Paint

[Mucus72]

Hi all

Has anybody got any advice regarding tidying up my nose cone grill? Its in a bit of a sorry state and as a winter beautification treat I wanted to repaint the black bits and pick out the number 7 in a complementary bodywork colour.

 

Would a trip to Halfords and a purchase of some Hammerite be the right thing to do? Or is there a better way?

 

[Roger Ford]

Depends how fussy you are. It's easiest with a brush, since masking the 7 shape out is a serious hassle. But you'll get a better finish with spray cans. I wouldn't really recommend Hammerite as it doesn't mix well with other paints, and unless you're using silver or white, you probably can't get your "contrasting colour".

 

Assuming you're happy with brush finish:

 

Get some paint in pots. If you can't find that, then spray from a can into the lid or something (but it will be a bit thin). Rub down the surface with 600 grade wet-and-dry. Apply filler-primer with brush. Leave to dry. Rub down if you can be bothered. Apply top coat carefully, using a thickish brush for the main bits, and a thin brush for the edges between colours. Do the light colour first, then the dark colour. If you hang the grille from a wire it makes it easier to make sure you've covered both sides.

 

Edit: If the powder coat is chipped at the moment you might want to start with small amounts of filler. A small tube of Isopon P38 from Halfords will be more than enough (though note that you can get more than four times as much in a tub for an extra £1.50 if you're thinking of any big filling jobs soon. If not, don't bother, it doesn't keep for ever).

 

Edited by - Roger Ford on 7 Jan 2012 10:34:50

[Gnockoff]

As said above, it depends how fussy you are. I used Hammerite Smooth on mine. Black for the mesh which was really easy to do and covered really well. I used silver for the 'seven'. I find that Hammerite lasts a bit longer and stands up to general road use very well.

 

 

Brian

[Shad]

I did mine last year - started by having it blasted and powder coated black, then masked up everything but the 7 and surround and sprayed them with a rattle can from Halfords:

 

http://niknak.org/g/cars/my-cars/02-caterham-7/10-05-1650k-rebuild/week-2/20100605006.jpg/0/maxsize-681

 

Sans newspaper at that point. I wouldn't say the masking is a serious hassle, especially if you've got time to do it properly. Just a bit of patience with masking tape and a knife

[Sheds Moderator]

A local powder coater may do it in black very cheaply indeed, especially if you can get it blasted and then just give it to him to run it through the next time he's doing black (which will be today, tomorrow, next week...)

 

I have had great success with PC versus DIY paint. It's easy to blow £30 on aerosols that are mostly solvent and give a mediocre finish. In contrast powder is good at covering up imperfcetions and I can get a bike frame blasted and coated for £25.

[Alan Reeves]

325 for blasting AND coating, do let me have the ctc.

 

I went to my local painters last month and asked what car colours they were spraying that week. There was a contrasting colour being used so they asked if they could do mine at the same time, £20...

 

I was happy

 

 

[Sheds Moderator]

It was Unispray at Thorp Arch, Wetherby. I actually paid £30 because for another £5 I got a metallic lacquer applied over the powder. This was for a frame only, no forks, about 3 years ago. Ace deal, looks fantastic, it's a Ford Focus ASBO orange metallic which is a great colour for a MTB. It actually looks better than the factory finish on my other MTB, a Kona Kula (2006 vintage) in blue and white.

[Alan Reeves]

Very good, pity would cost me hundreds in fuel to get there

 

cheers

[Mucus72]

Gents

This is all great information for me, many thanks. I am going to research powder coating companies nearby, and if no joy, my parents are up in Knaresborough so a stone's throw away from Wetherby. I like the idea of powder coating in black fully, then hand painting the 7 - in fact in exactly the same warm yellow colour as per piccie above.

 

To all, you have saved me wasting money in Halfords, so many thanks guys!

Marcus

[DaveMorris]

Remeber this thing sits at the front of the car, and will be the first point of contact for any stones coming your way. This will undoubtedly chip the powder coating and paint from your first run out with it fitted.

{many people run with a finer mesh grill (purchased oftern from B&Q) to prevent these stones getting to the radiator}.

 

For a few quid it's worth trying black enamel and then yellow from halfords - smallest pot you can buy is more than enough. If that doesn't look good enough - the powder coater will soon blast it off anyway.

 

Dave.

 

Edited to rectify some of the wine induced typo's

 

Edited by - DaveMorris on 7 Jan 2012 21:22:05

[Fil M]

Popped mine out after a bit of a struggle because the lugs are quite long. Washed it. Laid it on newspaper, sprayed with a tin of black stuff from Halfords then painted the 'seven' white. Its been perfect for a year now. Be prepared to take a little time in easing the grille out of the nose cone .... put a couple of layers of masking tape in the area where the grilles 'pegs /lugs' might 'scrape by' on the way to the holes. Its a combination of thumbs and grip thats easiest. Do it on an old blanket or large towel.

 

Fil