I can recommend using, in America, Rustoleum with a 2K, two part clearcoat. Beautiful result, and Spraymaxx 2K clearcoat has UV protection and gets very glossy and hard.
Might be an idea to have a chat with oldshovel... he's been using Spray.Bike on his resto-mods for a while, he might have some insight or tips for best results.
Spray.bike is a great alternative to paying a professional an exorbitant amount of money to do the same job. You did a great job, but your recommendations for amount of paint is , I think a bit much. I've done several bikes and had great results. Yes...you need two cans for topcoat, as the paint recommends, for a gloss finish. The paint does have a powdery feel to it, I believe that it is kind of a powder coat finish. I love the fact that you dont get any runs, and yes, if you are going to sand between coats, you are going to need more paint. I think your review is fair, tempered with the fact that you were doing a two color fade, with a non compliant splatter paint. I'm really impressed that you are doing a review of something that gives the amateur painter an option to do it themselves, with good to great results! Thank you!
Thanks Stephen. Pro jobs are well worth their money though, in my opinion. The amount of prep they'd be doing on a bike soon adds up. I'm going to try it again with more paint and see what result I get.
Great work as always. Nice to see an honest review of this product. I’ve sprayed a couple of bikes myself (not with this stuff) and my experience has been that it’s a lot of work and then very disappointing when it chips so easily! Seems this stuff is no different. I guess one difference might be the way old shovel does it is that he usually leaves the existing paint on. Means it’s less work/money at the outset and you have a very durable ‘factory’ undercoat. I would love to see you honestly reviewing it that way! I would also love to see a ‘scientific’ test of these systems. Powder coat, vs spray dot, vs Halfords or something. Paint some tubes and start throwing stuff at them. This would be a great contribution to the bike restoration knowledge base! :)
Thanks Peter. That's always my fear with spray paint - how easily it chips. I know a professionally painted a cured frame is likely to chip too but with how thin this has gone on I'm expecting lots! Scientific tests could actually be possible... I sort of work in that area...
2 primers coats and 2 clear coats. I've learnt the hard way. You need like 4-6 cans of paint for it to stay on. The surface needs to be quite rough for good adhesion. Aluminum is incredibly difficult to get even good primer to stick.
I'm working on a follow up video to try and throw in some tips I've learnt since to hopefully reduce the powder but yeah... It certainly is a powdery formula!
Looks great. To improve the clear coat, do a really light mist coat first. Then a medium coat over the top. Then a wet coat. The mist coat will insulate the decals from wrinkles!
Yes bruv that’s looking sick.. I might do my own bike now. Thanks for the inspiration 👍🏻💪🏻✊🏻I didn’t watch till end before commenting..such a shame about the clear coat but still very good
Super nice retro paint job. I'm with you on powder coat but this is way nicer to look at. I saw on old shovels channel that rotating the frame in clamp can reduce overspray on other areas, he then used a soft brown paper to rub down the overspray . Hope to see more of this, great stuff.
I've seen that pop up a few times about rubbing the frame down with a cloth or something after. I guess because it comes out so dry damaging the wet paint isn't something to worry about.
Dry application is the reason for low quality paint job as for as resistance to scratching. The adhesion properties aren`t there with a dry application. The reason they want you to paint at 2in nozzle to surface distance. They are aware of the dry spray issue. They are marketing a hobby paint for amateurs. Not a bad product just is what it is. @@MonkeyShred
You did a great job! It does get a little bit more durable when it's properly dried out (like several days or even a couple of weeks). I've used Strawberry Hill a lot and it's a lovely colour. But if I could get powder coating for £50 I would do that just for the durability. On the last bike I left it to dry indoors for a week and then 2K clear. It resulted in a nice glossy finish but we'll see if it's more durable.
Thanks for the feedback Ben. Yeh I'm a bit lucky with the price I've got for powder coating but it isn't the best choice (especially for lugged frames) so playing about with paint is nice.
Great job for first fade its art work time is best experience.ive used rustoleom paint and primer products prep and patience. We learn something every day .look forward to Sunday morning just finished wet sand clear coat on 59 rudge😎
I’ve watched a lot of these spray bike videos but my impression is always the same.. great colours and designs, looks like a ton of fun, BUT durability is obviously going to be an issue and everyone I’ve seen do closeups (including oldshovel) I see a texture that shouldn’t be there. it always looks more textured and powdery than regular paint and that’s the part I strongly dislike. I’d like to see a comparison between two frames done the same with regular paint against spraybike.. I think with a little extra effort, I know which finish would win.
Oh sure. If I'd had more paint I would have been able to get a bit of a better finish. One can didn't leave me many options for flating back. I'm keen to try it again and put some more work in between layers, but with a lot mroe paint.
Spray cans are not made for an absolute perfect finish. Indeed this paint itself sells itself on that. They tell you just to paint right over the old paint, if its gloss wipe it down with fine sandpaper and go. You could probably spend some time and get a pro level result, but this is really for people who will change the paint colour in a few weeks anyway. If you want a much better finish, and want to paint to last years, then you're gonna have to buy a paint gun. You need to strip the bike to metal, put on base coat, fine mist it with the colour, put on a first coat, put on a second, put on a good clearcoat. If you google around, youll see some people get pro level results from 30 bucks spray guns.
Boss upload, as always, and very helpful for those of us considering the same. It would be great to see another video of a painting project in which you use this experience for even better results. To you and Spray.Bike - keep on keeping on.
I am thinking of using their paint again on the Team Scott I have. I'd just be using a lot more paint so I can put more effort in to it and get a much better finish.
Wow, what a great result and great paintjob what you've done😃👍 I've seen so many bike You Tuber like "Oldshovel". He use Spray.Bike for every single bike rebuild with nice result. So i think i try it with my Winter project bike. Hopefully my stickers will stay on the frame. Best regards from germany. Stay well 😃👍
I've used it and found it works OK, you can rub the roughness down with baking paper, comes up really smooth. I've also used Kobra spray paint on a couple of projects, it's a similar product but I think their colours are nicer. I sealed all of mine with Plasticote clear gloss, the one bike I did has done a few miles over the last 6 months or so and it's a durable finish. Is it better than a pro paint, well no but then you are looking at a hell of a lot more in cost and half the fun of restoring a bike is the feeling that you've done it all yourself.
thank you, I always wondered about the quality of this paint and i really enjoyed the in-depth review. You didn't use any fine sand paper on any coat, right ?
Thanks! The frame was sand blasted bare and I gave it a quick key and clean before primer. Primer was rubbed back very lightly but because it was only one layer I couldn't go over it as well as I wanted. Colour wasn't sanded at all.
wow! , i was gutted for you when the decals started to shrivel... those things aint cheap. Fortunately, things turned out ok in the end. the only thing I'm not keen on is the low gloss /matt finish ... of course, maybe that's the finish you were aiming for!? I've never used this paint on my projects and after your honest review, I probably won't. Good video MS
Great review! I've just stripped a frame down to bare metal and was going to go down the same route. I'm now going to have a re-think about how to do it myself whilst keeping it cheap. Thanks for the videos you do.
@@MonkeyShred I’m just watching your 1956 Raleigh Superb build. I’m now seriously thinking about keeping it raw and using boiled linseed oil. I could always spray it at a later date when funds permit.
I'm not too sure Nick. Yes it would seal the chrome but I don't know if the heat generated from braking would then cause it to leech on to the braking surfaces and ruin the pads etc.
After watching @etoedesigns painting videos I went for Montana Gold spray paint. It's half the price of Spray.bike and his paint jobs come out amazingly
It turned out quite well! One thing i would suggest is keeping an eye on the temperature of the place your spraying in, was the shop cold before you started? These texture paints dont like low temps from a can.
Thanks. Yep! I did see that mentioned somewhere so that's why I'm not doing it at home out in the garage (and because I didn't want to coat my neighbours cars!) I had the heaters on all day so it was around 20c when spraying.
8 mins in. This is pretty much my experience with this product. The Primer is REALLy good. The gold is nice. Anything else is REALLY dry and goes on very dusty (fluoro yellow, white, black) and is IMPOSSIBLE to get flat.
Seems like that is a common problem then! I'm going to give it another go with more paint so I can actually sand layers back a bit and maybe I'll get a different finish... hopefully.
I have a bit of experience with auto paint and the quality of auto paint is substantially higher than that and it can be bought in can. I’d guess the price isn’t too far off. Also, for cars we’d typically use that type of clear as a sealer between colors letters and splatter, then we’d bury it all in a few coats of clear so we have enough to block sand everything flat. Then one or two final coats to be polished. IMO spray.bike is underestimating the number of cans needed to not scare customers off with the price tag. If one can only covers one coat I’d agree with 2 cans of primer, enough color to cover, and probably 3 cans of clear.
Thanks for the input Henry. I would agree they're underestimating a lot. I've since gone to Montana paint which is half the cost (and better IMO) and use a 2K clear to seal everything.
In the process of doing a spray.bike paint job on my downhill bike and just came to the conclusion that I will A. be doing a splatter job so when I chip and scratch it wont be as noticeable lol and B. Going to get a ton of 3m clear tape to wrap almost the whole frame up to make it last a while. Thanks for the vid my trail bike is a Marin beautiful bike!!
Agree with the extra paint purchase, then you can spray delicately, wet sanding between coats. I have gotten away with using the cheaper paints before, but all the same brand in an actual spray booth.
Thanks for the honest review. Considered this stuff myself but it looks really messy especially if you are just a diy’er doing it in your garden shed and then there is the question of durability. I’d have panicked when the decals lifted as well, they’re so expensive for what they are.
No problem at all! It was fun to do and get creative but yeh, there are a few downsides. I'll be giving it another go but using much more paint so I'll give an honest opinion of that too.
Simple solution to the dust is to use a fan to draw the excess spray away. A small paint booth with a water catcher can be easily erected. This will save you all the over spray. Also check the temperature that the paint should be sprayed at.
I had a bit of air flow through the room but nothing specific like a dedicated fan. Temperatures were fine though. I had the heaters on all day to warm the room and the paint.
I think you did very well with the paint considering its shortfalls. I have used similar products from Montana and Kobra which are acrylic graffiti sprays - same issues, huge dust levels and ok if you want a matt or orange peel finish at best. Overall finish and durability seem to be the price to pay for the nice colours on offer. The cost (using sufficient cans) I found overall is getting close to powder coating which now gives a much better choice than the old pretty limited black or white choice.
I'm fairly lucky that I can get a strip and powder coat for around £60 even with their fancy colours so for me, the durability and cost is always with powder coat but I know the quality (ie not filling lugs) and creativity is with painting.
Excellent review. I've done dozens of rattle can jobs before I succumbed to the durable lure of powder coating and this review tells me to stick with powder coating. A paint designed at the home sprayer shouldn't have fundamental faults like that. The person at the company who answered your questions should've erred on the side of disappointing you ( " sorry mate, but you need 3 cans of clearcoat " ) instead of hoping bvllsh1t worked ( " 1 can'll be fine mate! " ). Review- 9/10 Product- 4/10
In my head I knew I'd need more coats but I wanted to stick to what they said for this videos purpose. I'll try it again with more cans and more prep and hope for better results.
@@MonkeyShred Top marks for perseverance but at those prices-per-can you're entering the realms of professional powder coaters who'll do all the work for you and they've got mileage in the art.
@@bikewatcher5428 That's perfect thanks for the swift response mate. I just stripped down a Raleigh medale for my first project. Going down the nitromors route to strip the current coat.
Did you run the frame down prior to the clear coat? I have seen a few spray.bike videos and they have been "sanding" with backing paper. Not sure how this affects the look of the paint or the longevity.
I didn't. I tried to lightly "sand" some of the roughest spots where the overspray had gathered with some super fine wire wool but it didn't do much at all.
I’ve never used spray bike products but it looks like they have a high solids content judging by the dusty overspray, maybe in future you should think of masking areas you don’t want that particular colour on. I’ve had lacquer re activate paint in the past, I learned quickly to dust the first layer on very gently and leave it to tack off before building up to the required finish
The next bike I have in mind (the Team Scott) will get another dose of this but in heavier quantities so I'll definitely be masking parts. I'll be sure to try the dusting too.
TBF, the website does describe the product as “ a dry matte powder coating”. But I appreciate the in-depth review as I am about to paint a frame and am considering using this product. Finished bike is awesome!
You should try Montana paint, as far as I can tell it`s pretty much the same stuff (identical if the safety data sheets are anything to go by) and its around half the price for Montana Black and only slightly above half the price for Montana Gold (a lower pressure variant that is far less messy and wasteful) Montana also do metal specific primers rather than the "one type works for all" metal primer they even sell different nozzle types. Its actually designed for graffiti artists so you find a lot of BMX guys paint their bikes with it.
That dusty overspray was crazy. Even cheap rattle cans work great if you just want to freshen up an old ride. Great vid mate....but what happened to the bromton bike ?
The little BSA shopper is hanging up in the garage at the min. I'm debating whether to get a proper engineering company to machine the shell down to a "normal" size. Might help with options in that area.
I have a similar experience with spray.bike paint but to be honest the colors go off very easily. I think it makes sense to paint a bike with 2 parts colors. It just gets abused too much while driving etc.
The powdery finish may be a result of a not ideal nozzle. One time I tried to paint with a fluoro color and the pigment went everywhere and I couldn't form a wet surface, that is needed in order to get a smooth finish. Maybe a bit higher flowing or "heavier" nozzle or more directed flow pattern would be better. But of course the risk of runs would be a bit higher. Also a pro-tip. Spray cans should be kept upside down in order to prevent the pigments potentially clogging up the tube inside. Also vigorously shaking them before testing them on a sheet will help to prevent problems.
They should be kept upside down? Interesting! I always shake the cans a fair bit before using them and test first incase it spits everywhere. I have found a Halfords fluro spray paint was also extremely powdery so perhaps that's just the properties of fluro.
Great review and run down. I don't think I would use this or mention it to anyone to try or use. The orange peel and dried overspray suggest lack of adhesion. But for anyone that is going the rattle can route nobody in their diy's has shown to put your can in luke warm water before you spray for finer atomization, it will thin it so careful for runs, flash coat(tack) 1st (especially in the crannies that could be missed or gone lite),then regular coat starting with crannies then underside tube cause when you spray the seen tubes that oversrpay will end up at a less noticeable or buffable blah blah. Or for rattle canning the graffiti "artist" may have some go to brands.
I don't really like painting bikes, it's expensive and the durability isn't really that good. maybe I'll just sand blast and do a few coats of clear, just be kinda boring like that :)
The price sounds pretty mad. I doubt they are superior or harder than most spray stuff on the market. I would probably just look for paints that are popular in the street art and graffiti front. I've tested some Montana 94 and Molotow Benton, they have really high amounts of pigment, so the chosen nozzle plays a very big part. Those paints are actually cheaper than most of the "local market" -stuff. I think the most important thing on a lasting paint shop is the clear coat. It has to be hard on the surface but adhere to the paint it's sprayed on. I would probably try a 2-part clear coat in a spray can to finish it off. Though it should be noted that the used paints will match each other and won't make chemical reactions.
I've seen a lot of people recommend Montana in the comments. I've personally only used cheap stuff off eBay before which doesn't seem to go as far as it should or Halfords paint (enamel and fluro) which to be fair, wasn't too bad!
Actually, spray.bike's UK distributor is Graff-city, so you'd think that'd say a lot about the street art/graffiti front's thoughts on the product. Then again, you have to dig around on their website to get it (unlike Montana, Kobra etc.) so maybe not, lol ...
@@C345OFR I have this feeling that someone noticed the old bike restoration scene and came up with the idea of labeling existing spray paints to be bike specific. Of course this is just a hunch, but most of the time bike things are somewhat more profitable products but are pretty much the same stuff than some industrial/diy products. This can be seen for example in lubricants, where a tiny container of "bike specific" grease (like 100-200ml) can be much more expensive than equally good "industrial grade" grease on a grease gun container (400-500ml).
@@HulluJanne If we're to believe their promo material, Spray.Bike is 'groundbreaking' and 'revolutionary' and certainly their origin story (spray.bike/pages/about-us) would suggest an alternative route to market than standard sprays, but you're right that normally, manufacturers can slap an extra 'tax' on top of a normal product by re-packaging it as bike-specific and seemingly get away with it. Infuriating, definitely.
Mate, there is just no substitute for 2k out of a gun. 2k because it's so much harder Gun because you can alter the consistency of the paint as you go. Auto supplier will sell 2k in a rattle but you will always need to wet and dry between coats.
You need two part clear coat with a hardener in it to prevent the chipping - nasty stuff you don't want to be breathing and more than $20 a can here. Once you start adding up the time and materials it doesn't make much sense to can spray your own bike. Most of the paint is going into the air and not on the tubes. I did one and then priced powder coating. Guy wanted $100 for frame but when I got there he wanted another $40 for the forks. I thought that was a bit too much extra but even at $140, I spent about $50 in paint when I added up primer, enamel and clear coat and bloody hours stripping and then days waiting between coats to allow for hardening so if I price my own labour at $20 an hour, it's a no-brainer. On top of that, we really need to be putting money back into our local economies and this is a good way to do it.
Spray Max 2k works pretty well. It's around €17. But it's worth it. Nothing worse than chipping your paint already while you're still assembling your bike.
I found the dry spray was quite much. I lightly steel wooled with 4x before laying on the wet coats of clear. Not impressed with their pigments in the base coats. I used the riverera or light pink. The paint color on the can looked great. Sprayed it over white base and the color paled so much it was disappointing. Not nearly what I was expecting. Easy to use base as it dry sprays letting amateurs paint without much chance of runs. Oh well I tried it and the job came out well. Just block it after the base coat and lay on the clear and you will be fine. As for toughness. Powder coating or ED is the way of factory bikes for a reason.
I always thought that the spatter on bikes like your design here was there to put bike thieves off, I never knew that some people liked it LoL ;-)). Would you be interested in a custom job, I bring the bike to you in Tamworth and pay for everything including your time? You can make a video of the rebuild, nothing confidential. Ben
Haha I think splatter is a bit marmite but people do seem to like it! I can't take on any builds at the moment though, sorry. I have so many of my own projects to finish. I need to catch up on those first!
@@MonkeyShred That's O.K., how different could it be? One question though, after you sanded your primer coat, did you clean with a degreaser? I'm going to use acetone to clean the bare metal, is that a good idea between coats too? What do you think?
You had enough primer. You should have wet sanded the primer and the paint before using the clear. Then wet sand the clear. Also, you seemed to be putting it on too thick. Patience when painting gives you a killer paint job... Even with spray cans.
I'd disagree. I gave the primer a light sand in spots and I revealed bare metal. Another can would have been good. Wet sanding the top coat coat might effect the fade. Clear didn't have enough to properly take that back either. I've sprayed my car before with proper paint and spent days sanding that back. This thickness of clear wasn't good enough, imo.
I had the same problem with the paint. In my case it was Montana Colors spray cans, but the final result was a bit rough and powdery as well, even after applying a nice layer of clear coat. Fun fact: when I restored my wife’s bike she chose very similar colors! Watch it here: ua-cam.com/video/WzlJMrgKs4Q/v-deo.html
its not the spray paint, it's your spraying technique. your strokes are too slow. and if you sanded every time your gonna switch to a different layer the result would have been better. your paint job looked dusty. sanding would have avoided that
A valiant first attempt but, ask any 'body' man, he'll tell you, it's ALL in the prep ...... spraying is far-and-away the easy bit, so easy a dumb machine can do it, NOT the prep though! Do this more, you'll get better, maybe as good as 'oldshovel' one day? As this frame is for you, try and park the 'cost' aspect? Properly done, an good enamel finish will look and endure far better than any powder coat, and , if, in time, you decide to sell it, you'll achieve a far better price.
Oh I know Greg. I've had the joy of respraying an old car of mine on the driveway before. I know it's so much bigger than a bike but I spent days sanding that thing down just to prepare it and then days working on the final finish with more fine sanding and buffing. If I had the gun, compressor and somewhere to actually use that gear still I'd be using it on every build.
I can recommend using, in America, Rustoleum with a 2K, two part clearcoat. Beautiful result, and Spraymaxx 2K clearcoat has UV protection and gets very glossy and hard.
Indeed...2K is much better..harder n more glossy...
Might be an idea to have a chat with oldshovel... he's been using Spray.Bike on his resto-mods for a while, he might have some insight or tips for best results.
Oh I know. I've seen all the builds.
It’s just spray paint, all of oldshovels paint jobs turn out the same. Ok for a diy job, but nowhere near factory.
@@MonkeyShred hey, what about using 2k primer and 2k clear coat? Dude from ETOE channel says that the result is very close to factory painting
Spray.bike is a great alternative to paying a professional an exorbitant amount of money to do the same job. You did a great job, but your recommendations for amount of paint is , I think a bit much. I've done several bikes and had great results. Yes...you need two cans for topcoat, as the paint recommends, for a gloss finish. The paint does have a powdery feel to it, I believe that it is kind of a powder coat finish. I love the fact that you dont get any runs, and yes, if you are going to sand between coats, you are going to need more paint. I think your review is fair, tempered with the fact that you were doing a two color fade, with a non compliant splatter paint. I'm really impressed that you are doing a review of something that gives the amateur painter an option to do it themselves, with good to great results! Thank you!
Thanks Stephen. Pro jobs are well worth their money though, in my opinion. The amount of prep they'd be doing on a bike soon adds up. I'm going to try it again with more paint and see what result I get.
Great work as always.
Nice to see an honest review of this product. I’ve sprayed a couple of bikes myself (not with this stuff) and my experience has been that it’s a lot of work and then very disappointing when it chips so easily! Seems this stuff is no different.
I guess one difference might be the way old shovel does it is that he usually leaves the existing paint on. Means it’s less work/money at the outset and you have a very durable ‘factory’ undercoat. I would love to see you honestly reviewing it that way!
I would also love to see a ‘scientific’ test of these systems. Powder coat, vs spray dot, vs Halfords or something. Paint some tubes and start throwing stuff at them. This would be a great contribution to the bike restoration knowledge base! :)
Thanks Peter. That's always my fear with spray paint - how easily it chips. I know a professionally painted a cured frame is likely to chip too but with how thin this has gone on I'm expecting lots!
Scientific tests could actually be possible... I sort of work in that area...
2 primers coats and 2 clear coats. I've learnt the hard way. You need like 4-6 cans of paint for it to stay on. The surface needs to be quite rough for good adhesion. Aluminum is incredibly difficult to get even good primer to stick.
I also had bad experiences on pro paint jobs
Thank you so much for the review - I had no idea there was such a powder problem in the paint, even though I had heard it mentioned.
I'm working on a follow up video to try and throw in some tips I've learnt since to hopefully reduce the powder but yeah... It certainly is a powdery formula!
Thanks for a great honest video and timing couldn't have been better going into lockdown bike projects
Another lockdown. Hope the projects go well!
I love the 80s early 90s paint job ! Excellent job !
Thanks! I love how it turned out!
I always use Halfords car primer , paint and clear coat , I'd recommend it.
I've used lots and lots of that too. It's not actually that bad.
House kolor
Looks great. To improve the clear coat, do a really light mist coat first. Then a medium coat over the top. Then a wet coat.
The mist coat will insulate the decals from wrinkles!
Thanks for the tips!
@@MonkeyShred , it's a method for getting any non compatible coatings to play together. Also, do the 'spray can dance' like Etoe.
Two cans of a single color, skip everything else, u get the "dusty" finish. I did my frame this way. Gray. Love it!
Oddly satisfying! Thanks for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yes bruv that’s looking sick.. I might do my own bike now. Thanks for the inspiration 👍🏻💪🏻✊🏻I didn’t watch till end before commenting..such a shame about the clear coat but still very good
Go for it! Have fun. Hope it works out well.
Im prepping for my first spray.bike frame . This was helpful . Ill definitely be doing it in the back yard .
Good luck!
Super nice retro paint job. I'm with you on powder coat but this is way nicer to look at. I saw on old shovels channel that rotating the frame in clamp can reduce overspray on other areas, he then used a soft brown paper to rub down the overspray . Hope to see more of this, great stuff.
I've seen that pop up a few times about rubbing the frame down with a cloth or something after. I guess because it comes out so dry damaging the wet paint isn't something to worry about.
Dry application is the reason for low quality paint job as for as resistance to scratching. The adhesion properties aren`t there with a dry application. The reason they want you to paint at 2in nozzle to surface distance. They are aware of the dry spray issue. They are marketing a hobby paint for amateurs. Not a bad product just is what it is. @@MonkeyShred
Not a huge fan of those colors together... until I saw this!!! Looks fantastic!
Thanks Isaac!
You did a great job! It does get a little bit more durable when it's properly dried out (like several days or even a couple of weeks). I've used Strawberry Hill a lot and it's a lovely colour. But if I could get powder coating for £50 I would do that just for the durability. On the last bike I left it to dry indoors for a week and then 2K clear. It resulted in a nice glossy finish but we'll see if it's more durable.
Thanks for the feedback Ben. Yeh I'm a bit lucky with the price I've got for powder coating but it isn't the best choice (especially for lugged frames) so playing about with paint is nice.
How'd it turn out?
Great job for first fade its art work time is best experience.ive used rustoleom paint and primer products prep and patience. We learn something every day .look forward to Sunday morning just finished wet sand clear coat on 59 rudge😎
Thanks. Hopefully I can do more spraying in the future.
I’ve watched a lot of these spray bike videos but my impression is always the same.. great colours and designs, looks like a ton of fun, BUT durability is obviously going to be an issue and everyone I’ve seen do closeups (including oldshovel) I see a texture that shouldn’t be there. it always looks more textured and powdery than regular paint and that’s the part I strongly dislike. I’d like to see a comparison between two frames done the same with regular paint against spraybike.. I think with a little extra effort, I know which finish would win.
Oh sure. If I'd had more paint I would have been able to get a bit of a better finish. One can didn't leave me many options for flating back. I'm keen to try it again and put some more work in between layers, but with a lot mroe paint.
Spray cans are not made for an absolute perfect finish. Indeed this paint itself sells itself on that. They tell you just to paint right over the old paint, if its gloss wipe it down with fine sandpaper and go. You could probably spend some time and get a pro level result, but this is really for people who will change the paint colour in a few weeks anyway. If you want a much better finish, and want to paint to last years, then you're gonna have to buy a paint gun. You need to strip the bike to metal, put on base coat, fine mist it with the colour, put on a first coat, put on a second, put on a good clearcoat. If you google around, youll see some people get pro level results from 30 bucks spray guns.
I liked it, very practical and useful.
Love the color combo you chose. It didn't look that nice indoors when you first painted it but outdoors in natural lighting did it.
I wasn't sure on it myself until I did the splatter. It needed to be broken up a bit.
Boss upload, as always, and very helpful for those of us considering the same. It would be great to see another video of a painting project in which you use this experience for even better results. To you and Spray.Bike - keep on keeping on.
I am thinking of using their paint again on the Team Scott I have. I'd just be using a lot more paint so I can put more effort in to it and get a much better finish.
Wow, what a great result and great paintjob what you've done😃👍
I've seen so many bike You Tuber like "Oldshovel". He use Spray.Bike for every single bike rebuild with nice result. So i think i try it with my Winter project bike. Hopefully my stickers will stay on the frame.
Best regards from germany.
Stay well 😃👍
Hopefully! I was really disappointed to see the decals react like they did but luckily they settled out!
Thanks for the honest video. You just saved me a few quid.
I am giving it another go after these honest first impressions. Maybe with practice and the tips from the comments I can get a better finish.
@@MonkeyShred it's also a case of longevity. Rattle cans never seem to give a robust finish.
I've used it and found it works OK, you can rub the roughness down with baking paper, comes up really smooth. I've also used Kobra spray paint on a couple of projects, it's a similar product but I think their colours are nicer. I sealed all of mine with Plasticote clear gloss, the one bike I did has done a few miles over the last 6 months or so and it's a durable finish. Is it better than a pro paint, well no but then you are looking at a hell of a lot more in cost and half the fun of restoring a bike is the feeling that you've done it all yourself.
Very true. I love that I managed to come out with that final design and that pride wouldn't have been there if I'd sent it off somewhere.
Thanks very much for the detail and the cost breakdown.
You're welcome!
thank you, I always wondered about the quality of this paint and i really enjoyed the in-depth review.
You didn't use any fine sand paper on any coat, right ?
Thanks! The frame was sand blasted bare and I gave it a quick key and clean before primer. Primer was rubbed back very lightly but because it was only one layer I couldn't go over it as well as I wanted. Colour wasn't sanded at all.
wow! , i was gutted for you when the decals started to shrivel... those things aint cheap. Fortunately, things turned out ok in the end. the only thing I'm not keen on is the low gloss /matt finish ... of course, maybe that's the finish you were aiming for!? I've never used this paint on my projects and after your honest review, I probably won't. Good video MS
No no, I was actually hoping for a gloss finish. I didn't realise I needed multiple layers to achieve that though!
Great review! I've just stripped a frame down to bare metal and was going to go down the same route. I'm now going to have a re-think about how to do it myself whilst keeping it cheap. Thanks for the videos you do.
No worries. Hope your project goes well!
@@MonkeyShred I’m just watching your 1956 Raleigh Superb build. I’m now seriously thinking about keeping it raw and using boiled linseed oil. I could always spray it at a later date when funds permit.
@@nickdavis9280 The raw look is pretty cool eh?!
@@MonkeyShred would blo work on chrome rims that are tatty? Not on the braking surface but on the flat of the rim.
I'm not too sure Nick. Yes it would seal the chrome but I don't know if the heat generated from braking would then cause it to leech on to the braking surfaces and ruin the pads etc.
After watching @etoedesigns painting videos I went for Montana Gold spray paint. It's half the price of Spray.bike and his paint jobs come out amazingly
Seen that recommended a few times! I'll have to have a look.
It turned out quite well! One thing i would suggest is keeping an eye on the temperature of the place your spraying in, was the shop cold before you started? These texture paints dont like low temps from a can.
Thanks. Yep! I did see that mentioned somewhere so that's why I'm not doing it at home out in the garage (and because I didn't want to coat my neighbours cars!) I had the heaters on all day so it was around 20c when spraying.
Glad I saw this before going ahead with mine.
It's just something to think about.
Nice paint job 👍
Thanks 👍
I do love your colour scheme.. awesome!
Glad you like it!
8 mins in. This is pretty much my experience with this product. The Primer is REALLy good. The gold is nice. Anything else is REALLY dry and goes on very dusty (fluoro yellow, white, black) and is IMPOSSIBLE to get flat.
Seems like that is a common problem then! I'm going to give it another go with more paint so I can actually sand layers back a bit and maybe I'll get a different finish... hopefully.
I have a bit of experience with auto paint and the quality of auto paint is substantially higher than that and it can be bought in can. I’d guess the price isn’t too far off.
Also, for cars we’d typically use that type of clear as a sealer between colors letters and splatter, then we’d bury it all in a few coats of clear so we have enough to block sand everything flat. Then one or two final coats to be polished.
IMO spray.bike is underestimating the number of cans needed to not scare customers off with the price tag. If one can only covers one coat I’d agree with 2 cans of primer, enough color to cover, and probably 3 cans of clear.
Thanks for the input Henry. I would agree they're underestimating a lot. I've since gone to Montana paint which is half the cost (and better IMO) and use a 2K clear to seal everything.
In the process of doing a spray.bike paint job on my downhill bike and just came to the conclusion that I will A. be doing a splatter job so when I chip and scratch it wont be as noticeable lol and B. Going to get a ton of 3m clear tape to wrap almost the whole frame up to make it last a while. Thanks for the vid my trail bike is a Marin beautiful bike!!
Sick paint job! How/where did you get those decals? I’ve got older Marin MTB for restore project and wondering if I should repaint or keep it as is.
Try Gil at Retrodecals. He supplies them and lots more.
@@MonkeyShred thank you! Will google👍
Interested where you went for the repro decals, I've got a Palisades of the same year and need a matching set.
Looks good mate. Great video👍
Thanks 👍
Agree with the extra paint purchase, then you can spray delicately, wet sanding between coats. I have gotten away with using the cheaper paints before, but all the same brand in an actual spray booth.
I'll be running another trial with more paint so I'll feedback on that too. Wish I had a proper booth!
Thanks for the honest review. Considered this stuff myself but it looks really messy especially if you are just a diy’er doing it in your garden shed and then there is the question of durability. I’d have panicked when the decals lifted as well, they’re so expensive for what they are.
No problem at all! It was fun to do and get creative but yeh, there are a few downsides. I'll be giving it another go but using much more paint so I'll give an honest opinion of that too.
Simple solution to the dust is to use a fan to draw the excess spray away. A small paint booth with a water catcher can be easily erected. This will save you all the over spray. Also check the temperature that the paint should be sprayed at.
Hi, please explain about water catches function and how i would go about setting it up.
I had a bit of air flow through the room but nothing specific like a dedicated fan. Temperatures were fine though. I had the heaters on all day to warm the room and the paint.
I think you did very well with the paint considering its shortfalls. I have used similar products from Montana and Kobra which are acrylic graffiti sprays - same issues, huge dust levels and ok if you want a matt or orange peel finish at best. Overall finish and durability seem to be the price to pay for the nice colours on offer. The cost (using sufficient cans) I found overall is getting close to powder coating which now gives a much better choice than the old pretty limited black or white choice.
I'm fairly lucky that I can get a strip and powder coat for around £60 even with their fancy colours so for me, the durability and cost is always with powder coat but I know the quality (ie not filling lugs) and creativity is with painting.
Excellent review. I've done dozens of rattle can jobs before I succumbed to the durable lure of powder coating and this review tells me to stick with powder coating. A paint designed at the home sprayer shouldn't have fundamental faults like that. The person at the company who answered your questions should've erred on the side of disappointing you ( " sorry mate, but you need 3 cans of clearcoat " ) instead of hoping bvllsh1t worked ( " 1 can'll be fine mate! " ).
Review- 9/10
Product- 4/10
In my head I knew I'd need more coats but I wanted to stick to what they said for this videos purpose. I'll try it again with more cans and more prep and hope for better results.
@@MonkeyShred Top marks for perseverance but at those prices-per-can you're entering the realms of professional powder coaters who'll do all the work for you and they've got mileage in the art.
Do you think a 2K clear coat would be compatible with the spray.bike top coat? Might help with the durability.
I have no idea. The 2K clear would definitely do a good job at protecting though.
Hi, l always use Halfords car paints, never had a problem yet🤞laquor over decals perfect and the paint is cheaper👍
How many coats do you find it takes?
@@jordanmills7762 A good two coats of colour, two coats of laquor l hope that helps. And l found the paint is hard wearing👍
@@bikewatcher5428 That's perfect thanks for the swift response mate. I just stripped down a Raleigh medale for my first project. Going down the nitromors route to strip the current coat.
@@jordanmills7762 Good luck👍
@@jordanmills7762 Ps this time of the year use a hair dryer between coats👍 it stops any runs.
Looks alright . I planned to use their orange fluro with some other generic white but if the clear makes it run I dunno .
It can be a bit hit and miss mixing with other paints depending on the ingredients
Don't put a big layer from close distance itnwont runn
Люблю смотреть твои видео! Продолжай находить интересные проекты!🤗👍
Comment tu fais refaire les stickers ?
Je prends des photos et les envoie à "RetroDecals"
Great video as alway s
Верно сказано 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Looks great. Did you sand down the frame prior to finishing with the clear coat?
Nope. I'd have lost some of the splatter and fade details.
So the colors are by Spray Bike but the black splatter is conventional can paint? Who makes the clear coat?
Did you run the frame down prior to the clear coat? I have seen a few spray.bike videos and they have been "sanding" with backing paper. Not sure how this affects the look of the paint or the longevity.
I didn't. I tried to lightly "sand" some of the roughest spots where the overspray had gathered with some super fine wire wool but it didn't do much at all.
Can I ask why you didn’t sand those rough areas before clearing?
For fear of rubbing straight through the paint back to primer.
I’ve never used spray bike products but it looks like they have a high solids content judging by the dusty overspray, maybe in future you should think of masking areas you don’t want that particular colour on.
I’ve had lacquer re activate paint in the past, I learned quickly to dust the first layer on very gently and leave it to tack off before building up to the required finish
The next bike I have in mind (the Team Scott) will get another dose of this but in heavier quantities so I'll definitely be masking parts. I'll be sure to try the dusting too.
TBF, the website does describe the product as “ a dry matte powder coating”. But I appreciate the in-depth review as I am about to paint a frame and am considering using this product. Finished bike is awesome!
Using cans like Montana offers a much better result spray.bike ain't very good. A 2k clear coat is also best.
I've seen Montana recommended a few times here. I'll have to check them out.
You should try Montana paint, as far as I can tell it`s pretty much the same stuff (identical if the safety data sheets are anything to go by) and its around half the price for Montana Black and only slightly above half the price for Montana Gold (a lower pressure variant that is far less messy and wasteful) Montana also do metal specific primers rather than the "one type works for all" metal primer they even sell different nozzle types. Its actually designed for graffiti artists so you find a lot of BMX guys paint their bikes with it.
I am going to give it a go at some point. I've got a frame and build lined up for the Montana. Look forward to seeing the results.
Looks good I think. Where did you buy the little sticker?
Which little sticker?
How did you sort the peeling decals?
That dusty overspray was crazy. Even cheap rattle cans work great if you just want to freshen up an old ride. Great vid mate....but what happened to the bromton bike ?
The little BSA shopper is hanging up in the garage at the min. I'm debating whether to get a proper engineering company to machine the shell down to a "normal" size. Might help with options in that area.
I have a similar experience with spray.bike paint but to be honest the colors go off very easily. I think it makes sense to paint a bike with 2 parts colors. It just gets abused too much while driving etc.
How well has the paint held up after a year of use?
I did a little review a while back and it seemed to be ok. I was mildly impressed. Not sure after all this time as I sold the bike on.
Always good with a 2k coating.
The powdery finish may be a result of a not ideal nozzle. One time I tried to paint with a fluoro color and the pigment went everywhere and I couldn't form a wet surface, that is needed in order to get a smooth finish. Maybe a bit higher flowing or "heavier" nozzle or more directed flow pattern would be better. But of course the risk of runs would be a bit higher.
Also a pro-tip. Spray cans should be kept upside down in order to prevent the pigments potentially clogging up the tube inside. Also vigorously shaking them before testing them on a sheet will help to prevent problems.
They should be kept upside down? Interesting! I always shake the cans a fair bit before using them and test first incase it spits everywhere. I have found a Halfords fluro spray paint was also extremely powdery so perhaps that's just the properties of fluro.
@@MonkeyShred Kept upside down when stored. Sorry if there was a confusion.
Great review and run down. I don't think I would use this or mention it to anyone to try or use. The orange peel and dried overspray suggest lack of adhesion. But for anyone that is going the rattle can route nobody in their diy's has shown to put your can in luke warm water before you spray for finer atomization, it will thin it so careful for runs, flash coat(tack) 1st (especially in the crannies that could be missed or gone lite),then regular coat starting with crannies then underside tube cause when you spray the seen tubes that oversrpay will end up at a less noticeable or buffable blah blah. Or for rattle canning the graffiti "artist" may have some go to brands.
Some good tips there. Thanks. I'll pay attention to those details next time.
I don't really like painting bikes, it's expensive and the durability isn't really that good. maybe I'll just sand blast and do a few coats of clear, just be kinda boring like that :)
It certainly is expensive when you consider the durability. Fun to do though!
Where did you get the stickers from?
RetroDecals
Who did you use for the Decals?
I know I've already said on FB but for anyone else... RetroDecals.
The price sounds pretty mad. I doubt they are superior or harder than most spray stuff on the market. I would probably just look for paints that are popular in the street art and graffiti front. I've tested some Montana 94 and Molotow Benton, they have really high amounts of pigment, so the chosen nozzle plays a very big part. Those paints are actually cheaper than most of the "local market" -stuff. I think the most important thing on a lasting paint shop is the clear coat. It has to be hard on the surface but adhere to the paint it's sprayed on. I would probably try a 2-part clear coat in a spray can to finish it off. Though it should be noted that the used paints will match each other and won't make chemical reactions.
I've seen a lot of people recommend Montana in the comments. I've personally only used cheap stuff off eBay before which doesn't seem to go as far as it should or Halfords paint (enamel and fluro) which to be fair, wasn't too bad!
Actually, spray.bike's UK distributor is Graff-city, so you'd think that'd say a lot about the street art/graffiti front's thoughts on the product. Then again, you have to dig around on their website to get it (unlike Montana, Kobra etc.) so maybe not, lol ...
@@C345OFR I have this feeling that someone noticed the old bike restoration scene and came up with the idea of labeling existing spray paints to be bike specific. Of course this is just a hunch, but most of the time bike things are somewhat more profitable products but are pretty much the same stuff than some industrial/diy products.
This can be seen for example in lubricants, where a tiny container of "bike specific" grease (like 100-200ml) can be much more expensive than equally good "industrial grade" grease on a grease gun container (400-500ml).
@@HulluJanne If we're to believe their promo material, Spray.Bike is 'groundbreaking' and 'revolutionary' and certainly their origin story (spray.bike/pages/about-us) would suggest an alternative route to market than standard sprays, but you're right that normally, manufacturers can slap an extra 'tax' on top of a normal product by re-packaging it as bike-specific and seemingly get away with it. Infuriating, definitely.
Mate, there is just no substitute for 2k out of a gun.
2k because it's so much harder
Gun because you can alter the consistency of the paint as you go.
Auto supplier will sell 2k in a rattle but you will always need to wet and dry between coats.
2K is being used on my next job. Hopeful for good results!
@@MonkeyShred cool, good luck!
I see they recommend polishing the bike within 2 hours of spraying to compact the surface for more strength
You need two part clear coat with a hardener in it to prevent the chipping - nasty stuff you don't want to be breathing and more than $20 a can here. Once you start adding up the time and materials it doesn't make much sense to can spray your own bike. Most of the paint is going into the air and not on the tubes. I did one and then priced powder coating. Guy wanted $100 for frame but when I got there he wanted another $40 for the forks. I thought that was a bit too much extra but even at $140, I spent about $50 in paint when I added up primer, enamel and clear coat and bloody hours stripping and then days waiting between coats to allow for hardening so if I price my own labour at $20 an hour, it's a no-brainer.
On top of that, we really need to be putting money back into our local economies and this is a good way to do it.
Spray Max 2k works pretty well. It's around €17. But it's worth it. Nothing worse than chipping your paint already while you're still assembling your bike.
Yeh I've used 2K paint to spray one of my old cars before. Potent stuff! I just don't have any of the spray gear anymore.
I found the dry spray was quite much. I lightly steel wooled with 4x before laying on the wet coats of clear. Not impressed with their pigments in the base coats. I used the riverera or light pink. The paint color on the can looked great. Sprayed it over white base and the color paled so much it was disappointing. Not nearly what I was expecting. Easy to use base as it dry sprays letting amateurs paint without much chance of runs. Oh well I tried it and the job came out well. Just block it after the base coat and lay on the clear and you will be fine. As for toughness. Powder coating or ED is the way of factory bikes for a reason.
Thanks for noting your experience Alan.
I always thought that the spatter on bikes like your design here was there to put bike thieves off, I never knew that some people liked it LoL ;-)). Would you be interested in a custom job, I bring the bike to you in Tamworth and pay for everything including your time? You can make a video of the rebuild, nothing confidential. Ben
Haha I think splatter is a bit marmite but people do seem to like it! I can't take on any builds at the moment though, sorry. I have so many of my own projects to finish. I need to catch up on those first!
@@MonkeyShred Well your videos are an inspiration to me, but I can't afford to buy all those great tools that you have now.
@@myobboy9973 Oh it's taken me years to get all the tools I have. You don't need them all though!
Do you have any idea how it compares to Rust-oleum?
I don't sorry!
@@MonkeyShred That's O.K., how different could it be?
One question though, after you sanded your primer coat, did you clean with a degreaser? I'm going to use acetone to clean the bare metal, is that a good idea between coats too? What do you think?
I used some "paint preperation wipes" between coats. I wouldn't use anything like acetone on the fresh paint as you could take the paint off.
For an over paint, 3 coats of colour and 3 coats of lacquer is fine, not from bare metal tho, scratch it and you'll see how thin the paint is.
Oh yeh, very thin.
Nice vid! Can we get a 6 month update
I think I could manage that.
I used Montana Gold spray cans. Less powdery than Spray.bike and cheaper too.
I've seen them mentioned a bit. I'll have to give them a try.
how do you remove the rust ?
That frame was sand/media blasted.
Use Kobra. 1/3 the price for the exact same thing. Montana are the same too.
I'll have a look. Thanks
If you want to have fun and create something cool, this seems a good idea. If it's a treasured bike, get a professional to do a good job.
Invest in a sand blaster!
I'd have nowhere to run it
i am going to make mine black fading into green
Sweet, good luck!
The paint fade away in winter. I had a bare metal bike after e couple of months
I'm sure you've commented something similar on another video. Sounds like you didn't prep it all that well if the paint has fallen off.
is it DIY decals????
No, these were purchased online.
rust-oleum in the can...cheap spray gun......excellent results.........
You had enough primer. You should have wet sanded the primer and the paint before using the clear. Then wet sand the clear. Also, you seemed to be putting it on too thick. Patience when painting gives you a killer paint job... Even with spray cans.
I'd disagree. I gave the primer a light sand in spots and I revealed bare metal. Another can would have been good. Wet sanding the top coat coat might effect the fade. Clear didn't have enough to properly take that back either. I've sprayed my car before with proper paint and spent days sanding that back. This thickness of clear wasn't good enough, imo.
I had the same problem with the paint. In my case it was Montana Colors spray cans, but the final result was a bit rough and powdery as well, even after applying a nice layer of clear coat.
Fun fact: when I restored my wife’s bike she chose very similar colors! Watch it here: ua-cam.com/video/WzlJMrgKs4Q/v-deo.html
I'll be trying Montana on my next build with a 2K clear. Fingers crossed
For me better metallic n clear 2k..
Oh yeah 2K clear is definitely the way to go.
its not the spray paint, it's your spraying technique. your strokes are too slow. and if you sanded every time your gonna switch to a different layer the result would have been better. your paint job looked dusty. sanding would have avoided that
A valiant first attempt but, ask any 'body' man, he'll tell you, it's ALL in the prep ...... spraying is far-and-away the easy bit, so easy a dumb machine can do it, NOT the prep though! Do this more, you'll get better, maybe as good as 'oldshovel' one day? As this frame is for you, try and park the 'cost' aspect? Properly done, an good enamel finish will look and endure far better than any powder coat, and , if, in time, you decide to sell it, you'll achieve a far better price.
Oh I know Greg. I've had the joy of respraying an old car of mine on the driveway before. I know it's so much bigger than a bike but I spent days sanding that thing down just to prepare it and then days working on the final finish with more fine sanding and buffing. If I had the gun, compressor and somewhere to actually use that gear still I'd be using it on every build.
Oh....((
Why the sad face?
@@MonkeyShred because I think it will be more professional paint work. Look ofcourse nice, but work processing.... not 😔
Oh yes, it needs a lot more paint for a professional looking finish unfortunately.
I believe that this paint is dead by now!
What do you mean?
@@MonkeyShred
I mean, is it in good shape now?
You gotta work on your spray technique....
You mean.... my first time spraying a bike in years wasn't perfect? I'm shooketh!!
Water based colours sucks
Because they run, or some other reason?
I'd just buy a decent bike with decent paint. Waste of time this is.
Oh don't worry. I have plenty of bikes. Spraying your own bike may seem like a waste of time to you but a lot of people love the creativity it allows.