The Chainlink

Powder Coating

I have a bike I want to get stripped and blasted. Any opinions on who to go to?

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on February 19, 2010 at 9:20am
Paint, for a variety of reasons but I'm not going to pollute a thread about the quality of UVs service with that particular rant.

UV is as good as it gets in that arena and the price is very reasonable for the level of service.

Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:
notoriousDUG what do you prefer?

notoriousDUG said:
UV.

I personally hate powder coating but I can not deny he is by far the highest quality job you can get on a bicycle.
Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on February 19, 2010 at 9:53am
Well this isn't a thread about the quality of UV though it certainly has become that. I know UV is the shit but I am interested in getting the highest quality work for as little monies. You know most bang for your buck. That is why I am thinking I about going with regular auto paint from Chester Cycles (http://www.chestercycles.com/) who I have heard is rather cheap for the quality work he does. Has anyone on Chainlink used him?

I work with a girl who had him do the “inkberry” windsor (http://bit.ly/ay5EH9) and have met Haily who owns the super 80’s fuji track bike (http://bit.ly/bt4u2a). They both really go on and on about his work and how much time he invests in getting every detail perfect. I have emailed him asking him for a price comparison against UV.
Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on February 19, 2010 at 9:58am
Well anyway notorious,

Since I am totally not interested in just buying into hype - please explain to me why Paint is your favorite for the various reasons. I am really quite curious because I have heard from just about everyone else the PC is the way to go.

notoriousDUG said:
Paint, for a variety of reasons but I'm not going to pollute a thread about the quality of UVs service with that particular rant.

UV is as good as it gets in that arena and the price is very reasonable for the level of service.

Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:
notoriousDUG what do you prefer?

notoriousDUG said:
UV.

I personally hate powder coating but I can not deny he is by far the highest quality job you can get on a bicycle.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on February 19, 2010 at 10:00am
Michael Catano from Humble Frame Works showed some frames the Bike Expo that were painted by Chestercycles. Those paint jobs looked marvelous!

You may want to PM Michael for more info

Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:
Well this isn't a thread about the quality of UV though it certainly has become that. I know UV is the shit but I am interested in getting the highest quality work for as little monies. You know most bang for your buck. That is why I am thinking I about going with Chester Cycles (http://www.chestercycles.com/) who I have heard is rather cheap for the quality work he does. Has anyone on Chainlink used him?

I work with a girl who had him do the “inkberry” windsor (http://bit.ly/ay5EH9) and have met Haily who owns the super 80’s fuji track bike (http://bit.ly/bt4u2a). They both really go on and on about his work and how much time he invests in getting every detail perfect. I have emailed him asking him for a price comparison against UV.
Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on February 19, 2010 at 10:10am
So why is powder coating so much better than auto paint? Is it really worth all the hype?
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on February 19, 2010 at 12:07pm
Obviously if your bike is equipped with an auto-paint system you will want to go with that rather than go to all the trouble and expense of powder coating. Just make sure you keep the paint tank(s) reasonably full, and that you're not riding it when the spraying starts.

Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:
So why is powder coating so much better than auto paint? Is it really worth all the hype?
Permalink Reply by Primitive Don on February 19, 2010 at 12:28pm
It is more durable, plain and simple.

Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:
So why is powder coating so much better than auto paint? Is it really worth all the hype?

As for UV, $200 may seem like a lot, but his price is for a full service powdercoat job including the reaming and facing, and removal and installation of the headset and bottom bracket. Also consider that UV is an experienced bike mechanic, so he will have more experience specifically dealing with bikes. </> Mind control off.
Permalink Reply by Michael Perz on February 19, 2010 at 12:59pm
One isn't better than the other, just different. Powder coating is far more durable than any paint, even than the best two part enamels on the market, but it has a kitchen appliance kind of aesthetic quality to it. That is to say that it offers very little depth or translucence in comparison to a good quality paint job. Also, it is limited to a single color because of the process in which it's applied, so color combinations or fades are not possible. It all depends on what you're after. If you will be racking up mileage and wear and tear on a daily commuter and aren't concerned so much with appearance (not that it will look bad, just not great), then powder coating is the way to go.

Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:
So why is powder coating so much better than auto paint? Is it really worth all the hype?
Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on February 19, 2010 at 1:23pm
H3N3 said:
Obviously if your bike is equipped with an auto-paint system you will want to go with that rather than go to all the trouble and expense of powder coating. Just make sure you keep the paint tank(s) reasonably full, and that you're not riding it when the spraying starts.

LOL! For the win!

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on February 19, 2010 at 1:57pm
OK, here is my opinion on this matter; and please keep in mind this is not a 'paint is better' statement just the reasons for my preference.

Right, so to really get the whole thing you really have to know exactly what both of the process are and, as usual, things are not as simple as they appear on the surface so first we do some education....

Paint is a great coating, with a clean surface and proper prep work paint bonds to the base material and is only going to be separated chemically or with great effort. Each new layer will, if properly applied, bond to the one under it and, if the proper coatings are used, mixed and applied properly and allowed to cure properly, in the end provide a strong finish. Touch up is simple if you reserve some of your original supply of paint.

Powder coat is a great coating as well. Intended for industrial use it provides one of the hardest and most durable finishes possible. When it is applied the frame is charged electrically and a powder is sprayed at it and then baked on in a large oven creating a shell of pretty color, like an M&M! Touch up is more complex and often does not work as well even with paint mixed to match the color.

In my opinion powder coat has a couple of downfalls that make me shy away from it on anything I do...

1. It creates a shell more then it bonds. This means when it chips if the chip is not touched up stuff can get under the edges and make more flake and start corrosion.

2. It seems like every powder coated bike I see the owner makes the statement about how 'The finish is really great except...' Because it is applied and then baked to a liquid the person doing it is not able to control the coating as well and is also not able to try and fix defects as they occur because they can not be in the oven. Powder coating is easy, powder coating well is an art and most places are not artists.

3. It's hard to touch up because it is not paint.

4. Because of it's thickness waxing over scratches does not always seal the edges and because it is often not bonded to the base material as well as paint stuff gets in there.
Permalink Reply by JKH on February 19, 2010 at 5:48pm
It is possible to do multi colors and fades with powder coat, www.spectrumpowderworks.com but you'll pay for it. I've had a Surly Cross Check with about 8,000 year round miles and it's held up great.
Aside from durability, the biggest advantage to powder coat is that it is far more environmentally friendly than paint. It uses no solvents and has close to zero waste. I talked to a mechanic who had toured the Surly powder coating plant and he told me that the waste from an entire years run of black was a two inch cube of compacted over spray.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 20, 2010 at 2:45pm
I got a 3-color job with fades done by Spectrum several years ago. The quality of their work was excellent. At the time, the only local place I could find that did good work on bikes had a very long waiting list. I'm glad we've got more local options now.

JKH said:
It is possible to do multi colors and fades with powder coat, www.spectrumpowderworks.com but you'll pay for it. I've had a Surly Cross Check with about 8,000 year round miles and it's held up great.
Aside from durability, the biggest advantage to powder coat is that it is far more environmentally friendly than paint. It uses no solvents and has close to zero waste. I talked to a mechanic who had toured the Surly powder coating plant and he told me that the waste from an entire years run of black was a two inch cube of compacted over spray.

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