Removing paint from a Ti Serotta?

[Jimbo]

Hello All:
I have my eye on a Serotta Legend Ti with (to my eye) terribly ugly paint.
Can any of you tell me what I would be in for if I wanted to strip it? To remove the existing paint I assume I would need to deal with chemical stripping or sending it to a soda or walnut shell blaster.
Not too hard to do that but what I am I left with once the paint is off?
Will I need to spend hours with scotchbrite pads? If so, can you tell me the right grit/color?
Anything else I should be aware of before jumping into this project?
Thanks,
Jim

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Hello All:
I have my eye on a Serotta Legend Ti with (to my eye) terribly ugly paint.
Can any of you tell me what I would be in for if I wanted to strip it? To remove the existing paint I assume I would need to deal with chemical stripping or sending it to a soda or walnut shell blaster.
Not too hard to do that but what I am I left with once the paint is off?
Will I need to spend hours with scotchbrite pads? If so, can you tell me the right grit/color?
Anything else I should be aware of before jumping into this project?
Thanks,
Jim

I looked into this when refinishing a Moots RSL that had been powder-coated.

Soda blasting was an option, and cheap, but I wasn't sure what the finish would look like when done - could leave me with a lot of work still.

And BlackMagic wasn't asking all that much to do media blasting that would give that nice Moots finish, including for the decals, so I went with that instead.

I imagine getting it blasted and refinished without logos would be a lot less - but they could also do some really cool polished or blasted Serotta logos on there for you too.

[Bentley]

Interesting you ask that... I have a TI Serotta Legend and a Spine Lemond (Ti/Carbon) that I want to refinish. I reached out to Oliver at DarkMatter and he is going to bead blast my Serotta and redo the Decals (Ti Anodizing) . The whole deal is like 250, which is not cheap but I wanted this done properly.

I decided against having him remove the paint and clear on the Lemond because of cost, so in that case I purchased some Carbolift and I am going to give that a go.

I think removing the paint with a scotchbrite is likely not that hard since my experience with older painted Ti bikes is that the paint does not bond well, but then what are you going to do, clean up the finish. My guess is doing a bead blast would be the way to go.

Ray

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Bentley

Interesting you ask that... I have a TI Serotta Legend and a Spine Lemond (Ti/Carbon) that I want to refinish. I reached out to Oliver at DarkMatter and he is going to bead blast my Serotta and redo the Decals (Ti Anodizing) . The whole deal is like 250, which is not cheap but I wanted this done properly.

I decided against having him remove the paint and clear on the Lemond because of cost, so in that case I purchased some Carbolift and I am going to give that a go.

I think removing the paint with a scotchbrite is likely not that hard since my experience with older painted Ti bikes is that the paint does not bond well, but then what are you going to do, clean up the finish. My guess is doing a bead blast would be the way to go.

Ray

That's a fair bit cheaper than what I paid.

[Kirk007]

I had Ti Cycles do this on a Serotta for me a couple decades ago. Turned out nice. Don't remember what it cost but Dave Levy (Ti Cycles - Portland) is very trustworthy and knowlegeable on ti

[teleguy57]

Originally Posted by Bentley

I reached out to Oliver at DarkMatter and he is going to bead blast my Serotta and redo the Decals (Ti Anodizing) . The whole deal is like 250, which is not cheap but I wanted this done properly.
Ray

An example of Ollie's work (on newly fabricated frame) in the custom forum.

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by teleguy57

An example of Ollie's work (on newly fabricated frame) in the custom forum.

Ollie came highly recommended and interacting with him was great. The Lemond is a bit more complicated so the higher cost wa not unexpected.

I’m excited about getting a more modern look on a classic bike

[82Picchio]

Hella long time ago (~1992?) I successfully removed decals from a Merlin with Jasco. Paint shouldn't resist Jasco any more than those decals did.

[Duende]

Good info guys! I want to have my chain stays bread blasted at some point

[Dave]

Removing the paint from a Ti bike shouldn't be too tough with a good chemical stripper.

Scotchbrite comes in several grades. The green that you can get just about anywhere is fairly course. There's a burgundy color that's finer and a grey that's really fine.

You probably will have a few hours of scotchbrite work to do. I assume that most make the scratches go around the tube, not along its length (which is easier).

I've spent quite a few hours putting a brushed finish on the aluminum interior panels on my hot rod. It's a multi-step process that starts with sanding to remove a cold-worked layer before proceeding to scotchbrite.

[nighthawk]

I used a product called Citristrip to remove the paint on a Ti frame. It was cheap, and an easy process.

After the paint was off I took a scotchbrite like adhesive pad to it and ended up with a pretty nice finish.

Photos here:
https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=141015

[pdmtong]

FWIW I would not do anything with the paint until i verified I liked the fit and ride. If those do not prove out, let the paint be the challenge for the next owner.

[sokyroadie]

Originally Posted by Dave

You probably will have a few hours of scotchbrite work to do. I assume that most make the scratches go around the tube, not along its length (which is easier).

Just cut the pads into strips (around 1-1/2" wide and hold one end in each hand and start buffing like you were shining shoes, you do about 180 deg. at a time. It works great and doesn't take long. I like the Maroon pads.

[Black Dog]

Get scotchbrite pads at an auto body supply shop. They are all graded buy colour and not expensive. You will need as was mentioned, burgundy for initial polish and grey to put a finer finish on the frame. Do not apply too much pressure; light and quick motions or you will get deeper lines that are a pain to polish out. Also, as was mentioned, you can cut them into strips for better access to awkward places. 2-3 of each type of pad should do a full frame. Buy some extra for future touch ups.

[Toddtwenty2]

I once used aircraft paint remover on a 90’s Ti Kona Hei Hei. The paint bubbles up and wipes right off with a rag. It turned out wonderfully with a 20 minute investment of time.
However, it was terribly toxic and surely is not healthy for you or the environment. At this experience stage in life, I would try the other ideas first.