bead blasting

[brussel]

So I have an aluminium frame I want to strip and clear coat. I intend to use paint stripper to get the paint off, but then what to do to finish the frame?

 

 

 

ideally bead blasting as it gives a uniform finish. Anyone in Cape Town got a contact. The only place I have found so far is pretty pricey at R400 or thereabouts.

 

 

 

I'd have thought providing a stripped frame it would take 15 minutes to bead blast the entire frame.

 

 

 

ideas?

 

 

[Sterad]

Is bead blasting like sand blasting?

Sounds like a much easier way than paint stripper and sanding, takes forever!

[brussel]

same as sandblasting except they use fine glass beads that are less abrasive. Sandblasting will remove aluminium...not good

 

 

 

It seems the beads are not the best at getting the paint off...might still need to strip the paint first though.

[AndreZA]

with what are you going to paint clear coat it with? Won't you need primer? I always wonder how they manage to clear without primer.

[Sterad]

Oh ok.

 

I am also busy stripping an aluminum frame, but have been using sandpaper and a dremel tool with wire wheel to get into all the difficult places, has worked quite well, just taking a lot of time.

 

I was wanting to polish the bare frame so it looks like chrome finish, using autosol metal polish. Things is will it stay polished for long or will it fade/oxidise with time, do you have to clear coat it??

[rock]

I had a frame bead blasted years ago with small plastic beads, but they guy doesn't do it anymore......there's place in phillipi that did some glass bead blasting for me......not sure of the name off hand, i suppose they're in the yellow pages?

[gummibear]

Won't the beads put little dents in the aluminium as it's really thin?

[rock]

nah, its so fine, after the frame was done you could still see the image left from the decals......super fine......I think even better is walnut shells.......

[gummibear]

nah' date=' its so fine, after the frame was done you could still see the image left from the decals......super fine......I think even better is walnut shells.......[/quote']

 

I have seen a frame done with shells and it looked like chrome.

[Bionic man]

Taking my spare frame to a guy in Kirstenhof for bead blasting, previous one he did came out brilliant. Price is under R100.

[brussel]

you got contact details?

[techguy]

Hi I have done this before, Bead blasting leaves the frame with a matt finish that still needs to be polised to put a clear coat over, the problem is the clear coat may not stick properly to the aluminium unless a very good panel shop does it with an epoxy based clear coat which costs a packet.

 

Rather go the paint stripper/sanding route and polish the frame with a very good aluminium polish...it works out to the same amount of work...

[RodTi]

Taking my spare frame to a guy in Kirstenhof for bead blasting' date=' previous one he did came out brilliant. Price is under R100.[/quote']

 

Bionic - you got the contact details still? My next project involves stripping a very old tandem frame - might even be a stainless steel frame(??) - and I've neither the time nor inclination to sit with a frame size x2 and a little block of sandpaper... Please PM me if you can help!

 

Many thanks!

[Bionic man]

Nice matt finish too the frame, you just need to cover up any open threads and obviously other bits you don't want blasted. Will get proper contact details in the morning (was a favour done by the company but sure they wouldn't mind extra business).