Paint or Powder coat for Vintage Frames?

[TrekMad]

I've got a nice Holdsworth Monsoon I'm going to restore over the winter, keeps me in the shed out of earshot of the family! I've looked at local powder coaters and though some of the finishes are maybe good looking initially I'm wondering how they wear, react to weather and sunlight? They are quite expensive our way, about £60-90. Also I've seen how fancy lugs can get lost in the heavier paint deposits. I've also heard apocyrphal stories that the electrical current going through the frames can weaken silver soldered joints, which mine is.

I can get a good wet paint finish for £120, single colour. But I've seen two Bob Jackson finishes recently and I've been less than impressed. One of them chipped on the top tube on its first ride when a pannier clip caught it. Not good.

Another option is a local track car paint finisher who.can do me a 2K polyurethane finish for about £105, with a very tough, abrasion resistant clear coat. He showed me just how tough it was by letting me take a Snap On 19mm tool to a sample bonnet, not a mark on it...

Paint is a serious business

[TrekMad]

http://www.stardustcolors.co.uk/2k-pain ... antee.html

[pwa]

I've had less than impressive results from both traditional stove enamelling and powder coating, so I will be looking at a 2-pack option next time. The first job of any "paint" is to stay on the frame. It does not matter how good it looks if it fails to do that.

I believe Argos offer a 2-pack epoxy paint. I haven't seen a frame done that way, though.

[greyingbeard]

the best stuff is isocyanate 2-pack, with a full process of etch primer - primer - flatting - colour(s) - laquer - flatting - polishing
Epoxy 2-pack is good but not the same, popular for diy on boats
powder coat is tough, some of them look good allegedly, very cheap, but you wont get a top quality finish
for authentic vintage its hand painting, hand lining, stickers and varnish
you pays your money etc

[borisface]

I had an old 531db frameset powdercoated by a local paintshop a couple of years ago for my OH. I can't remember exactly the cost but was in the region of £100, this included shot blasting. The finish is really good like armour and seems to be very chip resistant. The colour does look a little dead or knocked back in certain lights - its a kind of turquoise. However, the main issue was that the coating is fairly thick and so when I came to put the wheels into the dropouts the axles wouldn't fit as the paint was so thick that the diameter of the dropouts was reduced. This was on the front fork and rear drop outs. The first thing I had to do was get a file out to reduce the thickness of the coating so the axles would fit. It might be worth mentioning that the powder needs to be applied more thinly on the dropouts.

[simonineaston]

In my experience, powder coating always looks like powder coating somehow, so if you want the look to be sympathetic with its age, I'd choose paint...

[PH]

In my experience, powder coating always looks like powder coating somehow, so if you want the look to be sympathetic with its age, I'd choose paint...

Have you seen anything done by Armortex? Their high gloss looks as paint like as I've seen.

[PH]

I've got a nice Holdsworth Monsoon I'm going to restore over the winter,

Restore to show it off, or to ride it?
If the former, I'd get it painted in the original colours with the correct decals. If it's to ride, I'd get it powder coated in a colour of my choice, though the two pack option looks interesting.

[robgul]

I've had about 15 frames powder-coated over the years - initially just one coat which was fine but did dull down a bit, although wax polishing worked and protected - my man now does a base colour cost, fairly thin, and then a clear powder coat lacquer - excellent result and long-lasting.

I was paying about £35 (cash!) for a blast and coat with colour and lacquer about 18 months ago - that's with me prepping all the threads with bolts and old BB cups - he masked the tube openings. Slight downside is having to scrape the powder coat off the fork crown race area (masking is a bit tricky) The purist will also face the BB and head-tube ends BUT fitting the headset with a proper press works fine to get the cups square enough and the coated BB face works fine with cartridge BBs (I have old(er) style square drive BBs)

Rob