Painting Fancy Lugwork

[old al]

OK,You have a nice steel frame with real fancy lugs just asking to be shown off. So, just how do you go about painting them? Paint the frame first or the lugs first? How do you mask off the lugs/frame with real fancy lugs? Or do you hand paint them after painting the frame?

Would love to hear any techniques you people have.

Al.

[GaryF]

My preferred method:

1 - Spray paint frame (pale blue).
2 - Mask off frame tubes to expose the lugs. I have used frisket paper (low tack masking film) but I prefer good old masking tape cut with a scalpel. It really takes time and concentration to cut the mask accurately and not cut into the fresh first coat (pale blue in this case). I think it is important to make sure the first coat is adhering well to the bare metal frame. The frame has to be really clean and enough time is allowed for the first coat of paint to go off. After painting the lugs, the mask should be removed as soon as possible so the adhesive on the mask doesn't bond to the first coat but leaving enough time for the lug coat to go off.
3 - Spray lugs (gunmetal grey).
4 - Line lugs (white in this case) if you want to.

[munga]

take your time and mask the tubes out very carefully.
good quality tape makes the difference. go to an auto paint store, or ask a panelbeater.
what to paint first depends on the colours.
usually, one would paint the lighter colour first, then do the darker colour.
if you want to show off your lugs, i'd guess you're doing them a lighter colour, but masking out the lugs to give that nice crisp edge (or shoreline) is going to be hell, so i would do the tubes first, then the lugs.
here's two examples of a contrasting headtube, to give you an idea of what to mask and when to mask, and the result

[old al]

Thanks fellas, beautiful work there. Looks like patience and very careful masking is the go. I might just try lining the lugs as a first try and then graduate to painting the whole lug.

When lining the lug obviously a very small brush and a steady hand are needed but any techniques for actually applying the paint?

Al.

[ldrcycles]

Old al, i see you're already talking about using a brush, but in case you were wondering i can confirm that paint pens are NO GOOD. Although if you compare it to factory lug lining on things like motobecanes it was excellent haha. I was talking to someone the other day about pinstriping (for the life of me i can't remember who) and he said the big trick was getting the paint to the right viscosity, which involved getting paint on the brush and then very briefly dipping it in thinners. Might be a similar sort of thing.

Munga, that green bike . Those pics are a good example of something i've been wondering about, when you have a contrasting headtube, which colour 'dominates', ie on the green bike the green goes onto the sides of the lugs, on the red bike it's the white. Is there a general rule around that? The last time i did a contrasting headtube my masking was so poor that it was a bit of both haha.

[munga]

i think the red llewellyn looks nicer, and would be more difficult to do successfully.
on the green bike, you would paint the headtube, then mask it out and paint the rest of the bike.
on the red bike, i think you would paint the red, then mask out and apply the white. much harder to cut the tape cleanly above the shoreline

bear in mind, i paint walls, not bikes, so i could be talking out my proverbial.

[amrjon]

Another vote for masking carefully.
For highlighting the lugs, I'd paint the whole lot first, then mask off tubes, slowly, carefully, then spray.

Here's one I prepared earlier.
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=43832&p=665186&hilit=painted+mixte#p665186

[munga]

saw your daughters mixte on ebay and made a sadface. kids..

[stnfldr]

From back when I was really into modelling........ ok not that kind of modelling lol. I remember there was a putty product used for this sort of thing. You pushed it on shaped it, spay painted over it and then removed it to see the colour underneath. I have no Idea if it still exists or what it was, but I imagine it would be good for this application.

Ben

[amrjon]

Yeah, unfortunately she's just not into it and it's just sitting there. It didnt sell though and I don't want to give it away, I might give it another run as summer approaches. Shes taken ownership of my hardtail MTB though so its not all bad, we still get out and ride plenty.

[ldrcycles]

Hey as long as she's riding that's the important thing, i'm still trying to find the bike that will give my fiancee the cycling bug.

[LG]

I have always known I have very little skill with a paint brush and confirmed this with a recent attempt at lug lining. I tried with some water based acrylic and a tiny good quality brush, and got about 1/4 the way around a lug before giving up and whiping it off.

Al, I'd suggest if you want to have a go at this, practice first on a very simply lug on a cheap frame you don't mind tossing. There is a skill and art to it.

I recall somebody posting in a previous thread that proper sign writing paint is the way to go for this, and it probably is the case. I just know that even with proper paint I still wouldn't be able to get a reasonable job. I'm yet to talk my 13 yo daughter who has a lot more artistic skill into doing it for me.

[Mulger bill]

From back when I was really into modelling........ ok not that kind of modelling lol. I remember there was a putty product used for this sort of thing. You pushed it on shaped it, spay painted over it and then removed it to see the colour underneath. I have no Idea if it still exists or what it was, but I imagine it would be good for this application.

Ben

Silly putty. Used it years back.

[WyvernRH]

Lug lining is just a matter of practice, patience, a good brush with a point and a long sweep and getting the consistency of the paint right. I personally prefer modelling enamel paints as they can be thinned easily and do not affect the base layer if you have to wipe it of as some modern acrylics seem to. Box lining and frame decoration is a different matter altogether !
When masking out lug cutouts and the like I used to use a Humbrol product called 'Maskol' which is a rubbery substance you paint on and then peel off after painting. It was used to mask aircraft canopies when modelling but works fine for other uses on small areas (providing the surface is clean, it 'pools' otherwise) Dunno if it is still available tho.
Cheers
Richard

[grantw]

Keith Anderson's flickr gallery http://www.flickr.com/photos/27880623@N05/sets/ have some excellent process shots for masking. His work is quite beautiful.

[LG]

Lug lining is just a matter of practice, patience, a good brush with a point and a long sweep and getting the consistency of the paint right.

I wish I had more of the second P.

[wurtulla wabbit]

My preferred method:

1 - Spray paint frame (pale blue).
2 - Mask off frame tubes to expose the lugs. I have used frisket paper (low tack masking film) but I prefer good old masking tape cut with a scalpel. It really takes time and concentration to cut the mask accurately and not cut into the fresh first coat (pale blue in this case). I think it is important to make sure the first coat is adhering well to the bare metal frame. The frame has to be really clean and enough time is allowed for the first coat of paint to go off. After painting the lugs, the mask should be removed as soon as possible so the adhesive on the mask doesn't bond to the first coat but leaving enough time for the lug coat to go off.
3 - Spray lugs (gunmetal grey).
4 - Line lugs (white in this case) if you want to.

The red and green below look but that blue one is as rough as a badgers arse !

[ldrcycles]

Keith Anderson's flickr gallery http://www.flickr.com/photos/27880623@N05/sets/ have some excellent process shots for masking. His work is quite beautiful.

+ a million, truly inspirational stuff, i've been through the whole lot and am absolutely blown away by his talent and skill. Something to aspire to.

Wurtulla wabbit, i can show you MUCH rougher if you want! Did a Reynolds frame up as an Eddy Merckx in the red and white scheme (can't remember what it's called at the moment), my first attempt at masking and it had little windows like the blue bike.

[WyvernRH]

The red and green below look but that blue one is as rough as a badgers arse !

Show us yours...
And how do you know so much about badger posteriors?
Cheers
Richard

[wurtulla wabbit]

I haven't painted anything other than smiley faces on the window condensation.
As for badgers, old Scottish saying.

[GaryF]

The red and green below look but that blue one is as rough as a badgers arse !

Hi wurtulla wabbit,

I must comment on your comment about my bike and its paint job. At no time did I ask for your opinion re the paint job. In fact, this thread, started by old al, was asking for other forum members' personal experience painting lugs. I have that experience as I have painted quite a few bikes and I was giving him a quick rundown about my method of painting lugs. I was not putting my bike up as a prime example of frame painting technique. I also read how you have never painted a bike and could add little to old al's question.

I think you have missed the point of this particular forum. This forum attracts people interested in retro biking and is a very supportive and encouraging environment - always has been - always will be.

You are entitled to your own personal opinions about other forum members bikes and their interests and experiences but personal values are rarely written down unless they are asked for by the person initiating the thread.

I think you need to ask yourself if this type of supportive environment is for you or would your more negative responses be at home in other forums.

[LG]

I'm sure the Wabbit has a strange sense of humour and posted in jest. Just wish with my limited patience and skill I could do as good a job as you Gary.

[GaryF]

I'm sure the Wabbit has a strange sense of humour and posted in jest. Just wish with my limited patience and skill I could do as good a job as you Gary.

Thanks LG.

[Grog]

Slightly OT but I remember seeing some images GaryF posted of his bikes quite some time back. Some of those bikes are stunners. I'd be proud to own any single one of them.
Gary, I think those images are what really hooked me into wanting to acquire an immaculate 80s Italian steel frame bike running full Campag. Still haven't forgiven you for that.

Back on topic.... Can anyone add light rearding how do you stop bleeding under the masking? Is it just a matter of using the right masking material or is there more to it?

[GaryF]

Good on ya Grog - thanks. I've never solved the bleeding problem but I have found most success when spraying away from the mask as well as trying to 'burnish' down the leading edge of the mask with a blunt instrument such as an icy-pole stick.

Just thinking about holding a steady hand - It is interesting that surgeons doing micro-surgery through microscopes reduce their natural hand shake. I wonder if it would help if a magnifying glass was used to look at the lug when lining with a tiny brush.

I try to employ something, like a block of wood, to rest the heel of my hand on to help steady my hand when lug lining.

George McDonald once showed me his tube lining brush - it was a relatively short brush but the bristles were flat in profile and tapered down to a point (a bit like a one-sided dagger). The tapered section was about 2 inches long. He told me that the brush maintained a thin line for the length of the tube and was capable of holding enough paint to complete the line with one stroke.