskar frame...

http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article.asp?UAN=5592&v=1

....it'll look classic but take modern stuff.

 

Positive. The 1992/93 Richter 8.0 was a 73. I took the measurements
directly from the BB that I'd removed. I think they settled on 68's
shortly after that, when the Avalanche took the spot that the Richter
left.

The problem turns out to be pretty much all down to the straight arms
on a 1992 Deore DX crank, they're not kicked out at all so need a
stupidly long axle, however to get a look at whether a modern crank
would fix the problem I popped an arm off the Truvativ FiveD from my
other bike into place and they offered loads of clearance, so it's a
cheap fix really.

I might use this as an excuse to put nicer kit on the offroad bike and
use the cast offs on the GT.. I'd like full shimano on the offroad
setup.

Nope. It's definitely a 1 1/8 (inside radius of the head tube is 34mm)
- that's why finding threaded forks was tricky when I did my quick
bodge last year, but it'll take anything modern.. the decision now is
do I bung some Kona P2's on and go for a full rigid, or do I cascade
the forks off my other bike and upgrade that.

To be fair, the only modern thing I won't be able to install is a rear
disk or V-brake as I'll have the Shimano U brake on the back with it's
non standard mounts. But I've never had any issue with it's stopping
power and it all adds to the retro charm.