Powder Coating / Re-Spray thoughts

[seren]

My 756's paintwork is dull, chipped and scratched.  As it has been a very trusty steed I thought I would treat it to a makeover and get it re-sprayed.

I am uk based and every company I have contacted to do this don't seem really interested in doing it, or say they cant(mixed reasons).  Have any UK riders had there frames re-sprayed, and can you recommend someone that is good at it.

I take it the frame would have to be stripped down completly and then shot-blasted to remove all old paint.  Is it a good idea to have the frame primed afterwards (against rust?) or are todays paints pretty good for that?  Also, is it better to have the frame re-sprayed or powder coated? I dont really know the difference between the two other than that the finish is different.

Thoughts are appreciated, thanks

[Old Proflexer]

not uk based but here's a thought or two -

a few years ago i bought a good used 857 via the net - it was pretty beat up when it arrived and i took it to a paint shop that also did powdercoating.

they strongly suggested powder coating over the paint method if only for the strength of bonding to the metal - the finish was dependant on the type and color of the coating.

the shop did bikes, auto parts, wheels, motorcycle frames etc. so they stripped the frame and after i jb welded a few dings to a flat surface, handed them the frame and masked, primed and powdercoated for $50.00 usd.  i could have spent 2 to 3 times that much depending on the color and type of coating but that was the basic yellow they use so it was cheap.  i should imagine a good paint job would serve you well tho.

since the frames are aluminum, shouldn't have to worry about rust

OP

[RoentgenRanger]

I had my Bontrager SS powder coated and couldn't be happier.  Lots of colors available and I got mine done for $60.  Check my gallery.

[Prowler]

I removed all the old paint with a stripping gel. Very easy but highly noxious. Needs good ventilation while you work. Then called the powder coating shop to get a price. They used black for almost all the parts they coated and did my frame for free since I wanted it black. Color would have been less than $100. The new finish is way tougher than the original paint job too.

[shovelon]

By all means go with Powdercoat. Recoating over existing powdercoat is standard industry practice in my neck of the woods. Lots of Harleys around here.



1. DO NOT strip to bare metal. If you do the surface will need to be deoxidized before new powdercoat is applied. This is what the factory did to keep the paint from delaminating.



2. Gently sand, scotchbrite, soft steelwool or lite beadblast all decals off. Get into all nooks and crannies to scuff up the surface for better adhesion. Make sure you protect all holes and threads prior to this. If there are any chips, feather back with emery cloth.



3.Then take to the Powdercoat shop for qoute on paint and ask for paint chip to take home with you. They will give you a discount if you have prepped the frame this way, and will be more agreeable to do the job.



4. Be sure to ask for a certificate of compliance upon completion for resale purposes, even if you are paying cash. This will list the color number and curing tempurature, and thier preferred process. Curing temp is very important as it should be between 400 and 450 Degrees F. An added bonus is that 450 Degrees is the stress relieve temp for 7005 alloy weldments. You don't think the factory wants to spend the extra money on a separate stress relieve process, do you?



5. Chase all threaded holes before assembly to remove overspray and flash. If you don't have the tools, go to your trusted LBS that does.



Hope this helps you make the decision.



Have fun, Terry

[Simon]

I'm also uk based,send Proflex GB a PM he had his Evo resprayed by a company specializing in painting cycle frames,nice job too,you could also look through the many UK cycle mags or even some specialist kit car mags they often contain ads for what your looking for,as for powder coating look in the yellow pages there's loads of companies offering that service,good luck,Simon [smiley=laughing.gif]  

[John Polgar]

This is what I do for a living, not in bikes though.  I'm a finish specialist.  I don't do powder coating.  However, I do have it done for me on occasion.  Powder coating is the best method for finishing metal.  I'm not setup for this due to costs and space so I job it out.

You will save $ if you strip it first.  Yes, break it down completely.  If you prefer you could take it and have it sandblasted.  Here the cost would be about $30 for sandblasting and about $80-$100 with color and clear powder coats.  You only want to supply the metal frame and NO components on it.  As the other post suggested, use care and read the labels when using strippers if you do it yourself.  If you use a rough 60 grit sand paper to first "scuff" sand (cut the finish surface) a little, it will allow the stripper to penetrate and work better.  You should clean and then wet sand with emery cloth paper to 400grit.

The powder coat company will acid or chem wash the frame.  They electronically charge the frame, "spray" on the dust which is the powder coat, then bake it at 400 degrees plus.  this liquifies the coat which will then flow out and bond to itself and the metal frame.  When it "dries" or cools and cures you will have a very tough finish.  After heat process and curing the finish changes properties on a molecular level.  For added protection you can also have it powder coated clear coated.  Theoretically your average nick or scratch would damage the clear coat and the color remains so you could then "touch up" the clear and keep the color locked in.

[jimbo]

 For added protection you can also have it powder coated clear coated.  Theoretically your average nick or scratch would damage the clear coat and the color remains so you could then "touch up" the clear and keep the color locked in.

Can you add decals after primarly color is power coated and then power coat a clear?

[shovelon]

John,

Good info. But would'nt you be afraid to aggressively sandblast a tough factory-powdercoated finish off of a thinwall aluminum frameset? Steel sure, but sandblasting would for sure upset the surface integrity of the 7005 alloy and possibly may loose wall thickness. If you must strip the frame down to bare metal, be gentle.

In my experience many Powdercoat shops will recoat a frame that is not stripped to bare metal. Certainly I am in the minority I am sure. Usual cost is about $65 bucks for masking and one coat. Recoats are done routingly in SoCal, but you need to know what to ask for.
Terry

[tmaybee]

You could always have it annodized.  It might look kinda bright if you have it annodized a colour, but you could have it polished and annodized clear.  Black would probably look good as well.

If you had it annodized clear would look like a 955.


(That's a 957 in the pic)

Trevor

[Simon]

As your UK based look at http://www.apibikes.com they even collect and deliver your frame,as well as bike resprays they do frame repairs and braze-ons,they are the only spray shop used by specialized uk.Simon

[seren]

Thanks for all the help and the link Simon, the info you have all posted has been very helpful.  I will post some pics once I have had the frame done.  

[zulu]

  Before you start on it take some before & after pics. It will be cool to see what it looks like before & after you clean it up.
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