Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on April 12, 2009 at 6:28pm

That's bike porntastic. What do would you do about my headbadge and graphics? I also want British racing green.

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Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on April 12, 2009 at 7:38pm

Nice work...your link is dead though...relink it. The work on the site is very nice. I like the fabrication stuff too.

Cheers - Lee

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Permalink Reply by justJason on April 13, 2009 at 1:57am

http://uvmetalarts.com/powder-coating/powder-coating.html

Beautiful work! I have an old B'stone that desperately needs a repaint. Can you match colors and mask off the decals?

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Permalink Reply by UV Metal Arts - Powder Coating on April 13, 2009 at 2:15am

Decals must be new and Hi-temp for powder coating, if it's t be applied under a clear coat. If applied over the powder coat any decal can be used. Metal badges must be removed then coated.
Thanks for the compliments.

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Permalink Reply by root on April 13, 2009 at 6:29am

how strong is powder coat in the grand scheme of possible frame coatings?

i had mine done a year ago (Surface Tech on Elston) but i've beat the heck out of the bike and now there are a bunch of issues. the paint itself is chipping away around the headset on both top and bottom, and the seatpost collar is the same. i'm afraid larger chips are going to start peeling away soon.

further, when you see it closely under light, you can can make out these faint shattered-glass looking lines that appear to be part of the bottom or middle of the coat, as the surface itself feels smooth to the touch. it's almost like a crackled effect, but the powder certainly didn't look that way a year ago..

on your website you claim:

The final effect is identical to the look of paint, but ten times stronger than its solvent-based cousins.

is powder really that strong? i have seen people use auto or airplane paint or MKE's gun-kote offering and wondered how these would compare.

i like the idea of another powder coat because the colors are so customizable, but strength is kind of a big issue for me as i do tricks and the frame ends up getting dropped a lot.

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Permalink Reply by UV Metal Arts - Powder Coating on April 13, 2009 at 5:30pm

Hi Root, sorry to hear about your problems.
About the cracking and chipping, this sounds like the powder was under cured. I have also seen powder cracking at the head tube and bottom bracket when the headset or bottom bracket was installed without facing.
Also, was there a phosphate solution applied to it prior to the coating? This step is often skipped to save money. The Phosphate changes the substrate for better powder adhesion and is a rust inhibiter.
Just sandblasting and coating is how it was done normally back in the day. This is also how powder coating got such a bad reputation. (think old Cannondales, remember how they had a very hard surface, but if you chipped it it would start to bubble and spread like cancer underneath) It' has come a long way.

That said, powder coating will chip at the edges if it is hit hard enough. Also, powder like paint will scratch from abrasive action, but will hold up longer. Powder coating on tubing hit hard enough to dent usually will just flex with the tubing. This is where the powder coat really out performs paint.

You can also sand, rub, polish and wax powder coat to a very nice shine.



root said:

how strong is powder coat in the grand scheme of possible frame coatings?

i had mine done a year ago (Surface Tech on Elston) but i've beat the heck out of the bike and now there are a bunch of issues. the paint itself is chipping away around the headset on both top and bottom, and the seatpost collar is the same. i'm afraid larger chips are going to start peeling away soon.

further, when you see it closely under light, you can can make out these faint shattered-glass looking lines that appear to be part of the bottom or middle of the coat, as the surface itself feels smooth to the touch. it's almost like a crackled effect, but the powder certainly didn't look that way a year ago..

on your website you claim:

The final effect is identical to the look of paint, but ten times stronger than its solvent-based cousins.

is powder really that strong? i have seen people use auto or airplane paint or MKE's gun-kote offering and wondered how these would compare.

i like the idea of another powder coat because the colors are so customizable, but strength is kind of a big issue for me as i do tricks and the frame ends up getting dropped a lot.

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Permalink Reply by root on April 14, 2009 at 3:16am

thanks for the answers, that helps my understanding a lot. they guy who did my frame didn't do a fantastic job in the first place, so I'm going to assume the issues you pointed out probably do apply to me, at least in part.

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