highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
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How about just buying a decent frame in a colour she likes? Cheaper option.
How about just buying a decent frame in a colour she likes? Cheaper option.
Rattle can painting
- Thread starter Alison
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theproudhighway
Retro Guru
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Nothing wrong with a rattle can job for the parts you want to paint. If you are going just black you can get a nice finish with Poundland paint. 2 quid for primer and the same for black, then a can of lacquer from Wilkos for around a Fiver.
I painted the forks on my shopping bike over the original paint, rubbed them down with 400 grit first and then a blast of primer and a few coats of black, didn't even bother lacquering them and they're holding up fine.
It can be done on the cheap, and down the line if your daughter enjoys the bike and wants to stick with it you can go the powder route at a later date when she/you is set on a specific colour.
Plus learning to paint is fun. If you put the time and effort in you can get a really good finish, it really isn't that difficult.
Nothing wrong with a rattle can job for the parts you want to paint. If you are going just black you can get a nice finish with Poundland paint. 2 quid for primer and the same for black, then a can of lacquer from Wilkos for around a Fiver.
I painted the forks on my shopping bike over the original paint, rubbed them down with 400 grit first and then a blast of primer and a few coats of black, didn't even bother lacquering them and they're holding up fine.
It can be done on the cheap, and down the line if your daughter enjoys the bike and wants to stick with it you can go the powder route at a later date when she/you is set on a specific colour.
Plus learning to paint is fun. If you put the time and effort in you can get a really good finish, it really isn't that difficult.
velomaniac
MacRetro Rider
Patience is whats needed with rattlecan, I dont have any so my efforts are rubbish 
I'm learning though, several thin coats is the way with lots of drying time between coats. Leaving it on a warm radiator for long periods or in a sunny greenhouse between coats hardens up the paint quite well. I need to reserve a couple of weeks if I'm going to do a decent job but then who has that kind of patience :roll:
I'm learning though, several thin coats is the way with lots of drying time between coats. Leaving it on a warm radiator for long periods or in a sunny greenhouse between coats hardens up the paint quite well. I need to reserve a couple of weeks if I'm going to do a decent job but then who has that kind of patience :roll:
minor_LEGEND
Senior Retro Guru
Fact of the matter is; rattle-can paints are bodges for car body repairs. If you want the stuff to actually stay on, get a professional finish.
I'm not saying a good finish can't be achieved from a can, but it just flakes off in my experience.
I'm not saying a good finish can't be achieved from a can, but it just flakes off in my experience.
frank.youngman
Retro Guru
+1 on doesn't last,I sprayed my boys's BMX with a rattle spray can and it looked good for 5 minutes and then the paint started chipping and scratching.What irked me most is that I ended up buying one can of primer and two of colour to finish the job.The boy wanted it semi-matt but if he had wanted it shiny I would have had to buy a can of clear as well.When you tot it all up I was getting close to a basic powder coat job,at least at Northern rates.
Going back to the first posting,this is for a child.They love shiny new things,especially if they get to choose the colour,and will look after the bike better if they are proud of the finished result.
I had three bikes powder coated last year and they all came back looking as new.Decals from Gil give that perfect finished look.
Looking over them today,one my Beast of the East doesn't count as I never use it,but the other two have been used weekly even throughout the winter.Neither of them have chipped or scratched and a quick once over with some car polish has them shiny and clean.
My vote goes for powder coat every time.
Going back to the first posting,this is for a child.They love shiny new things,especially if they get to choose the colour,and will look after the bike better if they are proud of the finished result.
I had three bikes powder coated last year and they all came back looking as new.Decals from Gil give that perfect finished look.
Looking over them today,one my Beast of the East doesn't count as I never use it,but the other two have been used weekly even throughout the winter.Neither of them have chipped or scratched and a quick once over with some car polish has them shiny and clean.
My vote goes for powder coat every time.
frank.youngman":16nflzyv said:
I think your right about looking after things better when they are proud of them, I'm very immature of mind and am more likely to look after what I'm proud of. I love riding bikes I've built up myself rather than those off the peg. I've got a sense of pride for my little machine I would not have got if I had just bought it ready made up.
And yes kids love a bit of off-roading so the paint job will need to be tough
Alison
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