Stripping paint off of Steel(maybe Chromo, Not sure) Frames...

Unicycles and Equipment
1

I decided that i want to paint my Uni properly this time and so i need to get the crappy last paint job i did on it off.

The frame is from Bedford if that helps anyone to tell me what its made of.

So what can i use to get the old paint and chrome finish off the frame to prep it for painting? Is there an chemical that will help me strip the paint or am i j in for a couple hours of sanding?

Anyhelp would be great.
Thanks
-Phil

2

Well, theres this stuff called…laughs…Paint stripper.

That and a wire brush should do the trick.

3

Sand blasting.
A powdercoat shop will usually sand blast and powdercoat a frame for $30 OR $40 usd.

4

Thanks Evan but due to that fact that i didn t kno what the frame was made of or what effect paint stripper would have on it i had to ask the stupid question…

-Phil

5

Paint stripper is made for stripping paint from metal, therefore it doesnt damage metal surfaces.

A Bedford frame will almost certainly be made from steel, but the cleaning process is no different if it is CrMo. Sand blasting is the best bet by far, but if you dont want to fork out then a brush that mounts in a power drill can be pretty good, ones like this are far more effective than wire brushes and dont throw out sharp wires as they wear. I would expect to be able to strip a uni frame in ten mins with one of these, and they clean the metal underneath and roughen it slightly for good keying with whatever coating you decide to use to replace the paint.

6

Kington your idea worked great for the drill mounted wire brush.

However it did take quite a while because i didnt have a clamp so the frame was all wobbly. The wire brushes, to my suprise, didnt leave any pit marks or gouges in the metal, it was a very clean stripping of the paint. now im in for some sanding to get the paint out of the corners and tou rough up the surface for the primer tonight.

7

I think this is a stupid question, but what exactly is primer?

8

Its a type of paint( i think) that goes on before the color paint. Its usually grey and it just helps the paint to bond to the surface better.

9

ok thanks