How much paint?

[Stiff_Orange]

Re: Re:

Whilst you're bike looks great, you've missed what I said in the first sentence.

I've got a project frame coming and I'm going to spray it myself, using spray cans, yes I know I'll get people saying use so and so paint shop, but I want to give it try.

Personaly I've never liked powder coating, all high end bike builders use wet spray because it adhers to the frame better and doesn't get brittle over time. I recently had my Orange sprayed by Enigma bikes, not cheap but the effect is incredible and will last a lot better than powdercoat.

Here is a good piece from DeKerf who know a thing a thing about good looking bikes:-

Why does Dekerf choose the 'Wet Coat' process instead of 'Powder Coating'?
This is one of the most common questions we are asked about paint. Many of the larger manufactures choose to powder coat their frames instead of wet coating. The main reason for this is cost. Powder coating is cheaper to do and requires less skill to apply. Powder coating is also very chip resistant because it is very flexible. There are also many disadvantages to powder coatings. Firstly, powder coated frames do not have any primer applied. This is important to have because modern epoxy primers not only adhere extremely well to the bare frame, but they also have built-in corrosion inhibitors which will protect your frame in the long term from rust. Because there is no primer under a powder coat, if you chip or scratch through the powder, your frame will begin to corrode under the coating. This corrosion eats into the metal and destroys the frame over time. Secondly, although powder coating is very flexible at first, over time (2 to 3 years) the coating becomes less and less flexible and will begin to loose it chip resistance. For people who are interested in a longer lasting finish, wet coating offer superior durability in the long run. Lastly, powder coating is not well suited for bright vibrant colours or custom work. The powder coating process is primarily used for industrial type finishes like lawn furniture.

[/quote][/quote]

 

[enc]

Ill add, simply the fact you will have done the work yourself rather tahn just payed someone else... anyone (assuming you have the spare cash ) can ship a frame off to xyz painters and buy a shit load of NOS parts ... but when you do the work yourself the build takes on a whole new perspective

 

[Stiff_Orange]

Ill add, simply the fact you will have done the work yourself rather tahn just payed someone else... anyone (assuming you have the spare cash ) can ship a frame off to xyz painters and buy a shit load of NOS parts ... but when you do the work yourself the build takes on a whole new perspective

There a lot of truth in that. I bought a very original GT Avalanche (see thread in sig) on Ebay, but until I had stripped the bike down, cleaned all the components, touched up the frame and reassembled it, it didn't feel like my bike.

 

[Mike Muz]

Re:

I can't imagine wet paint lasting longer or being more durable TBH.
The reason why a lot of us get our mtb frames p.c.ed is for it's durability.

Having said that, doing a paint job yourself is so much more satisfying. So good luck!

enc is doing a cracking job -no pun intended - on his Kona build, if you want to take a look at that.

Mike

 

[integerspin]

Re: Re:

Here is a good piece from DeKerf who know a thing a thing about good looking bikes:-

But doesn't know a lot about powder coating;-)


Some Marin forks epoxy POWDER primed. But they will be sprayed.


As to how long powder lasts, well the factory have been powder coating Harley tanks and guards since 1999.

 

[WD Pro]

Re: Re:

But doesn't know a lot about powder coating

I got the same impression but was wondering how to word it without causing a shit storm ...

There are specific tests to establish the adhesion of coatings on samples that have been penetrated or compromised. Coatings are used in some very harsh environments where cost is of low consideration, if wet paint was better they would not be using powder ... !

I do think that comparing the best to the best, wet paint wins for asthetics but there are some very shit painters and coaters. A good coater will be capable of producing a very good finish so don't think that all powder coat is like your local school railings, garden furniture or wire shelfs in your retro fridge ...

With regards ageing / brittleness - mums custom painted orange (stove enamaled approx 20'years ago) is full of tiny cracks / fractures in the finish which now cause it to chip very easily - it was a very nice quality custom finish that was very tough when it we first applied (I first built it) :-(

WD

 

[integerspin]

Re: Re:

But doesn't know a lot about powder coating

I got the same impression but was wondering how to word it without causing a shit storm ...

Could be he knows about powder coating, but the bloke who wrote what was said didn't have a clue.

 

[Stiff_Orange]

If you like your Powder coated finished, that's great. I'm not arguing, but I just think a good quality wet paint has more depth and allows for much more variation and the overall finish will be better.

As for durabilty, if you look out you window you'll see lots of steel (and some aluminium) cars all with wet coats. They live outside in the rain, sun, snow. Having to deal with acorn, conquers bird shit, shopping trollys, push karts/prams, stones, grit, and other detritus, hitting them at much higher speeds than a bike could achieve, and most of them get a quick wipe down with a sponge every couple of weeks, unless you live in knightsbridge a lot will be 10 year or older.

 

[Gaddmeister]

Re:

Ok, I had my frame powder coated for £30 as it involved a sandblast and looked great when I collected it! Bargain! I was concerned about my magnesium legs being powder coated, so I stripped them and painted them myself. Looked beautiful and smooth, using engine paint for durability. I am finding the frame withstands chips but only have to sneeze on the forks and they chip! If powder coating only lasts 3 years, what's £10 a year?