Powder Coating?

[pooks]

Call me crazy, but I love this guy's bike:

http://3speedblog.blogspot.com/2006/...ular-bike.html

He says he's going to get it powder coated. Where do you get that done? Has anybody here had a bike painted?

I like his bike the way it is, but I can't explain why. It just has personality. (And maybe it wouldn't get stolen from the bike rack.)

[makbike]

Pooks,

I recently had my new frame powdercoated. I purchased the frame raw and took it to the shop to be painted. It took the shop about 2 weeks to get to my frame and it ran $100 (single color, no detailing). It came out look great and I'm quite happy with their work.

If you are interested in getting your bike painted I would suggest you check with you LBS and inquire about shops. You might also check with your local bike club for there most likely is someone in the group who has had they bike custom painted.

[pooks]

That's gorgeous. Love the purple!

I'd love to have mine painted but I don't think the shaft drive would be very easy to handle. It's in the frame!

[Kitsune06]

Powder coating is amazingly easy to come by, and is referred to fairly often in the restoration of motorcycle frames (just ask- I'm trying to rebuild my GF's Honda CB650!) (just chalk it up to being one of those 'guy things' that men always manage to talk about and know about 'that shop right across the street that does it' that we'd never know about just b/c we're out of the loop)

If you're interested, make sure you *really* talk to the rep first off, and make sure you're both in total agreement over what will be done, then see if you can shave costs by prepping the frame yourself (stripping the components, original paint, etc) ...because what you always end up getting charged through the nose on is labor!

All that said, I'm not sure about the best way to go about stripping paint on these frames, as the tubing on roadie frames might be pretty thin. (some other tech-friendly chick might correct me here) but I'm thinking slow, steady work with progressively finer steel wools might be best until you get to the aluminum, then stainless steel wool or scotchbrite, as steel and aluminum react chemically to oxidize the aluminum and make it appear dull.

I'm considering having BC re-done in the same black-with-blue-tigerstripes pattern in a way that looks more shiny and professional, but I've taken great pains to keep the original brand/model lettering and don't really think it can be retained thru the process...

[tulip]

http://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/

[SadieKate]

Yes, you should be able to save costs by stripping all the components, everything including the BB guide, but I wouldn't worry about stripping the paint. Powdercoaters have a tank of solvent that they dunk the frame in. Everything is dissolved (including decals) and leave the frame prepped for coating. Very low labor effort for this and if the frame was powdercoated before, I don't think you can remove it without solvent due to the bonding process (unlike paint). In the old days, they used sandblasting but I don't know if anyone does that anylonger.

Be sure you find out who is to obtain replacement decals - you or the powdercoater. Some places will reproduce decals if they are no longer available (maybe CyclArt?).

Ask about colors. Some colors can be done in one coat while others may take two. If you want a clear coat to make the finish super glossy, ask about having the decals applied before the clear coat. Each coat and each color adds to the cost. Powdercoating doesn't allow you fancy designs as powdercoating must be done by masking areas rather than freehand painting. Each layer of powdercoat is also more vulnerable to chips. The thinner you keep the coats, the more durable.

[Trek420]

I'm having my commutermobile powdercoated. Here she is, just the frame. This is from my cellphone, trust me, it's brighter than this looks.

[KnottedYet]

Omigawd!!!!!

Is that Bradley!?!?!

She's beeeeOOOOOOOOtiful!

Wow!

[Trek420]

Omigawd!!!!!

Is that Bradley!?!?!

She's beeeeOOOOOOOOtiful!

Wow!

Yep, can you believe it?

She's like a whole new bike. Here Chris just getting her out of the bag.

the paint job is puppy tummy smooth . I'm going to just plotz when I get that first scratch.

[KnottedYet]

chris *waited* for you to get there before he took her out of the bag!?!?!

Wow. I love Chris....

Is that a page of decals in the bag with her? Is she gonna have decals or stay puppy-belly smooth? (I vote for the sleek yellow look)

[Trek420]

same bike, different angle slightly blurry shot

chris *waited* for you to get there before he took her out of the bag!?!?!

Wow. I love Chris....

I asked him if I could see the bike
He said "no"
I asked why?
"because I'd have to put down my cup of coffee"
then he went and got it

Is that a page of decals in the bag with her? Is she gonna have decals or stay puppy-belly smooth? (I vote for the sleek yellow look)

He sent the decals to the painter to match the color that I want.

He is thinking of putting one or more of the Mavic decals on. I've learned to trust Chris's aesthetic sense, when he says something will look good, it does. He's like a designer with a wrench.

[mimitabby]

Nice color, Trek!

[pooks]

Ooooooh! Pretty!

[Adventure Girl]

I had my mountain bike frame powder coated. I bought an unfinished new frame from Santa Cruz and had it powder coated bright yellow with a tiny bit of metallic. It was beautiful! WAS. I loved having a one-of-a-kind bike. It was the only yellow Blur!

But I cracked the frame after about 1,500 miles (a little over a year). It was still under warranty, but Santa Cruz denied the warranty claim. Their policy is that any custom coatings void the warranty. I was lucky that my LBS owner pulled some strings for me and convinced Santa Cruz Bicycles to replace the frame. I didn't have the replacement frame custom coated.

[pooks]

Oh, that little bit of metallic was sweeeeet. Love it.