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Paint... Oh, and I don't know what I'm doing

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Kstone

Wore out three sets of tires already!
Haaaaaaaalp.

I've spent some significant time looking through threads to get some insight on painting. What I've learned is its expensive, there isn't one clear cut way to go about it, and getting the right color is like finding a needle in a haystack.

So after reading, I'm walking away more overwhelmed, but determined to figure this out and do it right. I also am keeping this bike, so I understand the cost of whatever route I choose won't be recouperated.

Now, I have never restored a bike before. So I'm just putsing around learning everything the hard way and trying to use my profession in art to guide and inform me...

At first I had the hopes I could drop my tank and rack off at an auto painter and pay out the nose to have them do it the right way...Meanwhile expecting them to be confused by the young girl who walked into a car shop, random bike parts in hand, with no knowledge of this type of painting (if only my schooling of painting in oils could save me now) but now I've read about flake size being different on cars and in the end the color and metallic glow of the era just isn't matched.
... and it seems some of you guys have success doing your own paint jobs. The artist and tinkerer in me leans towards doing as much myself as possible.

So I read about all the primers and sanding and coats...And length between coats so you don't get alligator skin...And krylon is great.... Rust-Oleum is great....no, now they're both terrible... Hey there's Schwinn paints out there perfectly matched...Yadda yadda, I'm confused and up to my eyeballs in information. But I do feel like I know so much more now! Just not how to apply it to this bike.

Can I get opinions on what my next step is? I am trying to repaint just part of the bike. The bike in question is a late 50s Roadmaster luxury liner, that at some point of it's life, was made to look like an earlier model, so someone stripped the red paint off it. The idiot I am, didn't realize the paint job this bike used to have existed as an option, so I've removed one white pin stripe until a Caber here informed me. Which I know removing nice original pain is bad, but I'm finding the good in it, as now I have an exact sample color to match. Yay?.... I'm gunna go with "yay" so I feel better.....

The paint is a clear red, as pictured below. (I've also learned from here that red is the most expensive color). Ive added a photo of my tank with the white pinstripes (and now "sample" red pinstripe), as well as other photos of what the bike should look like.

Do I go to an auto paint store and have it put into spray cans to apply myself...Are there well known names of shops that do this? Have you had luck with this approach? Do I try to match it to a Rust-Oleum or krylon paint? How neat and tidy of a job can these spray paints do? Do I still attempt to just bring it to an auto body shop?
And if I'm doing it myself... How do I prep it...As it's over chrome and I'm assuming you aren't really sanding or priming that like with an opaque paint.

Also, once we get past that step, can I get recommendations on what paint to buy to redo my pinstripe I brain farted on and removed?

Thank you for listening to my confused babbling.




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I'm a little lost, but I'm willing to provide some feedback if I can. What needs painted on the bike? Jim
I'm a lot lost if we talking about the bike in the photos?

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
 
It doesn't look like concours is the goal, so I would suggest getting pinstripe tape. As for painting the tank itself, without removing the chrome, there's no good way to paint over it as adhesion would be the issue. Because of that, you'd be best off with rattle cans rather than waste money on automotive paint. You will want to sand that with some heavy grit sandpaper and use an acid etching primer for best adhesion. Depending on what you want to do, you may be able to get a bodyshop to do it cheap. I did most of the work on my 2000 Iver Johnson in automotive 2k. Base coat came out perfect and was quite easy using Preval sprayers, but the nozzles are no good for clear coat. Went to a body shop on a Saturday and one of the guys that worked there (not the owner) did the clear for me under the table and sure beat the job I would do even if I had a gun. It was $100, but the minimum size can of clear I can get from a local supplier is $80, anyway. I painted the pinstripe and lettering myself and applied the decals prior to the clear. The other problem in this case was where the paint met bare metal at the polished aluminum head tube. To protect the paint from chipping at the edge, I wrapped a piece of 3M film around the head tube and covering the paint edges. It also works well at cable rub points and as a chain stay protector. In your case, you might want to think about getting some of that film for the painted part of the tank. As long as the paint adheres decently enough (like better than trying to paint stinking HDPE), the film will protect it from most abrasion, which would be a constant threat.


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As for painting the tank itself, without removing the chrome, there's no good way to paint over it as adhesion would be the issue. ...You will want to sand that with some heavy grit sandpaper and use an acid etching primer for best adhesion.

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I may be wrong but isn't the chrome plating under the opaque red important to the look of that paint?
 
I'm thinking the Testors candy red (transparent would probably be a pretty good match here. I'd prep this with a good wipe down of lacquer thinner and mist a coat on and then give it a full wet coat which should achieve the depth you need. If not hit it once more. V/r Shawn
 
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