It sounds like you're planning to do more than touch-up; I sense a complete repaint.
Disclaimer: Those of you who consider spray-can painting to be a form of heresy, STOP READING RIGHT NOW! Go back to your book about the 1792 TDF or whatever you do for fun, and forget about this.
I've done this with rattle-can paint a couple of times. The journal of
my Carlton restoration at http://www.nonlintec.com/
I've used Rustoleum metallic paint, Rustoleum solid colors, and cans of automotive touch-up paint from an auto store. The Rustoleum seems to be formulated for good results by totally clueless users, like Harry-homeowner types who need to paint some lawn furniture and don't want to take the time to prep it properly. So, if you do prepare the frame well, the results can be especially nice. Color selection is not great, though.
I understand that some auto-paint stores can mix whatever you want and put it in a spray can, but I've never tried this. The spray-can auto paints are basically lacquers; with a little work, you can get a very nice finish, but it's fragile. The worst problem is chipping of the paint on the chainstay from the chain hitting it. I put a removable protective cover on the stay for protection when I'm riding the bikes that I've painted this way.
Primers are available for all these paints.
In my opinion, you can do a respectable job with spray cans as long as you are careful, prepare the surface well, and stay within your limitations. I wouldn't try this on a really significant frame, but a Catalina that was already toasted--well--why not?
Steve Maas (Where it hit 111 F on my patio yesterday in) Long Beach, California
chasds@mindspring.com wrote:
> I'm recent, dubious owner of a couple of very cool frames both
> of which require significant touching-up to be presentable.
>
> It's not the kind of touch-up work that is easily done by
> a pro--or, rather, if a pro did it, it would cost a small fortune
> to have it done right--and most pros aren't taking touch-up
> jobs anymore, in my experience.
>
> So, I'm going to attempt to touch them up myself, carefully.
>
> My question is, what are my best options in rattle-can paint
> and primer. My limited experience is that there are some
> high-quality rattle-can paints on the market these days, and if
> I can find the right primer and paint color/tint, I might be able
> to do a decent job.
>
> So, my first question to the experts on the list is...what
> rattle-can brands would you recommend, if any, for paint
> and primer?
>
> And, second, once I get the bare metal cleaned up, what do
> I use to prepare the bare metal for the touch-up primer?
>
> Thanks for any help you can provide..
>
> Charles "cheap" Andrews
> SoCal
> _______________________________________________
>
> .