Rust under stove enamel. What to do?

[timdownieuk]

My 30 year old frame seems to be developing rust under tge stove enamelling in places. A strip down and repaint or powder coating seems in order. The problem is, it has rather nice white-lining of the lugwork and I'd be sorry to lose that.
I'm guessing that this might rule out powder coating and I'd need a more specialist restorer.

Is this the case? If so, how much would it cost to re-enamel and white-line (very roughly)?

Tim

[Bonefishblues]

Mercian do a particularly comprehensive itemised menu: http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/renovation

[timdownieuk]

Mercian do a particularly comprehensive itemised menu: http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/renovation

Thanks, that's a helpful list.

Logically, I ought to see what Argos would charge as they built it but I had a not entirely satisfactory experience with them over another frame job that I had repainted and it seems I'm not alone from reports on the internet.

Tim

[al_yrpal]

Do the white lining yourself with a tiny brush and Humbrol enamel. I did this carefully supporting the frame on a chair. Its easy to wipe away any mistakes with a turps soaked tissue. Then dry it off and start again.

Al

[Brucey]

agreed. If you don't want to do it like that you can mask lines up and spray them instead.

If the rust is only local, it is usually possible to repaint the affected areas to a good standard. The biggest problem is normally getting a good paint match. If the original colour is a RAL one or a car colour then you are set, but otherwise it is a problem....

cheers

[Mick F]

Mercian are good but not cheap.
Mine was made by them and I took it back for its 21st birthday for a repaint.
Numerically, I spent more on paint then, than I spent on the whole frame in 1986.

[timdownieuk]

Most of it's not in bad nick but there's a bit on the top tube that worries me.

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How serious is this? Thing is, I can see this costing quite a lot by the time you tot it all up and if this rust isn't that serious (it's taken 30 years to get this bad), maybe I should just live with it. I don't think a partial repaint would ever look right.

Tim

[Dynamite_funk]

Do the white lining yourself with a tiny brush and Humbrol enamel. I did this carefully supporting the frame on a chair. Its easy to wipe away any mistakes with a turps soaked tissue. Then dry it off and start again.

Al

Paint brushes are a pain to work with on bike frames if you are a perfectionist like me. Use one of these instead...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARTISTS-RULIN ... 233f123e35

Incidently, a local Leeds area powder coater will do a bead blast and powder coat for £30, £40 for a metallic colour all including masking. The metallic is thinner so lugs are defined and it is also tougher in my experience.

[Brucey]

Most of it's not in bad nick but there's a bit on the top tube that worries me.

How serious is this?

potentially pretty serious if you leave it. This is 'filiform corrosion' and when it gets to look that bad you can have severe pitting in the metal underneath. IMHO you need to kill that corrosion asap if you want the frame to last. Getting a good paint match will be difficult but if it is a matchable colour then you could repair that to a 9/10ths standard, certainly better than it looks right now and it will last if you kill the rust properly.

BTW the traditional way to do box lining was with a little wheel; a bit like a white lining machine for a footie pitch, but writ smaller.

cheers

[timdownieuk]

Paint brushes are a pain to work with on bike frames if you are a perfectionist like me. Use one of these instead...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARTISTS-RULIN ... 233f123e35

Incidently, a local Leeds area powder coater will do a bead blast and powder coat for £30, £40 for a metallic colour all including masking. The metallic is thinner so lugs are defined and it is also tougher in my experience.

Thanks, I didn't realise that metallics were possible in powder coatings. I've only seen plain colours before (not that I've looked at all far or hard into it yet).

Given the massive price difference, this is swaying me towards powder coating. It would be nice to keep the bike frame as original as possible but it would be just that, "nice", not essential.

[timdownieuk]

Most of it's not in bad nick but there's a bit on the top tube that worries me.

How serious is this?

potentially pretty serious if you leave it. This is 'filiform corrosion' and when it gets to look that bad you can have severe pitting in the metal underneath. IMHO you need to kill that corrosion asap if you want the frame to last. Getting a good paint match will be difficult but if it is a matchable colour then you could repair that to a 9/10ths standard, certainly better than it looks right now and it will last if you kill the rust properly.

BTW the traditional way to do box lining was with a little wheel; a bit like a white lining machine for a footie pitch, but writ smaller.

cheers

I think you've convinced me to get it done sooner rather than later.

[JohnW]

Many years ago, when I was younger and more patient, I tried to repaint a frame myself. I learned enough from that to take the view that getting a professional job was worth it..........after all, how many times in a lifetime will a frame need refurbishing?

I have a Mercian, and the paint job is brilliant. I had a frame refurbished a couple of years ago by Chris Marshall, in Keighley, and that is brilliant. Which is the best? - I really can't decide - but I can't fault either. In both cases the lug lining is faultless.

If you want Chris's 'phone number : 01535 691073. I don't know how comparatively expensive he is because I had various brazings added, brazings for re-routed rear changer cable and the transfers were included..........but the whole job was less than £200. I didn't want to rebuild the bike at first for fear of scratching the finish!

[andrew_s]

Powder coat is cheap and tough. It also doesn't allow a top notch finish or anything much other than a plain solid colour. it also doesn't come off easily next time round, and excessive shot blasting can damage your frame.
Stove enamel costs more, allows a top quality finish, and all sorts of fancy finishes such as lug lining are possible at extra cost. It also hardens over time, so if you have the luxury it's better to keep the frame for a year so so before building it up and riding it. If you build and ride straight away, you'll find that you get a fair number of chips in the paint.

You pay your money and you take your choice.

A good frame refinisher will tell you before spraying whether any rust is terminal, so you don't spend more than necessary.

[tim-b]

Hi

Once you're satisfied with your rust treatment, you could always try a contrasting top tube panel

They're more usually found on the seat tube and head tube, but why not? DIY with a car spray, and if not to your liking consider a full pro job

Regards
tim-b

[Pandaz]

I would just leave the lovely original paint as is. I've got 2 1950's bikes, one developed filiform rusting about 30 years ago,
and I am still riding it every day.

Its just patina! Original paint finishes are almost impossible to reproduce. Many collectors wouldn't even touch a refinished frame. Luglining and box lining were at the pinnacle of the art back in the 50/60's

Don't ruin it for a few snakes of rust!