Is it possible to strip/polish an aluminum frame down to the bare metal? I've got a Homegrown, and while I love the frame, the paint job on the thing is ass ugly, I'm sick of the sparkly blingy gold with black. I'd like to strip it down to the bare aluminum, put new decals on it, and then clearcoat it again. Or, is it possible to just leave it bare? Anybody know how to do this or have any resources on how to?
Frame Polishing/Stripping?
- Thread starter blue
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Its a 99...Its just SO UGLY! Theres gold on the seat tube and headtube, and it looks like somebody threw glitter on it before they clearcoated it. Now I've got a white Marathon fork, so it looks like Frankensteins monster. Perhaps I could paint it white...
All I have to contribute to this thread is DO NOT SANDBLAST ALUMINUM, a local rider did, and destroyed his frame. He was less than happy.
Okay, so I found a guide, and it says to use automotive paint stripper and steel wool to take off the paint. Will this damage the aluminum at all?
Also, whats a good way to clearcoat the frame? I'm tempted to just take it to the local auto body/paint shop and have them clearcoat it with automotive quality stuff.
Also, whats a good way to clearcoat the frame? I'm tempted to just take it to the local auto body/paint shop and have them clearcoat it with automotive quality stuff.
You might just want to take in into a quality local bodyshop, explain what you want done, and have em do it. Much less probability for error and the end result will be top notch. Someone over on nsmb, IFO i think, knows quite a bit about this kinda stuff. You might want to drop him a a pm.
I have stripped 2 frames in the past 2 months or so. All I used was your basic paint stripper (Bix or Dads brand) that you can buy at Wal-mart, steel wool, a plastic putty knife, and a plastic stripping brush. You can buy paint stripper from a paint store but I found it to be no better than the basic stuff. Make sure that any brush or putty knife that you use is PLASTIC not metal. If you choose to paint it then you can buy what they call "flex primer" from the paint store. It is used on flexible auto parts such as fenders and bumpers. It helps hold the paint a little better so that it won't flake off and it isn't but a dollar or so more that your basic primer. If you choose to polish it, that can be done aswell. I have a buddy who said he would do mine, but I decided to paint. He has polished quite a few swingarms and frames of street bikes. He uses air tools with polishing brushes, but I don't know all the details. You better get more info on that if you are looking to do that. I do know that if you steel wool it enough it will actually begin to shine, but doubt you would have enough time or patience to completely do it and make it look really nice. As far as putting clear coat over the polished parts, there is no need to. You can just polish it with Mother's whenever needed. My ultimate advice is to ask around local paint shops. Repainting your bike can be done by yourself, but can also be quite a undertaking. Also by the time you buy all the supplies and everything you could easily push the $50 mark or higher. Might find a shop that will do it with leftover paint for cheaper. Good Luck!!