Steel frames must be protected. They'll rust without a finish. If you try to buff it up and just apply clear coat it'll turn grey within a couple of weeks anyway.
Painting a bike well takes a bit more than a whim, a 6 pack, and a weekend. Do it right and it will look great, do it wrong and you'll wish you never did it.
This answer is long but will give you an idea of what to do. Want a quick answer? Take the bike to an auto body shop and have them do it. It'll cost about $100 if YOU take the bike apart.
Use DUPLICOLOR brand LACQUER available at most auto parts stores. In the UK, I don't know if the brand exists so if you are in the UK you'll need to locate a brand of acrylic lacquer. DO NOT BUY ENAMEL OR URETHANE! Urethane out od a spray can is waaaay too soft and won't do much to keep the paint on, and enamel tends to cure erratically.
You'll need 1 BIG can of grey sandable primer , 1 can of base coat (if the color requires it... many do... read the can), 1 BIG can or 2 SMALL cans of the color you want, and 2 or 3 BIG cans of clear LACQUER.
Here is a quick explanation of what to do...
1) After completely disassembling the bike have it sandblasted to remove ALL the finish. If the frame is aluminum, it should be walnut shell blasted, or you can chemically strip the paint. Just make sure all the paint is OFF the bike.
2) READ THE CAN INSTRUCTIONS, then spray it as soon as possible with grey SANDABLE lacquer primer. DUPLICOLOR brand paint is all lacquer, I think, and you can get it from your local autoparts store. Buy the BIG cans, not the small ones. Apply at least 1 full can, in coats, 15 minutes apart. Don't worry about light runs for now.
3) Wait at least 48 hours. There is a difference between dry paint and cured paint... it needs to be cured. Sand the primer using 220 grit aluminum oxide paper (white in color) or wet/dry paper (black in color) until the surface is smooth. It shouldn't take much unless you have a lot of runs.
4) Using a tack rag, lightly go over the entire frame (don't rub!) to remove the sanding dust.
5) Apply several coats of the base color (if necessary), then color of your choice. Make sure the frame is completely covered, it is not necessary for the color to be on thick. Follow the directions on the can. Again, use LACQUER, the same brand that you used for primer. Apply coats 1/2 hour apart. Be sure you cover every part and do NOT get runs. If you get runs you are applying it too heavily.
5a) IF you wish to add decals, wait at least 8 hours, apply the decals, then continue. Make sure that you avoid touching the new paint as much as possible and to make sure there are no marks from water or ';sticky stuff'; on the frame. If you don't want to add decals, continue immediately to the next step WITHIN 24 HOURS...
6) Do NOT sand the color coats. Apply the LACQUER clear coats, perhaps 2 full cans worth, coats 15 minutes apart. If you put decals on you should spray at least 4 cans of clear.
7) Let the frame alone until you can't smell the paint anymore when you get up close and take a big whiff. If you can smell it, it ain't dry! This will take 2 to 3 days at least.
8) Wet sand the entire frame CAREFULLY with 800 grit silicon carbide wet-or-dry paper (black in color), then 1000 grit silicon carbide wet-or-dry. Make sure to keep the paper wet and to wipe away the white slurry that forms. If you start to see the color in the slurry, STOP! You have sanded too hard and reached the color coats. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7, then try again. Don't try to ';touch up'; the area, it will look terrible.
9) Using white paste polishing compound, follow the directions and polish out the whole frame.
10) Do NOT wax or wash for at least 10 days.
If you rush this you will end up with a sloppy mess and you'll kick yourself for ever trying. However, if you take your time and do it right it'll be a very cool feeling.Spray can paint job ?
KRYLON makes the best spray paint that will hide mistakes and still look good.
Clean it then primer it first.
You can make a really slick looking ';Candy'; paint job by painting silver or gold underneath a coat of ';transparent red'; or ';transparent blue'; (or whatever color). Like this
http://alsacorp.com/products/candyconcen鈥?/a>
Satin finishes work well too, I spray painted this scooter with Krylon satin black.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/m鈥?/a>
just make sure and strip it down then tape up the openings so paint wont get in, then u can use high gloss.. or the urethane stuff the other guy said. but u have to make sure and do light even coats so that way your paint wont start to collect at the bottom(i tried to paint the front suspension off my dads car to fast and now you can see where the paint collected,but its only the suspension so you cant tell. I also did that to his mud guard lol)
yes you can if you take your time and put on many light coats. Then come back with a polyurethane clear coat. That is also available in a spray can. Oh yeh, dont polish the steel, if anything sand it with 120 grit sandpaper. This will stop your paint from peeling off. The smooth finish you are looking for comes from the paint job.
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