HVLP spray for bikes?

I have got a hvlp spray gun/airbrush, and a few bikes in rather scummy colours.
does it compare to powdercoating etc?
what paint to use, if the method's good?
more porridge or toast?

toast

definitely toast.

Porridge toastie.

or cabbage.

shit vegetable that...

not half as bad as a sprout

HVLP sucks.

Speaking from experience Hoops?

yes.

well actually it blows... (at a very unstisfactory pressure)

I'd quite like to have a crack at spraying my frame myself- secure in the knowledge that it could be stripped afterward when I had made a mess of it.

Is there anywhere that one can go that hires spray-booth/spraygun/oven?

not that i'm aware of.

there's no need for an oven unless you're using stove enamel or powdercoat. they are handy for flashing off in between coats, but not essential.

you dont really need a spray booth, just a large enclosed space with a wet floor (garage)... spray booths are essential when spraying all day, day in day out, but not really nesecary for one-off jobs. (but a good respirator is!)

spray guns are easy enough to come by second hand on ebay, but still not massively cheap....
you get som decent DeVilbliss guns in good nick come up now and then.

compressors can be rented fairly cheaply & easily.

Ok, I have a garage, I could purchase a spraygun and hiring a compressor I would assume is a case of going to HSS hire.

Not sure on the respirator- ghetto style scarf over mouth do?

So- tricky bit is going to be masking the frame off to get nice sharp lines etc, and also knowing where to buy the paint, and how much paint.

How "experienced" are you Hoops?

i used to work for a precission coatings company when i was at uni a few years back, but it's not something i really want to get back into, as it's a complete ball ache.

when you say masking off the frame, how complex, and how many colours are we talking about?

Closest thing to it would be the paint job on the Koga Miyata track pro:

it's do-able, but i wouldn't recomend it. with all the money you'd spend on tools & materials, and not to mention time, you would be left with a second rate paint job, and a lot of dollar out of pocket.

if you had all the tools and materials allready, then that would be another matter, but to buy all this stuff for one or two frames would be a silly IMO, as you could prob get colourtech or someone to do a far better job for less cash.

i understand the lure of spraying your own frames, but it's one of those things that is just best left to the pro's IMHO.