Powder Coat Questions

KevChallis

Hi all,

I have found out that I can get my frame powder coated for £35, which I thought was really reasonable, is there a thread here anywhere, where people have posted their bikes after powder coating? As I need to decide a colour.

Plus, I know how it is done, but as for decals, how are the done to gain a flush finish?

Thanks

miceden

Never had a frame done but plenty of hubs, £35 is very reasonable for a whole frame! For colours look at ral colour charts, best to look at a printed chart rather than on a PC monitor as a it won't always give a true representation, that or find a colour you like and they can generally colour match. Flush graphics I expect would have to be wet painted.

KevChallis

Thanks for your reply, graphics can maybe go then lol, I quite like the look of a none decaled frame I will see if I can go collect a colour chart, thanks

Kowalski675

£35 is a raesonable price, around what you'd expect to pay. RAL colours are pretty limiting though, take a look here for more interesting inspiration:

http://www.prismaticpowders.com/

KevChallis

Thanks, will take a look, I want something 'special' so to speak

Kowalski675

KevChallis wrote:

I will see if I can go collect a colour chart, thanks

A full RAL colour swatch set is pretty expensive, but your local coater may have one to look at (plus they'll have samples of all their stock colours to look at) - go along and have a look, much better than working from colour charts.

Kowalski675

KevChallis wrote:

Thanks, will take a look, I want something 'special' so to speak

Most coaters will only keep basic colours in stock. If you want something more interesting (candies, metalflakes, flips etc) then a motorcycle powdercoater's your best bet. I wouldn't use any industrial coater - they can easily wreck a frame if they're more used to doing garden furniture etc. That Prismatic Powders site is American - they have far more choice in special effects powders over there than any coater keeps over here - your coater could order powders in, but that's going to make things considerably more expensive.

KevChallis

Thanks mate, think we have a local motorcycle place, I will do a bit of research and find out

Kowalski675

I can recommend places up here, but that's not much use to you. Gloss black with a silver metalflake lacquer looks good... Anodising's inexpensive too, and a few grammes lighter, if you're bothered about that.

KevChallis

Thanks, I'm sure there is a local place, I will ask what they can do, like I said, want it to look special, it's not a special frame, but changing the look of it, an upgrading some parts at the same time, thanks for your help, really is appreciated

stuisnew

Be a bit careful though and do your research. My brother had a frame powdercoated for £35 and it was truly awful. They promised to blank bb shell, headtube etc but he had to clear threads of paint etc which cost more, but more importantly the finish was terrible, thin in places and very thick in others.

Not saying powdercoating is bad, I powdercoated an old rockhopper which came out brilliantly, but go somewhere with a good rep for bikes.

Kowalski675

stuisnew wrote:

Not saying powdercoating is bad,

It's not. Bad powdercoating is bad, just like bad wet painting is bad, or bad anodising is bad. Hence my earlier comment about not using industrial coaters as they can easily destroy your frame. Only use coaters that know what they're doing, and if you're in any doubt then make 100% sure they know which parts need masking. If you find a good motorcycle powdercoater then odds are that they will have done plenty of bicycle frames too, and know what needs doing. Take it somewhere decent and there's no reason you shoudn't get a top quality job for £35 (don't forget that you'll need your BB shell faced afterwards though, if you have an external BB, so allow a tenner for that too).

Kowalski675

If you want something different, have you considered hydrodipping?

KevChallis

Thanks for your replies, I'm pretty new to stripping bikes down. And don't know what a bb shell is, or if I have an external bb? I don't know....

Will look at hydro dipping, as never heard of it

cooldad

The bit at the bottom the cranks go through.

Kowalski675

cooldad wrote:

The bit at the bottom the cranks go through.

What he said. An external BB is one where the bearing cups sit outboard of the BB shell, so the faces of the shell need to be perpendicular and free of paint, to allow the BB to sit flush and straight. Facing uses a cutting tool to remove any paint from those surfaces and leave a smooth, parallel and perpendicular surface on each side.

Hydrodipping transfers a printed pattern by floating it on the surface of water then immersing the object (e.g. bicycle frame):

http://www.wickedcoatings.co.uk/

http://www.hydro-graphics.co.uk/showcase.php

paul.skibum

I had my bike powdercoated last summer - steel hardtail - went to reputable local firm with some history of bikes and motorbikes and car parts and it came back looking pretty decent.





Its a sparkle fleck finish on signal orange or something. Finished bike:

Kowalski675

Aye, that could be Signal orange - I studied the RAl oranges in depth when wanting to match my shock spring (went for Vermillion orange).