How to Remove Spray Paint on a Bike

When you spray paint an object in your garage or patio, over spray is often a problem. If you have not covered everything in a 10-foot radius, the paint will drift onto objects within this space, such as a bike. Fortunately, over spray will come off easily with a rubbing compound since the bike was painted with a different type of paint. However, if you are removing spray paint from a bicycle that was sprayed intentionally, you will have to use paint remover.

Things You'll Need

  • Rubbing compound
  • Cloth
  • Enamel paint remover
  • 1/2-inch wrench
  • Crescent wrench
  • Rubber gloves
  • Coffee can
  • Chain lubricant
  • 120-grit sandpaper
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Instructions

  1. Removing Overspray from a Bicycle

    • 1

      Remove all of the parts that are going to be in the way of your work with a wrench and crescent wrench, including the rear and front wheels and the seat. You may have to remove the pedals to allow yourself more accessibility, but you do not need to take off the sprocket and gearing.

    • 2

      Turn the bike upside down on the handlebars. Locate the area of over spray.

    • 3

      Apply some rubbing compound to the cloth and rub gently in a circular motion to remove the spray paint. Wipe off the residual compound from the bike.

    • 4

      Replace the parts that you have removed from the bike in the order you took them off.

    Removing Spray Paint from a Bicycle

    • 5

      Remove all of the parts from the frame with a wrench and crescent wrench, including the wheels. Remove the pedals with the crescent wrench. Remove the seat and the chain. Place the chain in chain lubricant in a coffee can.

    • 6

      Turn the bike over on its handlebars. Make sure the bike is on a plastic bag or a drop cloth. This will catch dropping paint remover.

    • 7

      Place a small amount of paint thinner on the cloth. Rub the cloth over a section of the frame. Repeat until the bike is covered with the paint remover. Wait 15 minutes for the thinner to work into the paint.

    • 8

      Remove the thinner from the bike with the cloth. You will not get all the paint off at one time and may have to add more thinner and wait again. Continue this process until all of the paint has been removed from the bike. If there is paint in hard-to-reach areas, rub it off with 120-grit sandpaper. Be careful not to go too deep into the metal.