Best rattlecan paint for bikes?

Primer is normally used to promote adhesion and to give a better finish (can be rubbed down easier and finer than base surface) Also it lessens the chance of reactions.

Although saying that some paint let you get away with it like enamel or acrylic as long as the surface underneath is take to 600grit wet or a red scotch pad then applied in dusty coats untill full coverage is reached.

Generally it will be (for a good exisiting paintjob) scuff frame to 600wet or red scotch, light coats o primer until covered, scuff with 600 wet again to rid any dust nibs, then light coats of top coat until covered then laquer over the top

been using hamerite for years on my motorcycles and bikes long as preperation is good you can build up good layers without runs and give plenty drying time once finished if you dont put clear coat on wax the paint this stops tackiness motorcycle wheels stood up to this for years

i actually think you need to use a high pressure can as apposed to low.i used some montana 94 and the paint seemed to 'hang' in the air rather then get propelled onto the frame.As a consequence any paint particles in the air,that didnt initally connect with the frame, then floated down onto it creating an uneven surface.
montana paints are a matt finish,but there are plenty of laquers available to help give your frame a glossy coat.

tl;dr

please can someone tell me a tough/high quality finish matte black.

and which primer I should use,if any.

Will be respraying a frame, will be leaving old paint on and thoroughly sanding as prep before primer. What do i use to wipe it down after sanding? (they use it on wheeler dealers but cannae remember what it's called)

...From experience hammerite paint is thinner than normal (plasticote) paint and needs to be put on built up in thin layers. The matt black stuff I was using was near impossible to spray on tubing without runs...

Untitled by Matt Power, on Flickr

Untitled by Matt Power, on Flickr

I painted my polo bike with Hammerite spray and it was the worst thing. I keyed the OG paint rather than stripping, primed with Halfords regular white primer and keyed that. I bought three cans of Hammerite red which I thought would be enough, turns out I only needed one can.

Firstly, it takes ages to dry, like two or three days ages. This makes doing multiple coats over a weekend a mega hassle. On the plus side, when you've done all the coats and you have that orange peel effect, you just need to give it a quick wet and dry all and give it one last coat and it looks really smooth.

However, I know I was using it for polo but seriously, the paint just fell off. The primer underneath was more resilient than the Hammerite and even when that rubbed off from my knee pads, the original paint still didn't chip. When I put some PVC tape on to hold my brake cables still, I pulled a bit of that off and it took with it a massive section of Hammerite in one huge flake.

If I bother to do it again I'll just use regular Halfords rattle cans but I'd rather pay the guys at Armourtex. It's way worth it.

tl;dr

please can someone tell me a tough/high quality finish matte black.

and which primer I should use,if any.

Will be respraying a frame, will be leaving old paint on and thoroughly sanding as prep before primer. What do i use to wipe it down after sanding? (they use it on wheeler dealers but cannae remember what it's called)

Montana or plastikotes are super tough but use there primers underneath for maximum adhesion.

Sand it down to 600 then wipe with a (tag rag), halfords sell them in packs of 3 cheaply then prime and paint

Cheers, will do! How many coats of matte black would you say, 4-5 with a day in between in a warm space?

if using the above paints then ideally 3 coats wet on wet should be enough, spray it somewhere warm. i,e garage on a sunny day or a dust free shed and leave 10 mins between coats

right thanks for the advice. Will post pictures when I get round to it.

Do you think 1 can of primer and 2 mb will be sufficient?

1 500ml can should get you 2 coats of primer and yes should need 2 tins of colour. Before you use them pu the tins in a bucket of warm/hot (not boiling) water to warm them up and increase the pressure, makes them work better

Tom, depending what the frame is for, it may be an idea to use hycote stonechip. It's the best black ever made, and it comes in 500ml, so you probably won't even need two cans. Don't put it in warm water though, a good shake will suffice. It works well in cold temperatures, well up to about -2, then it starts to go dodge(voice of experience)

Let me know if you need a hand..

D

If you just want basic tough black paint, then POR15 chassis paint is renowned in the classic car scene as being the best you can get, and you can now buy it in aerosol cans. People call it 'powercoat in a can'...

I'm trying to touch up my raleigh to see it through the winter before getting it professionally resprayed - But the paint is Pearlescent and I'm having a hard time matching it.

Checked Halfords for there stock - Nothing

I was thinking either Mixing up a little metallic gold hobby paint with gloss white to get a similar effect, or maybe having a look at nail varnish because it would probably have the right shimmer.

Don't want to spend much money on it.

Any ideas?

local paint factors can mix that in a rattler for you probably buddy

Did think that - But it's only small rust spots not big areas i need to cover

thye might even mix a touch pen if your cheeky and take cash

Rattlecanning will never be the same again now that @musar has developed http://spray.bike/. Met him today at the Bike Show and the samples all looked great.

Sounds too good to be true!

Saw that spray.bike thingie at bike show and got hyped. Had a bit of experience with paint earlier in my life -I might go for it.

And the last problem - preparing the frame - was just sorted out. Cant be bothered stripping the paint and priming it. But just got off the phone with Armourtex - preparing (strip, degrease and powder prime) F+F is £44

Total cost of 65-70 for a decent rattlecan sounds fair to me.

How much is this stuff? Looks really promising.

5.95 per can + extremely high delivery charges as it contains some silly chemical so it has to be special delivery. But you could pop in to BLB or any other stockist and get it for the same rrp

Nice one, might get over there one lunch time - how many cans to cover a single frame? Thinking of a garish pink makeover for the commuter.

They said one can is enough for f+f. But in "one colour" case i would go for powder coat.

Sounds too good to be true!

It looked very true to me--musar wasn't demonstrating but had samples. The whole product line looked comprehensive and all the publicity material very convincing, so I have every reason to assume it's a great product that fills a previously existing gap in the market. Plus, he's a forumenger, so what more could you want. :)

Although it pains me deeply to say so, I was amazed at the quality of the Halfords spray cans I used. Hammerite was good too but not quite up there. Prob because it's a bit gloopier.