stripping frame paint

[foundation982]

so what are you guys stripping your frames with? I attempted to strip my cl350's frame with the cheap aerosol can stripper then blasted it with a pressure washer, it got some off but not much then I used brush on stripper and it got a little more off but its not doing a good job I feel like im going nowhere I need some support DTT!

 

[evolutionfab]

Just take it somewhere and have it blasted. Save yourself the aggravation of using stripper, water and sandpaper.

 

[Cafe Redneck]

Blasting is best. I used Die grinder and course stripping disk, after removing what I could with paint stripper. If you don't have die grinder you can use a drill. The the stripper disk kit can be bought at advance, auto zone or walmart.It took a box of disk and a couple hours work.

 

[crazypj]

Just take it somewhere and have it blasted. Save yourself the aggravation of using stripper, water and sandpaper.

+1
I spent a lot of time and aggravation (plus too much money on various things) and ended up blasting it anyway.
Surface finish is 'rough' so provides a real good key for primer

 

[foundation982]

If I blast it I might as well powder coat it, guess I might have to dive a little deeper into my wallet

 

[Kong]

If you are going to powder coat it the Powdercoater will sand blast it as part of the prep he does as his service, so you don't have to do anything. If you have any, and I mean any, modifications planned for your frame do them now. That means if you are going to cut off any tabs or weld on any new anchor points, cut any tubes, anything at all, now is the time to do it and when you've done your metal work just squirt some rattle can paint on it to stop it from rusting. The Powdercoater will blast that right off too.

If you've got any kind of number plates, like the old Honda's had, then you might want to remove it before you send the frame to the Powdercoater, if you've got a swingarm rebuild you'll want to do that before the PC too. Powdercoating frames really is the way to go, its way better than painting, and I'm saying that as a bike painter.

 

[crazypj]

Only problem I have with powder coat is the cost.
$250.00 around here for a 'small' frame.
I know it's actually reasonable for the work involved, just more than I can afford
etch primer, undercoat, topcoat and clear is about $65~$70, plus, I can do it all myself (even one handed ;D )

 

[Kong]

Crazyph,

I'd be looking for another powercoater if I were you. Around here there are no powder coaters; I have to take parts over 100 mile round trip to have parts done. The next closest powdercoater is 100 miles farther away. But even around here where there is scarcely little competition in that field you can still get a "large" motorcycle frame, one with lots of bolt holes that need plugged and other prep challenges, still will only cost you $100. I would charge more than that to prep and paint a frame a single color, with just about all of the money going into labor for the prep.

 

[VonYinzer]

$100!? WOW. Around here nobody will touch a frame with powder for less than $200. And those are the fly by night guys. A good coater will be in the $250-$300 range. The closest guy to me wanted $125 per wheel (yamaha RD400 mags), and thats with me blasting them and single color coat.

 

[crazypj]

Hi KONG,
There isn't much competition, they do quite a lot of automotive stuff and that's what the two places charge.
There are a couple of people cheaper but they are real hit or miss, losing parts, slow, or just 'gone' in a few weeks.
The other thing, you can't use filler on a PC frame to smooth out 1970's Japanese welding and I really don't want to try brazing or re-welding all the bits that show on finished bike

 

[eyhonda]

I found the local powdercoater thru the vintage bike club. It's usually the enthusiasts that start such a service. If you are a member or a repeat customer, you should get good pricing. The last time I did a frame, swingarm and few other parts, the cost was $50 to blast and a $150 to pc. That was more than a frame too. Both the blaster and powdercoater ran their service out of their house to keep costs down. Their quality was very good since they service many industries out here. It may be more now since the last time I had this done was about 2 years ago.

Don't forget to remove the rubber shock bushings. They'll get fried! If you're removing them anyway, it's easier to get out after.

 

[Rusnak_322]

If you are painting the frame, then there is no real reason to strip off the old paint. If the old paint is still holding on, then you can paint over it. The factory paint will make a good base, just degrease it and skuff it with some 300 wet dry.


I had a friend with a metal fab shop blast mine - I would guess that it would cost about $50 to do it.

I cleaned up the welds with body filler and a grinder before painting. Looks 1000x better. I swear that I would weld with a car battery and a coat hanger and make a better looking weld then Honda did on these 1970s bikes.

 

[eyhonda]

I cleaned up the welds with body filler and a grinder before painting. Looks 1000x better. I swear that I would weld with a car battery and a coat hanger and make a better looking weld then Honda did on these 1970s bikes.

+1 on that! A lot of weld balls everywhere! I'm still grinding my frame and swingarm clean. It takes time to clean up the frame. You can fill the open joints with more welding to strengthen it up a bit too.