Recommend a powder coater near Stockport?

spatuluk

Hi!

I want to get a frame powder coated. I did some research, and a name that kept popping up on cycle forums was 'North Manchester Powder Coatings', so I planned to use them. One problem.. Their number (retrieved from http://www.manchesterhasit.co.uk/business/5610/) no longer exists! :shock:

I don't know if it's temporary, or if they've changed their number or moved.. I don't really want to drive 15 miles to check if they still exist, so I guess I need to find someone else!

So, has anyone had experience with any other companies in the Stockport/Manchester area? There's so many, that I don't really know where to start!

(edit: it would help if the company can do the sand blasting, too. From what I've seen, it gets expensive if two different companies get involved)

spatuluk

hmm.. I guess no-one knows! :P

Well, I decided to use Stockport Powder Coating, as they had a couple of testimonials from people who've have had their bikes done. They charge £60 for doing just the frame (no fork), which is a little bit more expensive than some powder coating examples I've seen, but it's not toooo bad, plus they're only 5 minutes away from home, so it saves travel/courier fees.

I dropped the frame off yesterday afternoon, and he had a look at the frame. It's chrome plated, and he reckoned there's a possibility that the sand blaster won't be able to remove it, but it'll be able to scuff up the chrome enough to allow it to be coated. The amount of chunks missing from the chrome would certainly indicate that it's not exactly impervious, but it's a bit worrying.. I hope he knows what he's doing!

I double-checked that he knew not to blast/coat the BB threads, and he did. ETA is this Friday, so I'll update when I get the bike back. I'm pretty nervous.. I hope this wasn't a bad idea! :?

edit: I know Chicago Coating gets mentioned a lot, and would've been cheaper, but I've also seen a lot of people complain about them being pretty bad at their job. I didn't think they were worth the risk.

update: Just phoned them, and it's not even been started yet. Revised ETA: Tuesday. Not good, SPC.. not good..

spatuluk

Well, okay! I got the bike back on Wednesday, and.. errr.. I'm not sure if it's good or not, to be honest.

They protected the BB threads, but some powder coating still got through. It wasn't too bad - the BB cup managed to screw in over it without any difficulty. They also drilled most of the tiny holes that're in the tubes, and cleaned up around the larger bolt holes.

There are some pock-marks in the coating.. bits where there's a tiny dimple, or what could be a grain of sand. There's not many, though, and you can only tell they're there by touch.

Something doesn't feel right, though.. literally! What should a powder coating feel like? I expected it to feel hard, almost like ceramic, but this feels soft. I guess I might just be used to paint, which is so thin that you pretty much just feel the metal. It snags impacts rather than deflecting them, and a slipped spanner has already exposed a bit of metal. I feel like I should be wrapping it in cotton wool, which isn't the impression that people usually give when they talk about their powder coated bikes. :?

edit: I uploaded some pics!
The frame: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spatuluk/7986697809/
The bottom bracket: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spatuluk/7986709448/
The ding: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spatuluk/7986707432/

boggyass

I'm looking for a powder coater in Manchester as well. Are you still not sure about the work done on your frame? After reading your post I'm tempted to go enamel stove paint again. But it's always about the dollars!

pinarellokid

i got qouted £90 for any frame to be stripped and stove enamelled by Neil Orrell in north Manchester
that includes stickers being applied under a top coat of laquer

think that was a single colour

how does that compare to powder coating prices??

Yossie

Stick it in a big box and send it all to Triple S in Bingley (www.triple-s.co.uk or something similar) - I use them for all my m/bike stuff: excellent stuff, good prices, excellent service.

Stick it in a box, send it off, a week later it comes back perfect wrapped lovely in bubble wrap: no pock marks, no flaking, all threads perfect: 100% recommended.

Pop on the website and have a look at the work.

Powder coating should feel 100% smooth, no runs, no layering, nothing. Nice and thick, shouldn't chip if done properly, no flaking.

HTH

boggyass

pinarellokid wrote:

i got qouted £90 for any frame to be stripped and stove enamelled by Neil Orrell in north Manchester
that includes stickers being applied under a top coat of laquer

think that was a single colour

how does that compare to powder coating prices??

It may be more costly than PC but if that price is all in including lacquer then I think it's worth going down enamel route

boggyass

Chicago powder coaters in mossley nr Ashton under lyne charged me just £35 for frame and fork. Many of the rider from velodrome recommend him as well.