I want to sand blast the frame to give it a raw look but how should I go about this? I know I need to tear the bike down that’s not an issue. But what tools do I need? Or is it better to hand sand it which would take a lot of time.
by Hefty_Respect6036
11 Comments
Is it Aluminum? You don’t really want to be sand blasting Carbon.
You should hit up paint shops in your area to see if they have any experience sandblasting bike frames and then what they would charge for the job. I wouldn’t trust anyone that doesn’t have experience with bike frames.
Alternatively, there are some pretty toxic paint strippers that work well to remove paint from aluminum frames. I wouldn’t recommend this route unless you have PPE and a place to strip the frame, but you might end up with a better result/finish over sandblasting.
don’t blast, chemical strip
Side note I have that same bike stand from Amazon!!
Cheap road frame, media blast is fine, expensive mtb frame, bad idea.
Sanding it will take forever. You want to find a professional chemical dipper, they’ll be able to put it on the line with some of their commercial work, and it’ll probably be cheaper than buying the paint stripper yourself.
Source: One very, very raw Ibis Ripmo AF.
The factory 2 tone paint is sick! Keep it!
Chemical stripping is the way to go. Media blasting with the wrong media/pressure can actually eat away at the aluminum, which is already super thin in some areas. If you want to diy it I’d go with aircraft paint remover
I’ve used the aircraft spray can paint remover and it worked pretty good just watch out for the wind
Dang dude what did your bike do to get the media to be blasting it? Did it embezzle corporate funds?
I had a wheel shop completely strip the paint on a steel bike and then powder coat for less than $200CAD. They filled all the holes with wax and all the threads were intact including the BB.
Didn’t have to prep it at all other than removing all the parts – it was probably some of the best money I’ve spent on bike repairs.
Chemical stripping is an easier option that you can do at home using aircraft stripper. Put sheets of cardboard or plastic sheeting / painter’s drop cloth down to make it easier to clean up the mess.