Diving In

In an effort to bring more customization options to our 718 Shop Build program, I have done some tests with products from Spray.Bike. The standard I am trying to achieve is perfect and repeatable results.

I used a brand new Surly Bridge Club in a medium. I used 320 grit sandpaper to rough up the factory paint. I installed a sacrificial bottom bracket and headset cups for masking. I also left frame bolts in, but unscrewed them slightly so that bolt hole threading was masked, but surface received paint. I had always been told that frame prep is 3 times the actual time to paint, and this was pretty much the case.

I don’t have a proper indoor spray booth, but I do have an exterior shed in my backyard here in Brooklyn. Following temperature and humidity guidelines, I applied 2 coats of Memphis 2 hours apart. After the 2nd coat, I polished the paint down after 20 minutes. The 400ml can is perfect for 2 coats on frame and fork. The paint went on is a very satisfying power-like application. I then applied Surly factory decals.

I was planning to apply the clear coat 24 hours later, but because of humidity issues, this happened 4 days later.

Mistakes Were Made

I was really trying to be by the book on this project, as I am trying to get repeatable results. The 3 mistakes I made were:

In removal of Surly decals, I used a small Dremmel Wire Brush (as opposed to simply scraping them off or using the assistance of a heat gun. This process resulted in certainly removing the decals, but also getting past the clear coat and factory paint in some areas. This created an uneven surface to lay down new paint. I could have used frame putty, but I didn’t. I have subsequently bought a $20 heat gun from Warner and will use on my next test.
After laying down 2 base coats of color, it is recommended to wait 24 hours to apply clear coat (I was using their Keirin Gold product). It rained for the next 3 days, so I didn’t apply clear coat for 4 days. The issue was, I did so in the early morning light, and didn’t fully check if decals I has applied a few days previous were still adhering properly. Consequently, my top coat got under some of the detail work.
Although Spray.bike is VERY clear about spray distances, I was so excited to get this final coat on that I don’t think I was careful enough about this. This caused some streaking of the gold flake.

Results

The next step is to build up the bike and run around on it, testing durability. Sure, it didn’t come out perfect, and I didn’t expect it to on my first run. The goal here was to develop a process that yields results that people are willing to pay for

I will do my next frame shortly, with en eye to correct my initial mistakes.