Masking off the purple bits with any degree of neatness and not ending up with a raised paint edge is going to be difficult / fiddly / time consuming depending on your skill level and patience. Painting the entire thing will be much easier.

The carbon stays mean that blasting the frame probably won't be the best idea either, so hand preperation will add to the fun. I'd consider very carefully how much you really want to paint it.

Ok thanks Stu. I am not too fussed about it being perfect tbh - as long as I am moving fast enough nobody will see

screescree wrote:Hydrowrap/Hydrographic it.

Can have literally anything you want! Camo, Skulls, etc. Dead quick and great finish

Is that something you have done Screescree? Got any photos? How well does it last? I looked into this a while ago but couldn't really find anything online.

ps - thanks for the Pentland number Restlessnative - as you can see though the carbon means its not an option. Shame though as that is a good price.

Here's one example of hydrographics. It's quite amazing what's possible ... at a price.

there would certainly be no mistaking me for a heterosexual if I wrapped my bike in that now.

Yeah, I only really noticed the large breasted ladies after I'd posted the picture ... no, honestly.

Here's a less curvy example.

I must admit that having struggled to apply tint flim to my old campervan's windows, I am not confident of being able to wrap something a complicated shape. I think you must have to heat it and allsorts to get it to stretch and flow round curves. I guess that a bike frame is just a series of flat sided cylinders though. Hm, maybe I should give it a go.

Edit: Ok I have just watched a video on Youtube about this and I can see that it is not wrapping as I thought, but I completely different process. I would be very interested to hear if someone has actually done this on a bike. Just checked and the frame would just fit in the bath.

Here are a few youtube videos in case anyone else is interested.

This guy has some useful advice but he doesn't actually show you how to do it, which is a shame:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIXaAoUtZdI

If you watch this one after the first then what they are doing will make more sense. He dips one side at a time, but doesn't show you how the join looks afterwards. It would be right along the top of the top tube so it would be very obvious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNXEXye2Vxw

There is this one too, which is a different process - just paint floated on the top of the water. There are no details at all as to how it has been done, but I assume it is just some sort of oil based paint on the water. It looks a lot simpler and must be cheaper - all the hydrodipping gear seems very expensive. I quite like it. It would do me I think. More info as to prep and materials would be good though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bcmJ55Zkx4

Edit: This guy shows you how to do the swirling thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHqPkkSpLZk

It's not really a DIY process but there's plenty of companies out there Bridget.

The hydrographics thing does look to be a pro job, but the swirling doesn't. I am going to give that a go. I will report back. Not for a month or so though, as I have something else I need to do first.

Borderer wrote:

screescree wrote:Hydrowrap/Hydrographic it.

Can have literally anything you want! Camo, Skulls, etc. Dead quick and great finish

Is that something you have done Screescree? Got any photos? How well does it last? I looked into this a while ago but couldn't really find anything online.

A company did a few frames in this -
https://www.wickedcoatings.co.uk/wp-con ... n-bike.jpg
https://www.wickedcoatings.co.uk/wp-con ... d-29er.jpg
https://www.wickedcoatings.co.uk/wp-con ... 00x200.jpg

and a bmx company did this -
http://cyclingsportsgroupmedia.com/csgb ... 40x617.jpg

I personally don't have any experience with it, by my mate had his car's alloy wheels and interior pieces done in a carbon fibre effect, rubbish idea but on inspection the quality was perfect. Couldn't fault it. seemed to be fairly robust as well.