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Powdercoating essentials help needed

8K views 45 replies 22 participants last post by  Walt 
#1 ·
Hey all,
Please excuse my ignorance on this subject but I'm new to powdercoating and want to start getting my frames coated by a shop nearby and don't know what to really ask for. I just moved to northern California, north of Sacramento by an hour - near Auburn, so if anybody has recommendations for someone that does good work near me, that would be awesome. But since that's an unlikely outcome of this post, I'm wondering if you that have gone through this before can share some words of wisdom.

What am I looking for in a good powdercoater?
Any watch-outs i should look out for?
What kind of media blasting, pre-coating treatment should I be asking for and expect?
Does everybody apply a clear after and if so what kind/type?
Other things I should expect from them? Masking off the frame? Clear over decals?

The few places I've found nearby have lots of photos of car parts and motorcycle parts, but only one or two pics of a bike frame that is coated in some gawdawful bright color. I'd like to take a sample frame to each one to get 'tested' but i don't really want to rack up the costs of that. Eventually, it'd be great to do this in house but that's not in the cards yet.

thanks for any help,
Whit
 
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#38 ·
Whit,

This question has been covered numerous times in the past, but the end result is the same...powder encapsulates the substrate but does allow moisture and corrosion to manifest between the layer. The amount of time it takes for this to propogate depends on the care, use, and local climate, but it will happen regardless of surface prep.

I tell my customers that want this finish to enjoy the visually raw fabrication while it lasts and when the spider rust becomes unappealing, send it back and we'll refinish the piece with a coating that protects the frame and looks killer.

Here is an extreme example to reference...

Groovy Cycleworks 330-988-0537: Raw finishes and a seasons worth of racing...

cheers,

rody
 
#39 ·
Thanks Rody!
A great blog post I hadn't seen before. I'm going to send that to me friend, the after effect photos say a ton.

Sorry for bringing this up again. I thought someone may have heard if REEB had a new way of doing it since they call it "black chrome" and not just a clearcoat. Sounds cooler...? :)

Seems like this and other forums tend to repeat the same questions indefinitely since you and the other longer-timers are teaching us noobs (whether that's a good thing or not is up to you, but thanks anyways).

Maybe this thread will become a FAQ of sorts for Powdercoating.

Cheers,
Whit
 
#40 ·
#44 ·
I've been applying a clear ceramic coating for several years by Cerakote. It's a thin film nano particle coating with superior surface protective properties over any other clear-coat. With proper prep prior to application there will be no future corrosion problems. If the coated surface is breached, let's say by a stone hit on a steel frame, oxidation/ rust would only form where the coating was missing but would not creep under the surrounding coating. And it can be had in sheen's, matte, satin, semi, and high gloss.
 
#46 ·
I think the bottom line is that if you think clear/raw is super cool, you just have to accept that it's going to look horrible in a year or two unless you live in the desert (and even then if you go for a ride an get caught in a storm). I think REEB's statement pretty much acknowledges that but hey, if it sells, some folks won't come back to bug you in 2 years.

If I was going to do the raw thing, I think I'd go for a wax rub or something over powdercoat. Clear powdercoat is just not useful for much in my experience.

-Walt
 
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