Advice please - respraying my frame

[barry2017]

who are they?

Eddisons is a shop in Chesterfield that makes bespoke frames. The owner used to be one of the Raleigh Special products division framebuilders.
His frames are easily a match for anything Mercian can make (he's one of the few framebuilders in this country that can make frames in Reynolds 953), and he's a really good bloke. A proper, old fashioned bike shop.
His dad was called Eddie, hence the name.
Never advertises, as he doesn't need to, but his phone number is 01246 812 878

 

[orange71]

cheers - found their rather sparse website Though, as you say, no need to advertise.

http://www.edisoncycles.co.uk/

 

[barry2017]

He's a really nice, obviously very knowledgeable bloke, and not a trace of snobbery in him like you get with a lot of framebuilders. Well worth a visit, especially if you're not far away.

 

[Andy R]

I take it from the above that the paranoia you sometimes hear about powder coating being bad for steel frames, because of the oven bit, is misplaced? I did notice at one of the main UK powedercoaters they say they can coat ally frames and "mild steel" - but is chromolly really mild steel??? http://www.windridge.co.uk/content.php/410

This is the bit that I'm not keen on -

"Mild Steel cycle frame
The bicycle will be placed in our controlled pyrolysis oven where it will be heated to more than 400 degrees Celsius. This will burn the grease and old paint turning it to ash. Work hardening causes many bike frames to suffer stress cracks and fatigue fractures. This uniform heating is distributed evenly to prevent distortion and will help to relax the bike frame prolonging its’ life".

I have silver soldered hose guides and caliper mount on one of my frames and the alloy that I used for these flows at 460 degrees Celsius....
Anyway, I don't think that I'll be sending a valuable (to me at least) steel frame to be heated to over 400 degrees just to remove the paint !!

The 200 degrees for the powder coating process is, I would think, perfectly ok.

 

[Anthony]

If you have a local powder coater, why don't you ask them to put your frame in their oven after each coat? It won't cost them anything as they'd be running the oven anyway. A few cans of a decent beverage ought to cover it, I'd have thought.

 

[Anthony]

Another thought, and apologies if this is complete rubbish, but when you take your car to be resprayed, they don't put the entire car in a 200 deg oven, but they do dry the paint in a heated area. I don't know what kind of temperature they use because I'm completely ignorant and babbling, but I wonder if a car painter would let you use their heated area?

 

[Grannygrinder]

.

All the paints i've used from a can recommend baking at approx 60 degrees. I use a hot air paint stripper between coats. I'm not saying the paints ends up 'bullet proof' but its fairly durable. Also patients makes a big difference. Let the coats fully dry for a good hour before applying more paint. Fortunately we have a spray booth and oven in work now so its not a problem anymore, i'd offer to paint your frame but I don't have a very understanding boss since the recession started :?

 

[Andy R]

Re Windridge Coatings - an apology.

In this earlier posting I expressed concern about having a steel frame heated to over 400 degreees Celsius in order to remove existing paint, in part owing to the fact that the silver alloy that I used for brazing some of the hose guides etc. melts at around 460 Celsius.
This statement was wrong and in fact the melting point is actually 590 degrees Celsius.

So, I unreservedly apologise to Windridge Coatings for any inference that might have been drawn from my statement - I was wrong in this instance and that's all there is to it...
From a communication with Dale Windridge it seems that they don't now use the heating to 400C method for stripping steel frames anyway, and use chemical stripping instead.

I take it from the above that the paranoia you sometimes hear about powder coating being bad for steel frames, because of the oven bit, is misplaced? I did notice at one of the main UK powedercoaters they say they can coat ally frames and "mild steel" - but is chromolly really mild steel??? http://www.windridge.co.uk/content.php/410

This is the bit that I'm not keen on -

"Mild Steel cycle frame
The bicycle will be placed in our controlled pyrolysis oven where it will be heated to more than 400 degrees Celsius. This will burn the grease and old paint turning it to ash. Work hardening causes many bike frames to suffer stress cracks and fatigue fractures. This uniform heating is distributed evenly to prevent distortion and will help to relax the bike frame prolonging its’ life".

I have silver soldered hose guides and caliper mount on one of my frames and the alloy that I used for these flows at 460 degrees Celsius....
Anyway, I don't think that I'll be sending a valuable (to me at least) steel frame to be heated to over 400 degrees just to remove the paint !!

The 200 degrees for the powder coating process is, I would think, perfectly ok.

 

[Windridge Coatings]

Thank you Andy for kindly taking the time to update the forum.

All be it late in the day I would also like to respond to:
PurpleFrog Is chromolly really mild steel???
Wikipedia has a informative page on this alloy that will hopefully be helpful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/41xx_steel

The webpage was updated in June 2009 showing we now chemically paint strip frames because it enables us to give a faster turnaround.

It is our intention to be the best-known company for powder coating bike frames. Our processes will continue to improve as new materials and techniques become available. We do appreciate your feedback both good and bad and as a result we will shortly be cleaning the bottom sprocket threads after painting.

 

[WD Pro]

I normally comment on these kind of threads but somehow I must have missed this one

Just to add that Windridge did my Marin frame and I am very pleased with the service and finished quality of the frame I have posted pictures up on other threads and my build thread so I am not going to clutter this thread up with them to

Just to add that I am not on commission from Windridge etc Just that I seem to find a lot our companies now seem to take your money and give you a crap service so when you get a quality job it's worth passing the info on

WD