Commercial powdercoating

[Guest]

As I've mentioned, I'm interested in doing a Gs1000 project over the winter. I am thinking of doing a full frame off refurb and in this regard I was thinking I might try powder coating as opposed to painting for the frame and wheels. I've never used a powder coater and I have heard of some problems especially with threads being clogged.

Is it customary for the painter to plug threads or do they just shoot paint and expect the customer to deal with it after the fact?

Also is powdercoating more durable than paint and is it worth the extra cost?

Thoughts folks?

Cheers,
Spyug

[hampshirehog]

A good powder coater should plug the threads, etc but ask if in doubt.

For what it's worth, I wouldn't bother painting any frames of my own anymore - in my view powdercoating is a far superior finish (done properly) and, in the UK at least, there is no price difference between painting / powdercoating.

[pontiacstogo]

Modern powdercoating is excellent - seamless coverage that is extremely durable. Any powdercoater that knows their stuff will plug holes and tape up threads. I have a local guy that will strip and powdercoat a frame in the color of my choice for $200;

[srsupertrap]

Modern powdercoating is excellent - seamless coverage that is extremely durable. Any powdercoater that knows their stuff will plug holes and tape up threads. I have a local guy that will strip and powdercoat a frame in the color of my choice for $200;

Thanks for sharing the information pontiacstogo. BTW all of your projects are excellent, first class above approach.

[drhach]

Communication is key. The guy that did my frame did a lot of bikes, so he knew the drill. He was also someone who seemed to enjoy his work and took pride in it. We discussed plugging holes beforehand and he did what he said he would do. One thing that he added that I hadn't even considered was the are of the VIN. Powdercoating can sometimes obscure the numbers. He taped over them when he applied the color and then removed the tape when he applied the clear. The end result was a nicely visible VIN where I didn't have to worry about possibly having to scrape later to satisfy some authority. References help too.

[doctorgonzo]

As was noted, discuss beforehand whose job it is to plug all the holes. I got a complete bike frame done for $150.00, a real bargain.

[mighty13d]

FYI: if you're planning on making any modifications to the part in the near future, paint it. With paint you can just grab some rattle cans and it's all fixed right up. You can't do that with powdercoating. If your frame is going to stay the way it is but it's just in need of some sort of coating, powdercoat it all the way!