Author Topic: Brompton Respray? (Read 11265 times)

LEE · « **on:** 20 January, 2015, 12:42:54 pm »

I may be about to inherit an M3 Brompton.

My late uncle used it to get about on. He bought it from a friend..of a friend...etc and it seems that somewhere along the line a brush-applied coat of black Hammerite was deemed more gentlemanly than bright pink.

I've always wanted one but this may be a bit of a project, starting with a paint job.

Any advice? I've used Mercian in the past for resprays but are there any other viable options? (I rather like that mint green with black forks and rear triangle).

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 January, 2015, 01:34:34 pm »

Must be worth a bit of work.

Earlier this year sold an old (20th c) Brommie for mega-bucks*. People do seem to want them.. I was expecting half the price.

* I have another one, same era hardly used, not for sale.

Kim · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 January, 2015, 01:43:48 pm »

Personally, I'd take it for the sturdiest powder-coating job you can find. Brompton frames get rubbed chronically by the cables and foldy bits, and occasionally kicked, so a posh paint job is going to need burying under helicopter tape and/or tactical Scotchlite.

Rogerzilla will be along shortly to tell you to look for rust in the rear triangle...

Robh · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 January, 2015, 02:29:53 pm »

On a related note, I have a very old Brommie, bought second hand some years ago, onto which the previous owner had applied liberal quantities of reflective stickers, at random positions over the frame. They've been there for quite some time now, and they have not responded to my attempts to pick at/unpeel them. Has anybody got any ideas on how I can get them off? They look bloody awful.

Jurek · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 January, 2015, 02:39:56 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 20 January, 2015, 01:43:48 pm

.........Rogerzilla will be along shortly to tell you to look for rust in the rear triangle...

There's a lightweight solution to that particular problem......
Requires no paint....

Kim · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 January, 2015, 02:40:09 pm »

Quote from: Robh on 20 January, 2015, 02:29:53 pm

On a related note, I have a very old Brommie, bought second hand some years ago, onto which the previous owner had applied liberal quantities of reflective stickers, at random positions over the frame. They've been there for quite some time now, and they have not responded to my attempts to pick at/unpeel them. Has anybody got any ideas on how I can get them off? They look bloody awful.

Try applying heat from a hair drier.

P Walsh · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 January, 2015, 02:57:27 pm »

I believe there are some companies (Argos for example) offering epoxy resin paint jobs for bikes that need something extra tough. But I don't know what the colour range is like. Anyone got any info on this stuff?

jsabine · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 January, 2015, 09:56:58 am »

Dealing with dis- and re-assembly of the pivot bushes is likely to require intervention from someone who knows what they're doing and has either the special Brompton tool or a sensible approach to creative bodgery rather than merely a large lump hammer - see posts passim from LWaB (and I think RZ). I'm not sure I'd hand it over to just any paint shop, no matter how competent they are with upright bike fettling.

LEE · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 January, 2015, 01:00:26 pm »

Quote from: P Walsh on 20 January, 2015, 02:57:27 pm

I believe there are some companies (Argos for example) offering epoxy resin paint jobs for bikes that need something extra tough. But I don't know what the colour range is like. Anyone got any info on this stuff?

Argos (my first choice) quoted me £200.

Next week I should be the proud owner of this. Now you know as much about it as I do.

From what I can see the black paint has rubbed off where it's been carried. That makes me hopeful that it may T-Cut off. It may require something a bit more aggressive than T-Cut but there's a chance I think.

Kim · « **Reply #9 on:** 22 January, 2015, 01:04:46 pm »

That pink and black colour scheme could be quite nice if done a little more carefully...

Jurek · « **Reply #10 on:** 22 January, 2015, 01:15:43 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2015, 01:04:46 pm

That pink and black colour scheme could be quite nice if done a little more carefully...

Inna leopardskin or dalmatian stylee p'raps?

jsabine · « **Reply #11 on:** 22 January, 2015, 02:14:24 pm »

You'd be close to getting a match for the bars too if you fancied tape rather than grips.

I'm sure I've seen pink rather than red Splash tape. Not when I was actually looking for it, of course ...

hellymedic · « **Reply #12 on:** 22 January, 2015, 02:31:44 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2015, 01:04:46 pm

That pink and black colour scheme could be quite nice if done a little more carefully...

My Kuwahara Pacer was black and magenta.
This is not mine but very similar.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #13 on:** 22 January, 2015, 06:18:14 pm »

Or this, thought it might be a bit subtle:

LEE · « **Reply #14 on:** 22 January, 2015, 07:42:16 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 22 January, 2015, 02:31:44 pm

Quote from: Kim on 22 January, 2015, 01:04:46 pm
That pink and black colour scheme could be quite nice if done a little more carefully...

My Kuwahara Pacer was black and magenta.
This is not mine but very similar.

If I'm being truly honest Hellymedic....I'd be looking to respray that as well.

If the T-Cut option works then I'll live with the pink finish (It will go with the trim on some of my Rapha gear ....ooerr missus...get me).
If not then eventually I'll get a respray and stick to some combination of Black and Red.

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #15 on:** 22 January, 2015, 07:46:31 pm »

I think it's nice. Not sure about those green tyres though - pink would work better.

LEE · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 January, 2015, 07:48:12 pm »

Quote from: phantasmagoriana on 22 January, 2015, 07:46:31 pm

I think it's nice. Not sure about those green tyres though - pink would work better.

What number do you see here..

hellymedic · « **Reply #17 on:** 22 January, 2015, 09:02:18 pm »

74 with my right eye. Blobs with my left.
Kuwahara was rehomed over a decade ago.

It only ever had black tyres.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #18 on:** 26 January, 2015, 09:51:15 pm »

Remove the rear triangle (try an impact driver on the allen screws, which I wish I'd done, or drill off the heads, which is bloody tedious, then screw an M10 tap into the bushes and drift them out from the opposite side), knock out the headset cups and take the three components to Argos. They do loads of them. Or come round and have a look at mine, which they did in candy apple red* back in 2011. There is no need to disturb the stem hinge or main hinge for a respray. Proper enamel doesn't jam them at all.

Caveat: the rear triangle can rust out under the powdercoat. On an old Brompton, inspect the inside of the tubes as well as you can (they're open ended). If it looks bad, buy a new triangle before the respray - they are not expensive compared with the painting cost.

*yes, red flam: red lacquer over silver paint. It's pimpy. Other tip; get them to aggressively face the head tube. If you can lose a mm top and bottom, you can fit a much wider range of headsets including - ahem - a matching red Chris King 2Nut.

LEE · « **Reply #19 on:** 02 February, 2015, 03:54:16 pm »

This is the "Before" image.

The "after" image may be some time in coming. I'll see what T-Cut scratch remover and a metal pan scourer can do to that black paint.

More detail HERE

Kim · « **Reply #20 on:** 02 February, 2015, 03:55:54 pm »

The front mudflap appears to have a goatee beard

LEE · « **Reply #21 on:** 02 February, 2015, 04:11:12 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 02 February, 2015, 03:55:54 pm

The front mudflap appears to have a goatee beard

That's the Brompton "Almost invisible" prop-stand, aka a fallen tree branch.

GrahamG · « **Reply #22 on:** 02 February, 2015, 04:17:14 pm »

You heathen, that looks ace!