David Griffith said:I am refinishing an early 80's Guerciotti. I've stripped paint off of
it, sanded & wire brushed some rust spots. Soon I will have a friend
who paints cars prime it and paint it with DuPont Imron. I've ordered a
set of 'vintage' labels for the bike. I thought I'd apply them and then
spray with clearcoat.
I may also try to paint the lugs in a contrasting color.
Can anyone offer suggestions how I might do all of this?
How does one tape & cut for painting lugs?
How can I avoid painting threads?
Should I screw in bottom bracket parts?
Should I leave the rear dropout adjusting bolts in place?
Should I screw in bottle cage bolts?
Any tips on applying labels?
Thanks in advance for any help.
David Griffith
I'll leave the brain damage aspect of this discussion to others with
first hand knowledge ;-)
I just had painted an 80's frame, and I bead blasted it to get as much
of the rust as I could. I suppose wire brushing would do it for mild
rust, but the last thing I wanted to happen was just bubbles 2 months
later, so I bead blasted. Bead blasting also preserved details like
the Campagnolo text on the dropouts.
During priming and painting, the bb was stuffed with crumpled up
masking tape to keep most of the overspray out, and I taped the inside
surfaces of the headset area too. But I also chased the threads after
the primer coat, and after the color coats. I didn't both after the
clearcoat, and the bb cups screwed in like butter. I suppose half-way
screwed in bb cups could protect things just as well.
I'd put some sacrificial bolts in the rear dropouts, only cuz I don't
have the right sized tap. Ditto with bottle cages (half screwed in).
I also bought some NOS decals, but chose not to use them. It is a
track bike so it is easier to get away with no decals. For a road
bike, I'd figure it out. I bought a set of 3 and practiced with one.
It was heat transfer, not water. Make sure you know what kind you have
and/or get extras. It was pretty hard to do with the larger decals cuz
the cracked so easily. Also make sure your clearcoat doesn't disolve
them.
As for masking lugs, I have not used it but I would try a liquid
masking product like:
http://www.hobbico.com/accys/hcar3410.html
instead of tape. Better for fine details. I'd also practice with a
dumpster diving junk bike and spray cans to get a handle on the
masking. You might also look into getting an auto paint pinstriper to
do some by hand hi-lights.
Good luck!
Joseph