| How to Avoid Heel Pain and Plantar Fasciitis Posted: 16 Feb 2017 04:00 PM PST The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. It can be extremely painful, interfere with routine daily activities, and diminish the quality of life in the sufferer. The plantar fascia is the wide, flat piece of connective tissue that supports the sole of the foot from the heel to the toes. If this becomes torn, overstretched, or ruptured, the tendon may become inflamed in a condition known as plantar fasciitis. Preventing plantar fasciitis, as well as avoiding further injury once it does develop, can help to keep you on your feet and active. EditAvoiding Plantar Fasciitis - Take care of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a ligament that consists of a thick band of tissue that runs from the heel bone to the toe area.[1]
- The plantar fascia ligament provides support for the natural arch in your feet.[2]
- Injury to the plantar fascia is the primary reason for heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is caused by damage to the ligament, causing it to become swollen, weakened, and irritated or inflamed.[3]
- Wear shoes that are supportive. Select shoes that fit well all around, have shanks and solid heel counters built in, and provide good support.[4]
- A shank is a supportive strip that runs along the bottom of the shoe. It is not visible, so it is difficult to tell if the shoe manufacturer included a shank in the design. If the shoe is flimsy, and easy to bend in the middle, then it probably does not have a shank.[5]
- The heel counter is also not visible, but the presence of a solid heel counter can be determined by pressing inward on the middle, upper area of the back part of the shoe. If it easily collapses to the inside, then the heel counter is not very strong. The more rigid and supportive the heel counter is, the more difficult it will be to push the upper back part of the shoe toward the inside sole.[6]
- Replace shoes with worn soles. Prevent heel pain and plantar fasciitis by discarding shoes with worn soles and heels.[7]
- Worn soles and heels contribute to an uneven step with heel counters that have lost some of their support. Discard old shoes and replace with new ones that have the proper support.[8]
- Avoid going barefoot. Everybody likes to go without shoes at times, but limit the time you walk around without proper footwear.[9]
- Walking barefoot significantly increases your risk of damaging the ligament that naturally supports your arches which can lead to heel pain and plantar fasciitis.[10]
- Warm up properly before exercise and cool down afterwards. The importance of stretches cannot be over-emphasized.[11]
 - Tight calf muscles can contribute to heel pain. The Achilles tendon stretches from the bone in the heel into the calf area. Flexibility in this area can be improved by properly stretching before and after exercise.[12]
- Performing exercises that stretch your feet can help to maintain the integrity of the plantar fascia ligament and prevent heel pain.[13]
- Do three stretching exercises for your feet before and after exercising. The first involves standing with your hands placed on a wall and the toes of one foot also against the wall.[14]
- Place one foot back, and keep your heel on the ground as you lean into the wall. Hold this for 30 seconds, switch legs and repeat.[15] You can also follow the straight leg stretch by bending your back leg slightly. By doing the stretch both ways you will be able to stretch two different muscles in the back of your calf, the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
- While seated and without shoes, hold your toes and gently pull them upward until you can feel the arch of your foot stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, switch feet, and repeat.[16]
- Place a towel or cloth object on the floor, grab the object with your toes, and pull it towards you. Hold the grasp for 30 seconds, switch feet and repeat.[17]
- Apply ice. At the first sign of pain, apply ice to the bottom of your foot and heel.[18]
- One method to apply ice to the bottom of your foot and heel area while standing with support is to gently roll a frozen 12 to 16 ounce water bottle along the bottom of your foot.[19]
- Avoid constant walking or standing on concrete. If your job requires constant standing, take measures to provide anti-fatigue matting to help prevent heel pain and take care of your plantar fascia ligaments.[20]
- Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, take steps to lose weight. Your feet and heels will be healthier if the load they carry is lighter.[21]
- People that are overweight are at greater risk of developing heel pain and plantar fasciitis. The more weight you are carrying on your feet, the more likely they are to suffer as the years go by.[22]
- Increase your activity level gradually. Overdoing physical activity takes its toll on your body, including your feet.[23]
- Pace yourself during exercise. If you are starting a new sport or physical activity, increase your activity level gradually to avoid sudden strain on your muscles and abrupt added stress on your feet.[24]
- Avoid foot injury from heavy landings from jumping. If jumping is involved in your sport or exercise routine, take care to provide shoes that provide the proper support.
- Get enough rest. Elevate your feet if possible, especially shortly after exercise, to prevent fluid accumulations and allow your feet to rest.[25]
EditPreventing Further Injury - See a specialist if you have pain. Once heel pain begins, or if you have a history of plantar fasciitis, see a foot doctor to evaluate the condition and recommend treatment options.[26]
- Do not ignore heel pain. Once it starts, it can get worse - and when it gets worse, it can be excruciating. You may be contributing to the damage by waiting to seek treatment.
- Pain from plantar fasciitis often is felt with the first steps of the day. Your doctor can prescribe medications and therapies that can help to treat the problem.[27]
- Seek medical attention if symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks. See your doctor if your symptoms are not improving, getting worse, or if your pain is sudden and severe.[28]
- Medical attention is warranted if the area becomes reddened or swollen, or if you are not able to put any weight on your foot.[29]
- Use crutches or other support. It may prove helpful in reducing the pain and allowing the area to heal by taking weight off the foot by using some type of support while walking.[30]
- Reduce walking as much as possible for 7 to 10 days.[31]
- Consider custom orthotics. Upon recommendation by your doctor, custom orthotics may help to treat the condition, reduce the pain, and help to prevent any further damage.[32]
- Custom orthotics are inserts designed specifically to help establish a solid foundation based on the problems you are having with your feet.
- There is some controversy about custom-fitted orthotics primarily surrounding their high cost and lack of scientific research that support their use.[33]
- Many doctors recommend trying heel supports that can be purchased at a local drugstore before investing in custom orthotics.[34]
- Take prescription medications. In some cases, prescription medications and/or steroid injections may help to reduce the inflammation and help to manage the pain.[35]
- The most common over-the-counter medication group recommended are those that are considered anti-inflammatory agents. Medications that fall in this group include ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin.[36]
- Follow your doctor's instructions regarding the use of any prescription or over-the-counter medications.
- Stretch before you get out of bed. Use a belt or towel wrapped around the ball of the foot, and pull on both sides of the belt to stretch the ball and top of the foot towards the body.[37]
- Stretching the foot, plantar fascia ligament, and heel area in this manner reduces the pain felt with the first mornings steps.[38]
- Use night splints. For people that experience intense pain with their first steps in the morning, using night splints can help to reduce the pain and assist with mobility.[39]
- Night splints provide consistent pressure, keeping the foot and heel in a somewhat strained position. By doing so, the first morning steps are much less painful as the muscles and ligaments involved are healing.[40]
- Participate in physical therapy. Working with a physical therapist can help to improve your functioning so that you can bear weight on your injured foot and reduce the amount of pain.[41]
- Recent work suggests that manual manipulation of the foot by a trained physical therapist may be helpful in restoring mobility.[42]
- Consider corticosteroid injections. If other measures have not worked for you, then your doctor may recommend corticosteroid injections. These injections can provide some temporary pain relief, but they are not recommended as a long-term solution since repeat injections can damage the plantar fascia.[43]
EditAvoiding Other Causes of Heel Pain - See your doctor promptly if you have heel pain. Heel pain often goes ignored, which allows the underlying problem to worsen.[44]
- If rest is possible, many conditions that cause heel pain may resolve on their own. But since most people do not have the option to stay off their feet for a week or so, the condition often continues to develop, leading to more pain and discomfort.[45]
- While plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain, it is not the only possible condition that can cause discomfort in your heel area.[46]
- Distinguish between plantar fasciitis and other conditions. Common causes of heel pain can be broadly divided into two areas. Those areas include problems that cause pain beneath the heel, and those that cause pain behind the heel.[47]
- Common problems that cause pain beneath the heel, other than plantar fasciitis, include stone bruises and heel spurs.[48]
- Stone bruises occur when you step on something small and solid that bruises the fat pad on the bottom of your foot beneath your heel.[49]
- This type of injury will gradually get better with rest, and staying off your feet as much as possible for the time recommended by your doctor.[50]
- Other medical conditions can also lead to pain in this area, such as infection, neuropathic pain, nerve pain from S1 radiculopathy and entrapment syndromes, such as entrapment of nerves in the tunnels of the foot.[51]
- Avoid stone bruises. This type of injury can be avoided by wearing shoes instead of going barefoot.[52]
- Selecting shoes with thick and flexible soles can also help to prevent this type of injury by preventing small, hard objects from penetrating through to your heel area.[53]
- Avoid heel spurs. Heel spurs are small, bony protrusions made of calcium deposits that can be seen on X-ray. In many cases, heel spurs are caused by chronic cases of plantar fasciitis.[54]
- The treatment of a heel spur is the same as that for plantar fasciitis, which includes rest, stretching exercises, heel inserts in some cases, and wearing properly fitting supportive shoes.[55]
- Heel spurs can be avoided by seeking early treatment for heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis, and by taking the same preventive measures.[56]
- Some of those measures include consistently wearing supportive shoes, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding excessive physical activity, using anti-fatigue matting if you must stand for long periods of time or on concrete floors, and getting enough rest.[57]
- Seek medical attention for pain that occurs behind your heel. Your doctor can determine the cause of your pain.[58]
- In some cases, you may have inflamed the area that connects the Achilles tendon to the heel bone. If treatment is delayed, the area may become thickened, red, and swollen.[59]
- The condition may progress to include tenderness and warmth to the touch, and may become too painful to wear normal shoes.[60]
- Your doctor may recommend heel inserts of a specific height to avoid continued irritation, stretching exercises, taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin, wearing open-back shoes until the area is healing, applying ice to the area, and rest.[61]
- Avoid injury behind your heel. This type of injury often occurs from running, or other active sports, without wearing the proper footwear.[62]
- Wearing shoes that fit properly, prevent your foot from sliding in and out easily, and those with supportive heel counters can help to avoid developing this type of heel pain.[63]
- Consider biking or swimming as alternative sports if your heel pain is persistent.
- Select the proper footwear for the activity you are participating in. This includes sports as well as normal daily wear.
- If you are a runner, be aware of your environment when running. Running on an uneven road or on a track may produce improper foot movements. This can lead to overpronation of your foot on one side, which can contribute to the development of plantar fasciitis.
- The normal aging process takes its toll on the feet. Many people suffer with heel pain and plantar fasciitis simply from age.
- See a doctor if the pain persists. Other conditions may also be involved in the discomfort. Not all heel pain is caused by plantar fasciitis.
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| How to Help Your Friend Who Is Being Abused Posted: 16 Feb 2017 08:00 AM PST If your friend is being abused, you may feel as though leaving is a simple decision, but for many that have experienced it, leaving can be difficult and even dangerous. Make sure that your friend knows you are them to support them and help them to determine what they can do in order to stop or escape any further abuse. If your friend is a child that is being abused by a parent or teacher, inform another adult immediately, but if your friend is an adult, it's important that you give them the power to make the change necessary to end their abuse. EditApproaching Your Friend - Set up a time to talk. It's important that you establish a time and place where you can speak to your friend without fear of anyone overhearing your conversation. Your friend may be embarrassed of the situation, or worse, you could put your friend in danger by having the conversation where the abuser may overhear.[1]
- Tell your friend that you would like to set some time aside to speak one on one and in private. Let him or her know that it's important.
- Choose a time and place that provides safety, privacy, and in which you won't have to cut your conversation short because of other obligations.
- Make it clear that you are there because you are concerned. Tell your friend that you are worried about their wellbeing, and that you are speaking to them because you care deeply about them. It may come as a shock that people have noticed what they are going through, and they may initially respond by being dismissive of your concerns. It's important that you let them know that you want to help.[2]
- Let them know that you are there to help, and that you care about them.
- Explain that what they are going through isn't right and that they should not be treated in an abusive manner.
- Listen to them when they speak and remain calm to avoid making your friend feel as though they are cornered.
- Emphasize that your friend is not at fault. Embarrassment is a common reaction among people who have experienced abuse. Many feel as though the abuse is the result of their own shortcomings or failures. Make it clear that they did nothing to deserve being hurt or abused and avoid saying things that could lead them to believe you are judging them like, "why would you let this happen?"[3]
- Tell your friend that no matter what they do, they do not deserve to suffer abuse.
- Emphasize how important their safety is to you and let them know that they can trust you to keep what you talk about between the two of you.
- Explain your concerns. Your friend may not believe that they are in an abusive relationship, so you may need to explain what you've seen and how you perceive it as inappropriate. Be honest without being argumentative.[4]
- Explain what has led you to meeting with them like this and how your concerns are making you feel.
- Let him or her know that domestic abuse tends to escalate over time and things may get worse.
- Emphasize that you are there to support them no matter what, but that you'd like to help them get out of the abusive situation.
- Provide your friend with information on local resources. After you discuss what has been going on, give your friend the contact information or pamphlets from local shelters or outreach programs that may be able to provide them with guidance or resources.[5]
- You can find a list of resources for victims and survivors of abuse at http://youth.gov/youth-topics/teen-dating-violence/resources
- DomesticShelters.org offers a list of shelters throughout the country people can stay in when leaving abusive relationships or homes.
- Centers.Rainn.Org can provide you with a list by state or zip code of organizations that can help in cases of rape, abuse or incest.
- Do some internet research for local organizations that can help as well.
- Seek help with your friend. Depending on your age and situation, you may not be certain about who you can go to for help. If you are minors, speak to a teacher, a coach or someone you trust at your school. If you are adults, it may be up to you and your friend to make a plan to get out of the abusive situation.[6]
- If your friend is physically abused, contact law enforcement regardless of your age. Police officers often cannot do anything unless responding to active situation, but do not wait for the abuser to hurt your friend to get help.
- Adults may seek support from others that can give them guidance and help them make the transition away from an abusive relationship. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can help. Call them at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE).
EditEstablishing a Safety Plan - Determine what type of plan to help your friend establish. A safety plan is a personalized, step by step plan that lays out how to stay safe while remaining in a relationship with an abuser or leaving one. The safety plan should be unique to the person it is created for and should address each of the steps your friend needs to take in order to stop the abuse safely.[7]
- You will need to address things like where your friend will live if leaving the abuser, as well as how to overcome financial hardships created by the transition.
- Children also need to be accounted for in the safety plan if your friend is a parent.
- It's important to outline even obvious seeming things because it can be easy to forget steps when upset.
- Assess the level of risk your friend is in. You need to determine if your friend needs to escape the situation or relationship with the abuser, or if it is a situation that can be managed. If your friend is being abused, it is likely that they will need to leave, but even leaving requires a level of planning based on you and your friend's assessment of the danger levels.[8]
- Determine if your friend wants to leave or if they feel the situation can be changed from within.
- Decide if your friend will be able to leave safely, or if they will need to sneak out in order to leave without being hurt.
- Assess how much danger the person will be in if they remain where they are. Is there a risk that your friend could be hurt if they stay?
- Violence should never be tolerated. Any amount of violence can dictate that the risk is too great to stay.
- Help your friend plan to leave if necessary. If your friend determines it would be best to leave their home, you will need to establish a plan to do so safely. Getting your friend and any children that may be in danger out of the home is the first priority.[9]
- Plan for a time and date that your friend will be able to leave without arousing suspicion from the abuser if they need to leave secretly.
- Establish transportation if your friend needs it so they do not rely on the abuser to get them where they need to go.
- Incorporate children in your plan. Children can often tell when something is going on, and it's important to plan for their involvement. Discuss the pros and cons of informing children about any portion of the plan as well as the logistics of getting them somewhere safe.[10]
- It can be dangerous to tell children before executing the plan, because they may accidentally inform your friend's abuser.
- Plan for a safe place for the children to stay once they are out of the house.
- Make sure your friend knows to explain what is happening to the children in a way that emphasizes that it is not their fault and that they are loved.
- Identify a safe place to stay after leaving. Your friend may ask to stay with you, or they may have other family or friends that they can stay with. There are also many shelters that exist solely to aid abuse victims escape their abusers. It's important that you consider what the abuser may do when your friend leaves. It may not be safe to stay somewhere that the abuser can easily find them.
- Tell your friend about local shelters or organizations you found when researching them on the internet.
- Offer suggestions for safe places for your friend to stay.
- Use websites like DomesticShelters.org to find a shelter for your friend nearby.
- Plan for emotional distress after your friend leaves. Once your friend leaves their abuser, there will be emotionally fallout. If they were in a romantic relationship, ending it can be emotionally very difficult. Any time someone experiences a significant change in their lives, stress plays a part, but that may be even more significant when leaving an abuser.[11]
- Help your friend seek the support of others through support groups or incorporating other friends if they are comfortable with it.
- Remind your friend that they are not at fault, and that they have great value as a person and a friend.
- Help your friend be kind to themselves by discouraging remarks that are self-deprecating.
EditEnding the Abuse - If your friend is a child, speak to an adult. If your friend is a child, it is imperative that you speak to an adult soon to help your friend escape an abusive situation. It can be difficult for children to identify abuse at the hands of their parents or teachers, but other adults can help.
- Tell a teacher if you believe your friend is being abused by their parents at home.
- Let your friend know that their parents should not be hurting them, and that there is help available.
- Encourage them to execute their safety plan and end the relationship. You cannot make the decision for your friend to leave; they must do it themselves. As much as you may believe it's the right thing, forcing the issue may make your friend stop speaking to you. Instead, explain how important it is to you that your friend leave the abuser.[12]
- Describe how worried you are about your friend and what you fear may happen if they don't leave.
- Encourage your friend to have faith in themselves and to seek a better life.
- Consider involving law enforcement. You may need to contact the police if you or your friend feel that they may be in danger. The police cannot solve the problem for your friend, but they can provide a safe way for your friend to leave.[13]
- Your friend may be uncomfortable discussing the abuse with the police, so you may need to encourage them to do so.
- Domestic violence is a crime, and the abuser may be arrested and charged if there is evidence of the abuse at the time they are called.
- If you witness an assault yourself, call the police and inform of them of what is happening. Do not attempted to intervene yourself.
- Offer your help in making the change. Your support may provide your friend with the strength they need to escape an abuser. Make sure they know that you will help any way that you can and that you are there for them. If there are specific things you can do to help them escape an abuser, offer them to your friend.
- Offer to help with child care if your friend needs someone to watch their children.
- Offer a place to stay until your friend can get back on their own feet.
- Encourage your friend to stay strong. Making such a dramatic life change can be daunting and traumatic, but it's important to keep reminding your friend that it's for the best in the long run. No one deserves to be abused, and while ending the abuse may be difficult, it's better than continuing to suffer.
- Make sure your friend knows that you will be their friend no matter what happens, and that you only want what is best for them.
- Be there for your friend as they experience the emotional ups and downs of ending the relationship and moving on. Sometimes, just having the support of a close friend can keep an abuse victim from returning to their abuser.
- Give your friend space, but don't give up on them. Your friend may feel embarrassed or angry at you for approaching them about an abusive situation. Don't resort to anger in response. Take a step back and give your friend time to cool off, but don't give up on helping them find help.
- It can be hard to hear reason when tempers flare. Give your friend some time, then reach out to them to see if they're willing to talk.
- Make sure you let your friend know that your care about them deeply and are only looking to help.
- You may have to give them some time before they are willing to speak to you, but helping your friend is worth the effort.
- Be patient. It may take a long time for your friend to be willing to seek help, so don't try to rush them.
- Remember that it's not up to you to "save" your friend from the abuse. Your friend has to make their own decisions; you're just there to support them and point them to people that can help.
- Encourage your friend to develop a safety plan, which will help them prepare to leave the abusive situation.
- Don't force your friend to do anything. You can encourage your friend to seek help or leave the abusive situation, but ultimately the decision must be up to them, and forcing them to do anything before they're ready could just push them away from you and make them feel even more powerless.
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| How to Paint a Bike Posted: 16 Feb 2017 12:00 AM PST Have you ever found an incredibly good deal on a bike, or seen an old bicycle that you really wanted to have but didn't like the color or the paint was all chipped? Or if you just wanted to make your bike more original (by painting it neon colors). Don't lose hope. Here is how to paint an old bike frame with a professional-looking finish. - Completely remove any items you don't want painted, such as the bottom bracket or forks. Areas of the frame with threads for bolts can either be covered with painter's tape, or the bolts can be put in, (you don't want paint preventing you from putting it back together).
- Be careful when taking the bike apart. The headset area (where the handle bars and forks attach to the frame) are quite complicated. You should definitely take notes and pictures of how the parts were aligned when you take them out, so that you can get them back in correctly. The cups that are pressed into the frame should be removed to properly paint the bike. Removal without deforming them is difficult without the proper tools. Consider taking your frame to a bicycle shop for this final step of the break down. They should be able to remove them on the spot for free, or very cheap.
- Also, buy some bicycle-specific grease and use your hand to apply to the bearings and internal mechanisms; this will ensure smooth operation and protect these parts from wear.
- Degrease the bike. You can use bike degreaser or car body wipe.
- Remove all of the existing paint with medium-grade sandpaper or rough sponge (80 grit) to form a smooth surface. See Tips for other options.
- If you are lucky enough to have a carbon frame, make sure that you do not sand the carbon. You may have to leave some of the paint in place.
- If there are any dents or wear marks which you want to fill in, this is the time to do it. You can use knifing putty, or something similar to produce a smooth surface. Make sure that you sand it down well afterwards, and remove the dust.
- Hang the bike by the head tube to ensure that your paint does not clog up at the bottom bracket. A coat hanger works great. Hang it in an area that you have good access to (a clothes line is perfect,) as you will need to be able to move around the whole bike and underneath it, too. Also, make sure you hang your bike in a well ventilated area, with good light to help check that you have applied an even coat.
- Apply a primer with very thin coats to provide the best finish. Follow the instructions on the can (typically spray about 20cm from the surface). Start at the joints and bottom bracket in the frame. These are the hardest bits to paint, and the easiest places to get runs or miss a spot. Wait about 15 minutes between coats, and don't worry about it if you don't fully cover the frame in the first or second coat, because you will be applying several coats.
- Make sure you buy the right type of primer, as the colour of the primer depends on what your final colour will be. Also, look for a primer that resists rust or a rust converter, (rust inhibitor).
- If you are refurbishing an aluminium frame, you may need to get a special primer or an thalidomide coating, which ensures that the pores in the aluminium do not affect the finish.
- When priming the bike, especially if you are outside, wear goggles and a mouth mask. It is not a nice feeling to have paint fly into your eyes whenever a gust of wind comes. Also wear gloves, because some paints strip your skin.
- Allow the frame to dry for about 24 hours. Try to let it dry in the place you painted it. If this is not possible, lay it carefully on newspapers, and try not to touch it, since the paint is easily damaged.
- Sand the primer using 220-grit paper/sponge. Your aim is to achieve a smooth surface which the next layer of paint can adhere to.
- Put on your main coat of paint. Once again, make sure your bike is clean of dust and any grease. To apply the color, follow the same steps as you did for the primer, ensuring you apply thin coats until you have a uniform finish. If you wish to paint the frame in multiple colours, you simply apply the lighter paint first, applying till an even coat is achieved (3 or 4 coats), then mask over the area you wish to remain the light colour, and paint the darker colour on.
- Sand it down again after the paint dries, this time using some wet-or-dry 1200-grit paper. When sanding with the 1200-grit sandpaper, make sure to "wet-sand" the finish. This keeps the sandpaper from "loading". Wet-sand by taking some Windex, and spraying the Windex onto the paint, and then sand. Make sure you keep the finish "wet" while you're sanding. All you are trying to do is to take the gloss off the paint producing a matte finish for the lacquer to stick to. The lacquer will make the paint shiny again.
- Put stickers or decals on your bike (optional). The lacquer you put on afterward will protect the stickers; however, unless you have very thin stickers, it is unlikely you will get a completely smooth surface. If you want to buy decals, have a look online, as there are many replica decals for major bike manufacturers.
- Apply the clear lacquer in the same way as you painted the bike; however, this time you may only need to put on 2 or 3 coats. It is important, especially at this stage, that you do not have the spray can too far from the surface as you could end up with a rough surface.
- Complete the repainting of your bike by following the steps for the frame with the forks or any other part. Allow the lacquer to harden for at least a week before putting the bike together, or you may damage your beautiful new paint job.
- Finished.
- Another option to remove the paint is with a chemical paint remover; it will be messier, but faster and less labor-intensive.
- When sanding the paint to get the bike ready to paint, make sure that you do not go through your paint! Also, don't make the paint too thin. If you do, you may be able to see through it.
- When wet sanding, make sure you don't go through the paint, by drying off the area that you are sanding with a (paper) towel, and survey the area to verify that it looks correct. (Not too thick; not too thin).
- A wire brush for your drill works well too.
- If you can't be bothered sanding your bike down to the metal, you can always find a sandblaster to do it for you, but make sure they know what they are doing or they could destroy your frame.
- Aluminum needs to be etched first (ie. a thin coat of self-etching primer) before the regular paint primer.
- For safe and easy removal of rust from iron and steel, Naval Jelly is useful for preparing metal surfaces for painting.
- The quickest, most efficient way to remove the existing paint from your frame is to use a heat-gun and paint scraper. It's easy, safe, chemically free, and clean-up is a breeze. If you live in a community with a Tool Lending Library (also known as a hire shop) you can probably find these there.
- If you have an angle grinder, the wire wheel attachment will blast off the paint without damaging the frame. Do not use an angle grinder on an aluminum frame.
- Use wet aluminium foil paper to get rust off chrome, steel, and metal. Make sure to have at least 2 gallon or bigger bucket clean cool water for dipping the foil.
- When painting your bike, always do lots of smooth thin coats for the best results.
- Even 24 hours after painting, do not lay your frame on a carpet or put it in clamp. This will distort the paint, which is still very soft, and will be imprinted with the pattern in the carpet, for example.
- Do not mix different paint manufacturers (be that for primer, primary paint and lacquer) unless you have knowledge that they are compatible. This is because the 2 types of paint may react with each other.
- Wear protective gear when using chemical paint remover, as it can cause chemical burns.
- Do not apply chemical paint remover to any existing sticker on your frame, as it will melt the sticker glue and it gets even more difficult to get rid of.
EditThings You'll Need - A bicycle to paint.
- Some basic hand tools to disassemble the bicycle, (wrenches, screwdrivers, etc).
- Sandpaper/sponge, (80 grit, 220 grit, and 1200 grit).
- Windex or other Glass Cleaner
- Razor blade, (helps when removing old decals, if present).
- Hair dryer also works wonders with old stickers and its less likely to cut you in the process
- Masking tape, to cover up certain areas if you are applying different colors.
- A piece of stiff wire to hang up the bicycle with.
- Primer (about 2 cans for a large bike).
- Paint of desired color (again about 2 cans for a large bike).
- Clear lacquer coat, one can should do.
- A clean, well-lit place to work, with good ventilation (remember: don't destroy your skin, lungs, and eyes over a bike).
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