another amateur bike question:
looking to give the young fella's BMX a freshen up...
new paint, etc...
any particular way to clean off the old paint that works for people?
any particular paint/primer/clear coat to use? techniques?
any help appreciated.
I freshened up an eBay special for my son. It's a knock around bike rather than riding his good MTB.
I stripped all the parts I could, then I took it to the LBS to remove the remaining bits, bearing cups etc. I told them what I was doing and they did me a deal on labour to strip and refit later. It was cheaper than buying the correct tools.
I stripped the stickers etc with wax/grease remover then hit the frame with some wet & dry sandpaper. I didn't go back to bare metal, just to smooth the surface. I got it probably 80% smooth.
I then sprayed a coat of etch prime, 2 colour coats, then 2 clear coats, I probably should have gone 3 clear coats. You can get the metallic paints from Bunnings.
Took it back to the LBS to get the cranks, headset etc fitted, I then fitted wheels/tyres, brakes headstem/handlebars etc at home, then took it back to the LBS to get the cables fitted, brakes adjusted, new chain etc and they gave it the once over.
All up it cost about $300 in parts/labour etc. I probably could have bought a new bike for that price, it was the time working with my son on it that was worth more than that.
It went from this...
To this...
