Painting the Frame – midnight black metallic

The local auto factors provided the aerosol paints I needed for the frame.  Grey primer, some Midnight Black metallic (a Vauxhall colour), and some clear lacquer to finish.  Originally most bikes like this would have been finished in solid black – or at least a solid dark colour – but I decided a metallic finish would just add something special to the bike without detracting from the vintage vibe.  I chose the Vauxhall colour as it’s likely to be readily available for years to come in case I need to carry out any other paint repairs or scratches later on.

First on was the grey primer.  The trick is to apply loads of thin layers and not be tempted to ‘save time’ by putting the paint on too thickly.  Building up the layers gradually is the best way to ensure a nice even finish without any runs.  I worked on one side of the bike at a time, with the bike first upright then turning it upside down before continuing – the only way to ensure every surface of the frame gets its share of paint.

Once the primer coat was complete, it was left to harden off for a week or so before being gently rubbed down with fine wire wool.  This left a smooth solid finish ready to accept the paint.

The technique for spraying the paint is the same as priming, although I found this paint was fairly thick and could be applied slightly thicker than the primer without risking runs.  Still, if you’re attempting this yourself I’d recommend building up lots of thin coats gradually.  Note, as I was using a metallic paint, I wasn’t after a ‘high gloss’ finish at this stage – this will come later when we add the lacquer.  The main thing is to build up the paint thickness to give an even colour spread throughout.  I used 2 large cans of paint to achieve this – more than expected, but at just over £5 a can well worth the slight extra expense.

The final stage: applying the lacquer.  The clear lacquer is always necessary for metallic paint finishes as it helps seal the paint and create the desired smooth finish.  Be careful though – the lacquer is the most prone to ‘runs’ if applied too thickly, so take your time to get it right.  Once the lacquer coat is applied, it should be left for at least a week before being lightly rubbed down with very fine wire wool prior to polishing.  In this case, the finish looked so smooth I decided the rubbing down stage could be bypassed altogether, going straight to the ‘polishing’ stage.