powder coating

[Secret Sam]

In the latest CTC mag (which I've lost...durrhhh) there was a review of a powder coater's firm in London - can anyone give me the name again, as I may use them for my old 531 if it's not too far gone (surface rust getting serious so needs some TLC)

[AndyB]

From Cycle:

Armourtex, Hackney

0208 986 2028

I've edited in the new website URL - Graham : 13/09/09

[Mick F]

I picked up Yellow Pages to look for a sand-blaster to clean off the paint from a mixte frame we had.
The chap suggested he could powder-coat the frame too, so I asked him the price for the whole job - blast and coat.
£35 the lot.
Bright red.
I took the bare frame down to him, and picked it up a few days later.

Here's the finished article:

[rootes]

From Cycle:
Armourtex, Hackney

0208 986 2028

I've edited in the new website URL - Graham : 13/09/09

i have used them - very good

[lauriematt]

I picked up Yellow Pages to look for a sand-blaster to clean off the paint from a mixte frame we had.
The chap suggested he could powder-coat the frame too, so I asked him the price for the whole job - blast and coat.
£35 the lot.
Bright red.
I took the bare frame down to him, and picked it up a few days later.

Here's the finished article:

Barbarella 4.jpg

nice job! im soon to have a go at respraying mine using the aerosol can spray paints!...red too

[Mick F]

That was my plan, to do a diy job, until I found out how hard it was to get the old paint off!!!

I tried Nitromors, emery, a drill with flap-wheel, caustic soda, a sharp blade ............
I tried a long list of ideas, but nothing was easy - in fact it was too hard!

That's why I picked up Yellow Pages and searched for a local sand-blaster. I figured that if someone else could get the frame down to bare metal, I could do the rest, but for £35 all in, I couldn't refuse. After all, the paint alone would have cost more than a tenner by the time I'd used rust-eater, primer and a couple or three of top coats.

[djnotts]

"im soon to have a go at respraying mine using the aerosol can spray paints!...red too"

IF there is a powder-coater local to you then DIY really isn't a good option! I reckon at least 4 rattle cans of top coat plus primer (and lacquer if you can be bothered) will cost 30-40 quid and will not give anything like as durable a finish. Exception is that if you are OK with black, then Pound Shops often have it at,,,,yes a quid a can! At that price bang on a tenners worth and if reasonably patient can get quite decent results.

[san0]

Looks great in red, did all the bits fit back into the frame or did you have to sand down the insides of the tubes for the headset/ bb/ seat post etc to fit?
Will powder coating get rid of small dents in the Aluminum tubes?

[Mick F]

Good questions.

Barbarella was stripped down completely. The headset was removed and also the BB cups, fitting old ones. I covered the top of the forks with masking tape to protect the steerer threads.

When I picked up the frame and forks, they were hot and the finish was 'soft'. I was warned to treat it gently for some hours, and I carried it back in the boot of the car.

On assembly, I had to peel off the masking tape from the steerer and clean off the fitting to allow the headset ring to fit properly. I took out the old BB cups, cleaned them off, and screwed them in and out to make sure the threads were ok before fitting the new BB.

The dropouts were fine and I didn't bother thinking about the seat tube at all. I can't remember what I did about it but I had no problem, perhaps I just scraped out the excess coating like I did with the headset ring area. I dunno!

Whatever happened, it was FAR better and easier than stripping and spraying DIY.

Alu dents?
Got no idea, but as the finish is thick and even, perhaps it will.

[Mick F]

I've been trying to remember the name of the forum member who had a black bike, and he explained how he painted it and the paint he used. The finish was brilliant, all done by hand with a good quality paint, being rubbed down between coats. It took him ages.

Or am I mixing him up with someone else.
(Getting confused - getting old!)
Sadly, I can't remember who, when or where. But it was good! Perhaps a couple of years ago.

Anyone remember?

I can't use the search facility unless I know at least one fact!

[RJC]

I had a frame powder coated >5 years ago and it is still going strong.
I have noticed that the coating isn't as thick on sharp corners so it might be worth rounding these off a bit
with a small file where possible.

[saudidave]

When respraying bike frames it seems to be a common misconception that you have to take all the paint off, back to bare metal, but it isn't necessary. All you have to do is scrape the rust off and then fill any indentations with paint stopper. Give it a rub down with wet and dry and apply the new paint. It's a doddle. If you are painting the frame in the same colour it has the advantage that if the new paint gets chipped there is the original underneath and it is less likely to show

Have a look at the recent restoration I recently did at http://www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/saudi ... axyrebuild

The top tube and rear stays have been resprayed and the rest of the frame T cut. I left all the old paint on. The transformation of the scraped rear stay sums it up.

[san0]

As a commuter, I wanted something bright, so I chose Yellow-Green - RAL code 6018.
After much research, I found it cheaper to do locally (Berkshire) with http://www.unimetenamellers.co.uk

Here's what the green is like - some call it Kawasaki green, I call it Hulk green
http://picasaweb.google.com/sandesigns/ ... 1260181154

[belgiangoth]

The chap suggested he could powder-coat the frame too, so I asked him the price for the whole job - blast and coat.
£35 the lot.

There a re quite a few non-bike specific powdercoaters out there who offer really low prices. Often they don't cover the threads/badges and only do one colour. Is that worth the extra £1-200? probably not but it's worth bearing in mind.

[hugo67]

Mick! That bike of yours is stunning! Now if you lived in Liverpool, LUFC fans would love it (though Everton might not)! I wonder what a Red and White stripped one would attract? Maybe a Barber or a Sunderland Fan! Hugo67