Plastidip spray cans, anyone?

[M_Chavez]

Hi All,

Has anyone tried using the plastidip spray cans for "repainting" a frameset? How straightforward is it to apply compared to a regular rattle can? How does it stand up to nicks and scratches? And how easy is this stuff to take off?
Also, does this stuff add much weight?

I've got a few frames to repaint for my kids and I quite like the idea of plasti-dipping one in toxic pink for my daughter, just to strip and re-coat it into something a bit more decent for my son when he grows into it a year or two later.
I've used rustoleum spray cans before and I think I've done a semi decent job, but kids did an ever better job stripping the paint by not looking after their bikes lol.

If you used it and liked it, what sort of prep did you do on the frame? Will it go over the old decals (hate removing them!).

Thanks.

 

[M_Chavez]

Re:

And if nobody's using plastidip, I would be grateful for any advice on what spray paint to use. Rustoleum Industrial hardhat? Spray.bike stuff? Anything else?

Thank you.

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

Plastidip rubs off way too easily, and for the price of the number of cans you'd need to get a decent thickness on a bike frame you'd be very close to the cost of a powdercoat.

good for some things, but not for bikes IMO.

 

[M_Chavez]

Thanks - I thought this might be the case.

 

[captaincowelly]

Re:

Personally I use my local auto-trade paint suppliers.You've got the pick of a seemingly infinite choice of colours,primers/basecoat/topcoat/lacquers.Just pick what you want and they'll make it up there n then.Around £12 for a fair sized can and worth it.The aerosols seem to give a finer mist than 'off the shelf' stuff I've used,great results,and you can get a pot of touch up too for the inevitable stone chips.
But,of course,the end result is all about the prep .

 

[captaincowelly]

Re:

Regarding the nicks/scratches,nothing shows up scars like a shiny new coat of paint!
If you're not stripping the frame the only way they'll go is by rubbing down those areas to soften the edges then using a primer filler and rubbing down between coats.Not too many though if you've already got a thickness of paint on the frame.Paint is weight!
I much prefer using primer,basecoat and lacquer.Easier to get a good depth of colour without getting too much paint on the bike.

 

[M_Chavez]

Re:

I'm checking with the local paint shop to see how much they'll charge.
I've got a reasonably beat up Giant frameset that used to be white, and a cosmetically trashed kona that used to be blue metallic. Third frame is yellow and is in pretty good nick (hardly used carrera frame), so I might leave it untouched or spray a fresh coat of yellow on top of it.
Perhaps, I should go raw alu on the kona, save some weight lol.

 

[captaincowelly]

Re:

Well it sounds like you‘ve got a few options.Local powdercoaters here can strip n paint a frame for £50-£70.A lot less time n effort saved for not much extra money.I just like to do as much as I can myself.