Doug,
I just wanted to put in one anicedote regarding painting. There was a co nsiderable amount of discussion about painting on the framebuilders list not long ago. Most of it had to do with the newer waterbourne paints as opposed to the solvent based paints. There was a certain amount of disc ussion about which spray guns are best or prefered and how many paint gu ns each hombre hangs on their holster.
I didn't get to add this to the discussion at the time, but I will do so now just to hear the audience gasp and point fingers. Most pro painters use at least two or three different spray guns to hose down the bikes. Generally one for primer, one for color coats, one for clearcoats. I rea lly don't know why (OK, yes I do, but I don't see why it is neccessary). I use the same spray gun for everything! I've been using the same singl e spray gun since 1982 for every single coat on every single bike I've p ainted since that time. I even brew my morning coffee in the paintcup. ; -) As far as I know, I don't have a reputation for doing crappy paint jo bs. I've never had a single problem with doing this and I wonder why so many painters have so many guns. I'm comfortable with my OLD Binks #26 g un. I can shoot a hole in a silver dollar before it hits the ground with it. Anyway, just wanted to say that, because I'm apparently some sort o f freak.
My Binks is about to die. I have other guns, and always have. But I like using my one pet spraygun; and until it dies and I bury it somewhere in the backyard, I will continue my odd ways.
Anyway, I thought you might get a laugh out of my tale, Doug. The rest o f you can gasp and point your fingers and whisper behind my back "there goes the freak-boy who uses only one paint gun".
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA No, my spraygun does not have a name. But come to think of it, it should . I hereby dub her "Rosie the paintgun".
Rich,
I certainly agree with my friend Brian Baylis (who I think should receiv e a national living treasure award like they do for superb craftsmen in Japa n) 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 t he States - especially those that do both building and painting. In additi on, 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 materi al and videos on how to paint custom cars and motorcycles. They also provi de 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 inv ite their suppliers to show. You can probably find one in a big city near y ou. 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 B rian 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 bu ild frames to give me a solid foundation. The learning curve is pretty stee p 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 b e 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 f or a person to get there but just be aware of the challenge. Some people jus t 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 cov
ering
> painting bicycles. I'm SURE I want to paint, not necessarily an orig
inal
> restoration job, but KOF project.
>
> Rich Rhodes