Author Topic: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint  (Read 6784 times)

gepabu

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Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« on: May 16, 2020, 12:12:57 pm »
Good afternoon,

Does anyone have any advise for dealing with chipped pain that is rusting a little bit and bubbling paint?

At the bottom of my frame the paint has come away from either being chipped or bubbling and eventually falling off. It a little bit rusty. Also there is a patch of bubbling paint, presumably from rust under the paint.

I'd like to be proactive on this to delay further rust.

Any tips would be appreciated

leftpoole

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2020, 11:18:50 am »
Hello,
Better scrape off with knife or similar. Then rub the rust off with Emery or similar. Then paint some rust preventer and finally paint over with if possible the same or similar colour that the frame is now.
Best regards,
John

Matt2matt2002

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2020, 01:01:42 pm »
And the paint? From Thorn?
Never drink and drive. You may hit a bump  and spill your drink

gepabu

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2020, 01:22:21 pm »
Thanks John.

I am a bit apprehensive to start rubbing off the paint to get to the bubbled bit but I suppose I will have to.

The paint in the original from Thorn. I was actually surprised to see rust under the paint as I thought it was meant to be protective.

leftpoole

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2020, 01:35:13 pm »
Thanks John.

I am a bit apprehensive to start rubbing off the paint to get to the bubbled bit but I suppose I will have to.

The paint in the original from Thorn. I was actually surprised to see rust under the paint as I thought it was meant to be protective.


Either do the job, or get more rust.
I suspect/expect that at some time the frame has been knocked/bumped/dropped or something like this and damaged the paint. It is surprising how water can creep under paint and cause problems. Much much better to have a paint blemish than rust all over the frame.
Which model is the bike? How old? Colour? I actually have one or two little jars of some Thorn colours from previously owned frames/bikes. I might be able to help but cannot promise.
Get stuck in and save your frame!
Best regards,
John

PH

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2020, 01:50:08 pm »
Yep, kill it or it'll kill the frame.  All the loose stuff of, then  I'd use a rust converter (I'll find a link to the one I use) then a couple of coats of hammerite,  you have a choice of trying to match the paint, or masking off a shape and using something contrasting.

https://www.toolstation.com/rustins-rust-converter-250ml/p97400

gepabu

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2020, 01:56:01 pm »
It is very possible that I do a bad job covering it up either by using the wrong stuff, leaving water in or just missing a part which could speed up the rust. It's a tiny patch surrounded by paint so it could be contained?

Thanks John very kind of you. It is a 2013 black audax 858. I will upload a picture of the area later. I am actually not too bothered about finding matching paint. My main concern is I just want to be sure that what I am doing isn't going to effectively exposed a larger part of the frame because of a poor job.

PH

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2020, 05:18:23 pm »
It is very possible that I do a bad job covering it up either by using the wrong stuff, leaving water in or just missing a part which could speed up the rust. It's a tiny patch surrounded by paint so it could be contained?
Yes you should be able to contain it.  You won't know till you remove paint, the bit you're dealing with doesn't need to be shiny new metal, but the edges should be to make sure you have it all. 
Once you're rubbed it down to remove anything lose, mask an area off, dry with a hairdryer, rust inhibitor, let it completely dry, two or three coats of hamerite or similar, following the instructions on the tin. 
To put this in perspective, some people ride bikes for years with rust and paint bubbling, I sometimes park next to one like that in town, I don't know who's it is or how far they ride, but I first noticed it years ago.  You're doing the right thing dealing with it so that it doesn't get worse, and of course it's a shame it's happened, but it isn't a disaster.

martinf

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2020, 09:30:51 pm »
To put this in perspective, some people ride bikes for years with rust and paint bubbling, I sometimes park next to one like that in town, I don't know who's it is or how far they ride, but I first noticed it years ago.

I used to have a bike that I kept intentionally rusty and with cheap but working components, including a very beat-up but still comfortable leather saddle (not Brooks as that might have been stolen anyway).

Parked that bike, secured with a large chain and padlock, at the station in Angers every weekend for 6 months while I was on a training course there.

martinf

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2020, 09:53:56 pm »
Back on topic:

I inspect my bikes every few months for paint damage. When I find some, I rub down with emery cloth, and patch up the damaged area with a paint that goes directly onto metal. I generally apply two coats, sometimes it needs three.

I have 3 colours, red, blue and black.

When the bike starts looking too tatty (except sometimes for the gloss black my colours never match factory paint exactly), I use fine emery cloth to roughen the surface and repaint the entire frame/forks using the old-fashioned paintbrush method.

Not yet had to do this to my Thorn bikes, which are all relatively recent. My 2009 Brompton got the treatment a few years ago (folders take more knocks in my experience) when I decided the mottle effect of gloss black patches on the matt black original paint had gone far enough.

A possible disadvantage of this method is that any decals, stickers, etc. are lost, but I don't really mind if my bikes become anonymous to others, I still know what they are.

gepabu

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2020, 02:15:30 pm »
Thanks PH and Martin. When I come to do it I will follow that.

Here are some pictures of it. (The first thing I'll do when I finish exams is give it a clean).

PH

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2020, 03:41:30 pm »
It is a very vulnerable spot, the good news is it's also one of the thickest tubes and you are dealing with it before it does any real harm.
If it were mine, I'd mask off a couple of cm along each of the joining tubes and after treating the rust paint the whole of the BB area.

gepabu

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #12 on: May 28, 2020, 09:01:24 pm »
What are your thoughts on using T cut? Does it remove the protection of the paint?

ourclarioncall

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #13 on: December 23, 2020, 12:07:57 am »
For new bike owners , would it be possible to put something protective in this area to prevent damage /rust etc?

Danneaux

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Re: Chipped Paint/ Bubbling Paint
« Reply #14 on: December 23, 2020, 01:41:38 am »
Quote
...would it be possible to put something protective in this area to prevent damage...
Helicopter tape, Laminex tape or a very long front mudflap (my own choice) can all work well to protect from paint chips caused by thrown stones. Amazon is a good source for the protective tape. My favorite mudflaps are here: https://buddyflaps.com/

Best,

Dan.