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Do you know how to match a color on the frame ? I want to buy a paint from a tool shop but I'm not sure if it's match with the frame color. I'm going to use the paint for a touch up.

Thanks for the info.

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    If its a scrappy older bike then there's little point in aiming for perfection. My red bike gets chips like crazy so at least 10% of it is now three coats of red nail varnish. I was fortunate that there were ~20 different shades at home to choose from, but in reality near enough really is good enough.
    – Criggie
    Commented Jul 3, 2017 at 6:50

4 Answers 4

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The same way you would for any paint: find a swatch that matches it, or chip a bit off the bike, and then take it to a paint store and ask them to match it for you. If it's a modern bike of a decent manufacturer you could always drop them an email, and they might be able to give you the make and model of the actual paint they use.

Also remember you will have to lacquer it afterwards, and that has an impact on it's final look.

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  • how about take photo and bring it to the paint shop for comparison ?
    – Rick Ant
    Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 8:23
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    That's a bit risky because a photo will vary by the lighting conditions, camera settings, and the glossiness of the frame.
    – cmannett85
    Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 9:15
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    A few shops have an optical color matching device that can precisely "read" the color of a sample. Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 12:28
  • You could visit a car painting shop. Since cars are so "abundant" (so as their needs for repainting), there are a lot of specialized equipment and methods on such shops, specially the tuning and customization ones. Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 13:24
  • Additionally, if you find the color you want is close to a standard color for a popular car you can often find touch-up paint in small bottles with a built-in brush. Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 13:26
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Today’s custom colors are closely related to finger nail polish colors.
Go to target or Walmart and you will be able to find an incredible palette of colors. Even your local dollar store has a large selection of metallics solids and Pearls

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Try a local hobby shop.They usually sell remote control cars,planes etc. Look for model paints that are enamal.Testors is a popular brand in the U.S.They have sets of different colors along with single jars.You can custom mix the colors to get a match,say three drops of blue to one drop of black.I paint my test samples on an old piece of ceramic tile,dry them with a hairdryer to speed things up and check the match in direct sunlight.If the color is off scrape the sample off with a razorblade and adjust your mix and try again.Once you get a match write down the formula for the next time.

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I am also looking to touch up my bike and happened to find a website that sells bike touch up paint for a variety of specific brands. It also had some DIY colors for custom jobs. This is the website I found: mytouchuppaint.com, if anyone knows of any other options please let me know!

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