View Full Version : Refinishing ti frame? Help wanted
Elefantino
04-10-2014, 09:23 AM
Who refinishes ti? Other than Seven, which only works on its own frames?
In my mind refinishing means stripping paint to bare metal and going nude, with decals.
RedRider
04-10-2014, 09:55 AM
I don't know anyone that will remove paint from ti and refinish in natural (polish or matte). The reason I was given is that too much material will be removed to get paint/primer off. Refinish painted ti in new paint=yes. Refinish natural ti = yes. Paint natural ti = yes.
Love to hear if someone else will do it.
dekindy
04-10-2014, 10:07 AM
http://www.cforestryan.com/
Contact Craig and get his opinion.
Saint Vitus
04-10-2014, 10:12 AM
I don't know anyone that will remove paint from ti and refinish in natural (polish or matte). The reason I was given is that too much material will be removed to get paint/primer off. Refinish painted ti in new paint=yes. Refinish natural ti = yes. Paint natural ti = yes.
Love to hear if someone else will do it.
That I find hard to believe. Chemical strippers should have little to no effect on ti and proper bead blasting with the correct media should only remove the softer paint, not the much harder metal.
http://www.airglowpainting.com/answers/answers.faq.html
StephenCL
04-10-2014, 10:24 AM
Craig is re doing a De Rosa titanium for me right now...in fact after stripping and media blasting, I was kind of bummed that I decided to paint it....it looked amazing...
Pretty sure he has a google site up with my refinishing, but here is a sneak preview of the raw it frame after media blasting and chemical stripping..
Ralph
04-10-2014, 10:29 AM
Love that look!
tuscanyswe
04-10-2014, 10:29 AM
Spectrum powderworks said to me recently that they do remove (atleast their own work) powder coats on titanium frames and the cost was like 75ish. Then a refinishsh in a brushed finish was like 200 on top of that or similar (actually think it was less in total).
I would call Tom Kellogg @ Spectrum!
He has been doing it long enough to be able to offer some help I'm sure.
mvrider
04-10-2014, 10:31 AM
If you want a brushed finish, it's easy enough to do yourself; I've done it a couple of times:
1. Use chemical paint stripper to take off the decals
2. Use Scotchbrite to restore the brushed finish.
3. Slather on Lemon Pledge to achieve luster and resistance to finger prints.
If you aim for a Moots-like beadblast finish, then you'll have to find a machine or plating shop nearby with extra-fine grit media.
Ken Robb
04-10-2014, 10:32 AM
I think I read some time ago that at least one frame maker roughed up raw ti before painting to get better paint adherence. Once this was done they would not be able to remove the paint and then offer a POLISHED naked ti finish but a naked MATTE finish could be achieved.
StephenCL
04-10-2014, 10:56 AM
This was Serotta's old policy...you could not refinish painted ti bike to polished and you could not go back to clear on tinted Ottrott tubes.
Stephen
Dromen
04-10-2014, 11:10 AM
I think I read some time ago that at least one frame maker roughed up raw ti before painting to get better paint adherence. Once this was done they would not be able to remove the paint and then offer a POLISHED naked ti finish but a naked MATTE finish could be achieved.
This what my guy said but he also doesn't have bead blasting capabilities.
dekindy
04-10-2014, 11:12 AM
Craig is re doing a De Rosa titanium for me right now...in fact after stripping and media blasting, I was kind of bummed that I decided to paint it....it looked amazing...
Pretty sure he has a google site up with my refinishing, but here is a sneak preview of the raw it frame after media blasting and chemical stripping..
Thought that was titanium but did not want to say without knowing for sure. Craig is a riding buddy and does top notch work as I can speak from firsthand experience.
nighthawk
04-10-2014, 11:30 AM
I'm in the process of refinishing a Ti frame myself:
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=141015
I used a citrus based paint stripper to remove the paint. Took a few hours, was fairly benign, and I really doubt any Titanium was lost in the process. I have several options for finishing at this point. I debated media blasting and received a few quotes from places around here ranging from $40-80, for such things as bead blasting and baking soda blasting.
I decided I'm going to hand finish it with maroon scotch brite strips. I ordered a roll from mcmasters and will hopefully get to it in the next week or two.
eddief
04-10-2014, 01:14 PM
I would love to learn how to use it with 3M pad belts and do a ti frame in no time. They come in much cheaper plug in models for home use too.
http://www.abrasivesupply.com/Dynabrade_15003_Mini_Dynafile_II_Belt_Machine_p/15003.htm
MarinRider
04-10-2014, 01:18 PM
I had JB in San Diego stripped the paint from a Sonoma built Ibis road it few years ago and asked him to pain the panels and left rest of the bike "raw". Great job as you might expect; you might also have to wait for a few months.
sokyroadie
04-10-2014, 01:26 PM
I would love to learn how to use it with 3M pad belts and do a ti frame in no time. They come in much cheaper plug in models for home use too.
http://www.abrasivesupply.com/Dynabrade_15003_Mini_Dynafile_II_Belt_Machine_p/15003.htm
It really does not take that long by hand. Cut the scotchbrite in 1.5"-2" strips and buff like you are buffing shoes.
Jeff
nighthawk
04-10-2014, 02:33 PM
It really does not take that long by hand. Cut the scotchbrite in 1.5"-2" strips and buff like you are buffing shoes.
Jeff
What I ordered from Mcmasters is a 2" x 5 yard roll for ~$13. Only need to cut strips to length for buffing. Might cut some narrower to get into tight spaces, too.
lonoeightysix
04-10-2014, 08:20 PM
Wetting the scotchbrite periodically helps, too.
nighthawk
04-19-2014, 06:40 PM
Got around to refinishing my Ti frame today. Here's a couple shots to show the before and after finish on the downtube. I started off using 2" x ~15" strips (the roll I got was 2" x 5 yards).... Then I started cutting the strips into 1" x ~15" strips and that seemed to offer more control as far as getting an even finish, and made it easier to work in and around the nooks and crannies like the chainstay bridge, bottom bracket shell and various braze-ons...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PfXSyO7pAUA/U1MHHJvAqTI/AAAAAAAAC3M/8ufKx4fQyLk/w771-h576-no/IMG_0407_resize.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rwifixypdz4/U1MF6d9GB1I/AAAAAAAAC24/QGyIPXl2L9s/w771-h576-no/IMG_0408.JPG
tuscanyswe
04-19-2014, 06:43 PM
gotta love ti. watch the shine come right back, it a nice feelin!
nighthawk
04-19-2014, 06:46 PM
Doing the whole frame took me about an hour... and that was with beer sips and bird watching.
tuscanyswe
04-19-2014, 06:48 PM
And its a very nice hour imo. Looks really nice!
pbarry
04-19-2014, 06:55 PM
Looks great. Now that the polishing is finished, you might try some Lemon Pledge to make it sparkle. :)
pbarry
04-19-2014, 07:11 PM
What I ordered from Mcmasters is a 2" x 5 yard roll for ~$13. Only need to cut strips to length for buffing. Might cut some narrower to get into tight spaces, too.
"Hook" Velcro material cut 4 inches longer than the Scotchbrite strips acts as an excellent backer and extends the life of the pad material.
one60
04-19-2014, 07:15 PM
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/8806188998_b03ff5914d.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/eqb2bN)mirror polished Ti (https://flic.kr/p/eqb2bN) by one60seattle (https://www.flickr.com/people/43980522@N05/), on Flickr
takes some time with wet/dry paper but you can get to a mirror shine with a bit of elbow grease & final polish using mag polish or billet polish
nighthawk
04-19-2014, 07:19 PM
takes some time with wet/dry paper but you can get to a mirror shine with a bit of elbow grease & final polish using mag polish or billet polish
Actually... I don't want a mirror finish. I'm going to beat the hell out of this frame. :)
nighthawk
04-19-2014, 07:22 PM
Looks great. Now that the polishing is finished, you might try some Lemon Pledge to make it sparkle. :)
Did that right before I put it up for the night.
I still need to strip the paint off the fork... and repaint that., but I built the wheels earlier in the week and am pretty close to being done with the whole thing. I'll update the project thread over in the "custom gallery" when I'm done.
one60
04-19-2014, 07:23 PM
had both brushed & mirror polished finishes on this frame. To my surprise found it easier to keep the mirror-polished ti clean than the brushed finish
yashcha
04-19-2014, 07:53 PM
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/8806188998_b03ff5914d.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/eqb2bN)mirror polished Ti (https://flic.kr/p/eqb2bN) by one60seattle (https://www.flickr.com/people/43980522@N05/), on Flickr
takes some time with wet/dry paper but you can get to a mirror shine with a bit of elbow grease & final polish using mag polish or billet polish
That is really nice work. Having spent months doing metal polishing for sample analysis in grad school, I know how tough it is to get that kind of finish.
It took me about two hours to refinish my Axiom Sl.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f331/yashcha/axiom_zps2e4c4002.jpg
cmbicycles
04-19-2014, 09:00 PM
I did it many years ago to a spectrum ti that had just clearcoat. It was pretty chipped up at that point. Used a chemical stripper and then buffed with a roll of red scotchbrite. It was a couple hours work but it turned out nicely.
weisan
04-19-2014, 09:41 PM
I did that with my Legend Ti a couple of years ago using a local shop. The purpose is to sell it after the refinish.
Before pictures
http://alicehui.com/serotta/legendTi/img/00.jpg
After pictures
http://alicehui.com/serotta/Legend_Sale/img/1.jpg
http://alicehui.com/serotta/Legend_Sale/img/2.jpg
http://alicehui.com/serotta/Legend_Sale/img/3.jpghttp://alicehui.com/serotta/Legend_Sale/img/4.jpg
Elefantino
04-19-2014, 09:54 PM
That's exactly what I want to do. Minimal decals. Maybe a white fork with white decals. But that minimal look.
I won't sell mine, though. Ever.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.