Paintwork

[SJJ]

Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone, having stated their opinions about paint, can get over their differences or at least agree to differ in a friendly manner as this forum needs lots of contributions to make it useful and interesting and I'd be sad to see anyone leaving.

About paint quality. Well i think we all feel proud of our new bikes and want them to keep looking good and there's no doubt that some bike manufacturers do a better job than others. It's a fact though that you will over time get wear and tear on the bike just like with the skin on your face. Nothing lasts forever. If you can accept this, you'll start to worry about it less. Plus when your frame gets scratched and ugly you'll have the interesting experience of getting it re-sprayed ( in any colour you like) or buying a new bike!!!!!
Great excuse!!! If you ride a lot, I'd expect  the bike not to look perfect after two or three year's riding whatever the quality of ( as Andy Blance likes to call it ) the showroom paint. If you've got a bike that still looks perfect after several years hard use that's bloody marvelous! Lucky you!!!

I have several bikes. My Schwinn aluminium mountain bike looked pretty when new but the gloss paint chips so easily it's ridiculous.
It's an everyday bike so I don't worry about it.

My Kona mountain bike seems to have a similar glossy finish but it's tougher and doesn't chip so easily, So I think the quality of the paint does vary by manufacturer.

My Thorn Sterling is powdercoated green and even after touring shows no scratches or chips amazingly. Seems more than tough enough. But not pretty. I don't mind and the colour has grown on me.

My raven Tour singlespeed has a super radical green paintwork and in my opinion, looks beautiful. I'm unsure if it's powdercoat or glossy enamel but I'm guessing the latter. I only ride this at weekends for fun. So far ( I'm  more careful with this bike since it has a carbon fork )

I find the best protection for the paint is  to cover especially vulnerable areas with transparent tape which can be peeled off later. You only need just a little of this in key areas. After each ride i wipe the frame with detail polish by finish line. It coats the surface a little and brings up the colour. other than that I don't do much and the bikes seem to hold up well. I've had no problems with the paint coming off so far.
I think the thing you have to be careful of is not chipping the paint with hard objects like...a lock ( usually the biggest culprit)  or something you lean the bike against. I always use a chainstay protector which i actually wrap around the top tube. Then if I lean the bile against a post I always use this protected part of the bike.
I don't think it pays to get TOO obsessive about the paint. Enjoying the ride is much better than looking at the bike.
Of course the ultimate solution is to have a black bike because you can easily touch it up with a bit of enamel. I like colours though so that's not an option for me.And I will say I wish Thorn would offer a few more color options for their range than they do, if customers were willing to pay extra.

I think....finally...instead of worrying about the paint that comes with the bike it would be very helpful if owners of bikes on this forum would chip in with tips and advice for keeping the paint you already have on your bike in good condition.

Happy new Year, good riding to you all.

SJJ

[expr]

HI Peter,

I will try and  help with what experiences I have had with paint and this may help in your decision to make a choice on colour and paint type.

I have used many types of paint in the past for varying jobs and purposes including bikes, cars, industrial equipment etc.. and each paint has its own niche.

I have recently sprayed the wife's bonnet wings and grill due to a rather large object being in the way ie:
another car!!!!

This was using Lechler single pack BSB base coat and a single pack lacquer which has turned out fantastic. Ive also has the experience of using two pack paint which is even better in its results and application although time is of the essence with this type of paint, the durability of paint is vast from type to type but also similar to same due to whom ever has mixed it how it was cured and finally finished.

If you were to look at  a chart of differing manufactures of the same type of paint you would see a vast amount of difference in paint hardness , the German made automotive trade uses a very hard finish which although promoted durability to the highest it, it is very difficult to remove imperfections using conventional buffing techniques, conversely people like Honda use a very soft finish paint which scratches and marrs very easily but is easy to correct.

Urethane paint and its derivatives polyurethane are very good paints in their own right for the purpose they serve along with enamel , which can also come under the same umbrella as the enamel in name terminology.

Enamel has become known to be very ornate and takes a very high gloss shine to its finish, with admirable durability. Powder coating which is what is used on the thorn bikes has certainly proved to me to be very durable much like the German paint that I referred to earlier, although as I suggested in my earlier post I have had my problems with it delaminating from the base coat around the seat post area, my fix for that was to put a single pack lacquer around the area and blend this in with a hand paste later, much like t-cut but much better.

I too have tried to expand my knowledge with regards to pigment amount and colour in terms of what can be expected back from its longevity and to no avail do I have anything positive to add, albeit that I have not ever come across anything to suggest otherwise, so I will keep looking out for that one.

Given the knowledge that I have had over the years with paint and the different options that are out there I would go for a powder coat finish with heavy clearcoat on top, this style of covering I have also found easy to airbrush Bsb base coat and single pack lacquer over as i have done a few times now on my expr which is finished in ivory and deep black billiard Que.



 

[julk]

I have had bikes, boats and a car most of my life.
The paint and varnish on boats has the hardest life in my experience, physical damage, salt and sunshine are the major enemies.

Red paint has the worst performance in my experience, dulling well before other colours. Sad, because I like the colour.

I have bought 2 Thorn bikes, both enamel painted rather than powder coated, they have been excellent except for me damaging the paint by accidents such as dropping a saw on one. Touch up with humbrol enamel is simple although limited in the colour choices.

If I was painting a bike from scratch I would use a 2 pack polyurethane if I wanted the hardest finish.
Fussy paint though if the surface is not thoroughly cleaned. I once accidentally put a hand on my boat before painting and the paint sanded off later in a hand shape just where I had touched it!

[Bearbait]

Welcome back, expr

[travelling]

Indeed welcome back

I have seen over on retro bike uk a chap use nothing more than two tins of hammerite smooth and the finish wasn't bad.

Given that Thorns are meant to be hard graft tourers it's not suprising many have a hard life and look a bit rough but I feel thats one of the advantages of a Thorn in that because they are not cheap you should only buy one if you expect it to be with you for a time and if thats the case when it's time for a little love to be shown it will return you with many more years of service.

In the past I've used a car spraying company,  a powder coating company and diy sprayed frames. For a peach finish I would use the two pack as suggested and possibly if you want a lush finish let a proper sprayer do it. If you want a rugged hard wearing finish then powder coat is the only way to go...orrrr..try diy and if it goes tits up then try option one or two 

[peter jenkins]

Thanks everybody for your advice.

I have to admit to not being a DIY painter so I will be using the services of a professional. But now I will have a better understanding of what I'm being told and be able to make a better informed decision.

And welcome back Expr!

Regards to all and a happy and bicycle friendly 2011.

pj

[Danneaux]

With regard to paint, I can report that at least here in the US, it is possible to obtain a perfect match for my 2011 Sherpa's Matte Black paint through the use of Krylon brand No. 1613 Semi-Flat black spray paint.

It is widely available at the Wal-Mart chain of stores nationwide, and is a bit over USD$3 in price.

I recently used it to touch up my dropouts where the axle nuts have scraped away the powdercoat, and found the best way to apply it was to shake the can well, spray a small quantity into a discarded plastic cream cheese carton, then use either a cotton swab (for large areas; it is self-leveling) or a 0000 camel-hair paint brush (for fine touch-up work).  The finished repair dries down to a perfect match not only in color, but also to the correct matte finish, making for an undetectable touchup.

While powdercoated finishes are remarkably tough, it pays to touch up any nicks sharpish, as any rust forming on the bare steel can "tunnel" beneath the remaining powdercoat, causing a great deal of damage.

To prevent scuffs in the first place, I use Trimbrite T9005 Blackout tape, intended for restoring the matte-black trim surrounding automobile windshields.  It is stable, uses a low-creep adhesive, and can be repositioned or removed if needed for up to a week or two after application.  Best of all, it is a dead match for color and tone against my Sherpa's matte black paint and is virtually invisible, even in photographs.  Just the thing for preventing my bar-end cable housings from eating away the paint on either side of the head tube.  I use scissors to cut out tape circles about the size of a US25-cent coin.  The rounded edges prevent lifting or peeling.  Though thin, this tape is also pretty tough and can even withstand repeated automatic carwashes (not that I intend to try *that* with my Sherpa!).  The tape is readily available nationwide in the US at Reilly and similar auto-parts chains and from online vendors such as Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Trimbrite-T9005-Black-Out-Tape/dp/B00029XD62 ) for USD$3-$5 plus shipping for a sizable roll.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.