Powder coating?

[FATKiwi]

Anybody ever powder coated their frame, is it a worthwhile exercise or is it worth putting the effort and painting it for real? Whats the go as I dont really fully understand the process fully.

Cheers
Chris

[Zook]

Power Coating involves coating the frame with a powdered pigment particles with a special
gun and then baking the frame in a oven to melt and set the powder.

I had an older steel frame coated a few years ago and it really is pretty awesome. there are Pros and Cons. some are as follows:

Powder Coating - Pros:

Cheaper then Wet Paint Typically
More Durable then wet paint. I mean you can hit the stuff with a hammer and it still looks decent.
Easier to find a decent powder coater then it imight be to find a painter who wants to do a bike frame.


Powder Coating - Cons:

Powder coating has gotten much better in the past few years so some of these are not as applicable. it also depends on the exprience and technique of the applicator.

Powder thickness is sometimes thicker then wet paint and it will hide the "details" crisp lugwork, nice welds etc.
Not sure if decals can go under the clear or not becuase of the oven bake procedure
May find a limited color options, pearls coats etc.
Difficult to strip the powder of the frame if you want to change the color
Powder can hide rust inside tubes until it is way to way to late!

[DaveH]

Originally Posted by FATKiwi

Anybody ever powder coated their frame, is it a worthwhile exercise or is it worth putting the effort and painting it for real? Whats the go as I dont really fully understand the process fully.

Cheers
Chris

Dude if your gona powder coat your frame make sure who ever dose it has done a bike frame before. I have taken motorcycle parts into shops that just do coating in general and they end up putting it on so thick thats it useless and had to be redone. If its done right it will come out smooth as glass, if its done to thick it comes out like an orange peel. A thin coat is all thats needed. Having had a bunch of stuff coated the best results I have seen is a thin color coat and then a clear for protection. Thats how i had my last Salsa stem done.

On a side note this is the most awesome powder coating I have ever seen.

http://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/