Who needs powdercoating done?

[Escobarclan]

Hi again guys. I'm writing this to see what kind of demand there may be for powdercoating. It seems that every other customer who calls me asks if I powdercoat as well. I think that we (Escobar Polishing Co.) could benefit with more orders if I provided polishing AND powdercoating services. So I'm seriously considering expansion from polishing to powdercoating as well. Full bike frame treatment capability too.

You GS guys are my 'vibe' indicators, you're the down to earth old dogs that keep me in check with the world of motorcycle restoration needs, keeping it real. I can honestly say, no other forum I've been to is like this one.

So, how many of you need powdercoating, assuming I'm cheaper than anyone? (and our prices WILL be lower than the rest just like our polishing.)

When and if we start, which may be within a week or two, I'll announce it here in 'appearance mods', the first 3 orders from this forum will be FREE.

[jed.only]

everybody wants powdercoating. but, i've called around my town asking prices, and they are all WAY expensive. its powder, and an oven. even the labor isnt that hard or time consuming, a blind guy could do it, seriously.


offer it at a good price, and the business will come. i about fell over at the price of having a frame powdercoated, so i ive snaded it down and am painting it myself. id love everything to be powdercoated for its durability over its looks.

[Escobarclan]

Thank you. Yes it seems pretty simple. How much was your quote?

[jed.only]

80 a wheel for 17" from my GTO. that's retarded. id say 100-120 would be sufficient, for the set of 4.

[steve murdoch]

I recently paid $150.00 for gloss black for 2 GSXR rims. That included the sand/media blasting to remove the stock finish.
I think the cost of shipping on frames and rims would make it difficult to compete cost wise.

[Escobarclan]

Wow, that's crazy. That's what I'm talking about guys. Alot of companies have a serious overhead tab. We don't. Everything we have is paid off. Our biggest expense is payroll, and the power bill.

That's why I'm seriously thinking of expanding. We have the room, and I have guys that have powdercoated at professional shops before.

About shipping, yeah it's expensive. I'm going to set my prices to where the service cost AND shipping is cheaper than a competitor's service alone. We've done it with our polishing service, and we can definately do it with powdercoating as well.

My competitors hate it, but screw em'. This sounds crude of me, but my business is growing, theirs is not. My father taught me this, it took me a while to realize it but once again the old cronie is right.

[jed.only]

powdercoating could be such a good business. the cost of goods is dirt cheap, and labor shouldnt be too bad. i have no idea why companies price themselves out of the hands of the everyday enthusiast. seriously, id have everything i could powdercoated. i hate chrome, i hate polished aluminum, and if i can powdercoat it and it still work the same, i would do it. headers, carbs, triples, bars, frames, wheels, tanks, calipers, etc etc it goes on and on.

offer it at an offordable price for us everyday joe's, and business will come. dont price out to larger retail companies. your business could be a revolving door if you kept the price down. its not like you need to be a pro to powdercoat, the item is charged for pete's sake. spray, bake, clean.

[Tarbash 27]

I just recently had some powdercoating done at a fair price. They did all the final sand blasting after I had most of the paint stripped except for the frame. It took them 1 week. All satin black

Frame
swingarm
both wheels
sprocket carrier
fork legs
triple clamps
$400 cash.

[makenzie71]

Anyone who thinks powdercoating is easy is mistaken. No, it's not the hardest thing to do, but if you want it done right it does require several hours of hard work.

My local joint will powdercoat a frame for $165. Think about it...that's about $5.00 for powder and about $3 worth of electricity to run the oven for my bike. Then there's about 4~5 hours of prep and work. That comes under $40/hr...which is $5 more per hour than I charge to take carburetors off dirtbikes and tell people they're broken.

[Escobarclan]

If I said it was easy above, then I apologize. What I want to share is that it can be done with minimal ease, compared to the materials and labor COST. This is also due to already having the booths and media to strip and blast as well.

Considering my facilities, and a very low overhead, I think this is a service I can provide while charging well below the normal cost to customers.

[jed.only]

powdercoating is easy. i never said a thing about prep. i had my wheels mediablasted to bare aluminum, and was quoted 320 to do all 4. that is unreal. if a guy cant blast/clean his own stuff, then yes, he should pay to have it done before coating. but really, how hard is it to bead blast a part prior to dropping powder? it still isnt worth what these shops are charging.

[jwhelan65]

Pc

Im in on the powder coating, was quoted $200 for my Gs 1100 frame...not sure if Im gonna do it.
Recently had both swingarms on the 700 and the 1100 done and the wheels on the 1100.. Charlie, I think a reasonably priced powder coater would make a killing on here!

[makenzie71]

If they're charging that much for just coating...NOT the prep work...then yeah, that's way over the top. Like I said, doing my frame was quoted at $160...that's doing all the stripping/blasting/prep/finish work.

Oh and I hate all you people with your Ohlins shocks....

[renobruce]

what are you using for an oven?

[Escobarclan]

Joe, no more pics please. Obviously you have some sick toys. I'm beginning to suffer from moto-penile envy. Yes, it's a true medical condition common among those who post pics.

I just got an e-mail from a friend/competitor in Calif. He took a pic of his oven, can't get it on here for some reason. It's the neatest thing, he just welded 3 4x8ft panels together with a roof, welded some hinges on and a panel door. On two sides were 2 regular kitchen ovens welded to the outside of the booth, with the panel openings cut to heat inside. It's his $200 treating booth, unbeleivable. This was going to be my biggest expense, not anymore!

I can say, when I get this started (I'm reasonably sure now), that you guys aren't going to be corralled into steep prices. Just like our polishing, we're going to be outdoing the comp.