Rich,
I certainly agree with my friend Brian Baylis (who I think should receive a national living treasure award like they do for superb craftsmen in Japan) that painting a bicycle frame is more difficult than building one. That is reflected in the fact that there aren't many bicycle frame painters in the States - especially those that do both building and painting. In addition, it takes lots of expensive equipment to do it right. If you aren't disturbed by these cautions and want to proceed anyway, here are some sources:
House of Kolor paint (now a division of Valspar) puts out printed material and videos on how to paint custom cars and motorcycles. They also provide information sheets on how to apply each of their many differ products. Their are also online help lists for painting cars where the principles are similar. I found them on the websites for spray gun manufacturers. In addition, various automotive paint suppliers have yearly fairs which invite their suppliers to show. You can probably find one in a big city near you. I always attend these to make sure I'm up to speed on what is the latest equipment and paint.
The framebuilders list does have some posts about painting - mostly by Brian and me. In those you can learn what equipment I prefer.
I've been teaching framebuilding classes for over 30 years and from time to time I teach a class in painting as well. I was a real teacher before I became a framebuilder/painter. I was fortunate that I picked up the principles of painting at Ellis Briggs in Yorkshire while learning to build frames to give me a solid foundation. The learning curve is pretty steep and the amount of practice with really expensive paint would have to be extensive if you had to learn it all on your own. Having a master show you proper technique will drastically reduce your frustration and probably be the cheapest route in the long run. Today's standards are very high and everyone expects a Joe Bell quality paint job. I think it is possible for a person to get there but just be aware of the challenge. Some people just don't have the talent. You need the ability to color carefully between the lines.
Good luck,
Doug Fattic
Niles, Michigan, USA
> Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:06:40 +0200
> From: "Rich Rhodes" <richlanguageelk@gmail.com>
>
> I would appreciate any good links to websites/ or emails to my box covering
> painting bicycles. I'm SURE I want to paint, not necessarily an original
> restoration job, but KOF project.
>
> Rich Rhodes