Stripping Bicycle Paint and Bare Metal Clear Coat

I’m reading up on my options to mechanically and/or chemically remove the OEM bike paint on a steel bike frame I’m working on.

I’m leaning towards a chemical option as I have only a single layer of paint to remove and I’d like to leave a smooth finish on the metal. I was considering one of these:

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-down-to-metal-paint-powder-stripper.html

I would then like to replace it with a clear coat that will allow the steel to show.

So far I’ve found Eastwood Exo-Armour:
https://www.eastwood.com/exoarmour.html

and Rust Prevention Magic (RPM):

Basically I’m curious what the automotive guys use and what yall consider best practice.

I’d appreciate any advice you have!! Thanks!

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I’ve got nothing! But I’d sure like to see before and after pics of this project.

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Paint hides a lot of sins in bare metal. Small surface scratches, discolorations grind marks around welds, etc.

I used https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-Automotive-255448-32-Ounce-AircrAft/dp/B003Z8XUAQ/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C4H5T9YQBNW9PHJ41WVM for a bunch of car / motorcycle projects. Works amazing, will eat the skin off your body too.

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How big is the frame? We just switched to aluminum oxide in the vapor hone.

Bicycle frames are usually brazed…

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Then that will likely be an even higher contrast. I guess the point I was trying to make, unsuccessfully, is the joint becomes very visible in a bare metal condition.

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You’re absolutely right. Your point is dead on. And it could be very interesting, and made more so by the brazing and/or other ‘sins’ being covered.
Or not, depending on one’s goals…

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@jast, This is a cheap department store frame. It’s has very definitive weld beads.

@Photomancer, I may completely change my mind once I strip off the original paint and just replace it with some basic primer.

@TBJK, It’s a 21" mountain bike frame, for what that’s worth. It’s honestly not large. The aluminum frame on my hybrid/fitness bike is far larger.

You could try the vapor hone.

In any case, I’m pretty far from the repainting stage, but I do need to strip some paint in the near future to continue progress on the project.

@TBJK, I just googled that. That looks like it would be a wonderful solution. Can I read about it on the wiki?

@LukeStrickland, I’ll read up on the Rustoleum product. Thanks!!!

I really appreciate the suggestions, guys!!

I found this:

https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Board_of_Directors_Meeting_20180126

and this:

So I’m guessing it’s the chamber in the metal shop. Not sure if it’s large enough.

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Its worth a shot to try it. Make sure you have the grease out & get the races out.

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Instead of primer, you might want to try some rust converter, it can act as a primer and creates a barrier. If you look at the heavy blue steel table in front of the Bridgeport, you’ll see where the paint has been scraped off and you can see dark colored converter coat that was put on over two years go.

All the heavy rust was wire brushed off then sanded lighted. The converter applied and allowed to dry/cure for 24 hours, then painted. As can be seen it it fairly abrasion resistant, more than the paint. That table gets a lot of “abuse” as a work surface. The converter will not only retard rust but act as a primer.

You may want to consider that if your are going to paint.

This is what was used: Rust Reformer /Converter

Good luck

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The tools page of the wiki also lists that equipment, with a link to its specifications.

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Back in teh day i used a simple wire wheel brush to gouge the bike frame clean before painting. It made the paint stay on SOLID and never wear off. In this case with an outdoor item you’re gonna want an ‘imperfect’ strip as the marks/ scratches will make a paint job stick.

I would not reccommend an agressive wire wheel as I over did it last time I rebuilt a bike.

The sand blaster might not be big enough. I’ve used it before to strip metal parts but they were about half the size of a bike frame.

You might consider taking one of the hand machine sanders with an aggressive grit to strip the paint job.

A chemical option might not be good as with OEM bike paint it’s going to be on solid and thick and you’re going to create a LOT of fumes trying to strip it. and then you’d have yet another step after that trying to switch from a chemical job to a sanding job which would invovle cleaning in between and drying. Since you’d have to sand it anyway to create a nice surface for the paint to stick

I’ve done a handful of bike rebuilds. good luck!

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From my youtube and google “research” a wide variety of abrasive surfaces are made specifically for removing paint from auto-bodies using an angle grinder without eating away the metal underneath. As I understand it, automotive sheet is pretty thin, considerably thinner than the cheap HT steel used for my bike frame.

That may be the simplest solution.

What abrasive pads do we have at the shop if any? Obviously I can provide my own.

The vapor hone isn’t on aluminum oxide yet; some other items came up on Saturday and I postponed swapping the media. If there are some volunteers they are welcome to try and do it before I get back to it, there are videos but it is an intensive process since it requires swapping about 25 gallons of water and swapping the media.

-Jim

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I’ve stripped steel bikes before. Using the Jasco takes a good bit of time and rubbing. You’ll also likely need to spend some time with fine sandpaper to get all of it off.

I also have a professionally clear-powdercoated steel bike frame if you want some pics of what it ends up looking like. It’s a Cinelli MASH Work frame. Of course, it was never painted in the first place, but it’s a good indicator of how it can look – and how it looks as bits of patina develop.

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