paint or powder coat?

- most powder coats obscure the details of a nicely lugged frame. The
reason why powder coats are cheap is because THEY ARE CHEAPLY DONE.
i.e. rather than 3-4 coats producing a rich candy color with deep
brilliance and wet sanding between each coat, you get one thick
thick coat of paint slapped on that is 3x-5x thicker than a normal
coat of paint, and then melted in an oven, with all the restrictions
and downsides associated with that type of compromise.

- a powder coat is forever. however, a bike frame can likely live
longer than you - up to 100 years - and the color you love this year
may not tickle your fancy (or may be horribly out of style) in 10,
20, 40 years, and it may be hated by the next owner (who might even
be your next-of-kin.)

- in my opinion, we are temporary caretakers of these bikes. people
who powder coat a bike that was originally painted in wet paints,
are selfishly stealing some rights from the next owner down the
line.

- Don Gillies
San Diego ,CA

Quoted message said:

The second option I've been considering is powder coating. With decals
and a clear coat, does the quality of finish look anything like a good
paint job?

I've done a "Krylon" and clearcoat home job, and had a frame powder
coated. The powder coat still looks great after 6-7 years; the Krylon
job is now a commuter -- one I do not have to lock up.

--

David L. Johnson

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach
a conclusion. -- George Bernard Shaw

I did used touch up paint years ago and came out ok. As far as an oven, I
live in TX and in the summer I suppose I could put it in the car trunk and
leave it at Six Flags for the day in the sun.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm contemplating painting a steel frame with automotive touch-up
paint (acid-etching primer, base coat, decals, and clear coat). Has
anyone ever painted with touch-up paint before? if so, is there
anyway to bake a frame at home (bike won't fit in the oven 🙂

The second option I've been considering is powder coating. With decals
and a clear coat, does the quality of finish look anything like a good
paint job?
Thanks

Quoted message said:

I'm contemplating painting a steel frame with automotive touch-up
paint (acid-etching primer, base coat, decals, and clear coat). Has
anyone ever painted with touch-up paint before?

Auto touch up paint is almost universally lacquer (regardless of what
they car is actually painted with). If you learn to understand
lacquer, it can be your friend. However, you would probably be better
off with the generic lacquers they sell at the auto parts store in the
largest cans. Unfortunately, the color selection is usually limited to
red, white, and black for the generics.

Lacquer is nice to work with because you can easily sand out each coat
before applying the next. You can even us rubbing compound if you like
and buff each, or every few, coats. If you start with a silver or gold
undercoat you can end up with a very deep finish.

Quoted message said:

if so, is there
anyway to bake a frame at home (bike won't fit in the oven 🙂

Baking is only for paints that are designed to be baked. Baking should
not be considered for other paints. Some auto paints (i.e.
professional refinishing) are designed to allow for drying/hardening
with heat or certain additives can be used to allow that. But, it
should not be done with off the shelf touch up paint.

Quoted message said:

The second option I've been considering is powder coating. With decals
and a clear coat, does the quality of finish look anything like a good
paint job?
Thanks

see other posts.

As to durability, my "home done" lacquer finishes lasted 20+ years
before I wanted to redo them. Not too bad.

Quoted message said:

I'm contemplating painting a steel frame with automotive touch-up
paint (acid-etching primer, base coat, decals, and clear coat). Has
anyone ever painted with touch-up paint before? if so, is there
anyway to bake a frame at home (bike won't fit in the oven 🙂

The second option I've been considering is powder coating. With decals
and a clear coat, does the quality of finish look anything like a good
paint job?
Thanks

Hello there.

I used Krylon spray can paints to paint an old Miele to give an
Italian flavour as I was putting all Campy stuff on it. Here is a link
to a photo of it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73832500@N00/199568357/

This was done a few years ago and the paint is holding up very well. I
had stripped the frame to bare metal and used TSP prior to applying
the primer. I took my time applying each very thin coat and clear
coats after decaling. I let the paint cure for a couple of weeks
before reassembling the bike. It has been ridden in al sorts of
weather including some winter rides where it was exposed to road salt
spray.

Cheers from Peter

"Donald Gillies" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

- a powder coat is forever.

I've had my 1977 steel frame bike recolored twice. Once repainted
in '82 and the paint lasted 8 years, which was acceptable. Then
in '90 I had it powdered coated which I still have today 17 years later
and it still shines.

Quoted message said:

- in my opinion, we are temporary caretakers of these bikes. people
who powder coat a bike that was originally painted in wet paints,
are selfishly stealing some rights from the next owner down the
line.
- Don Gillies
San Diego ,CA

Well if you're going to keep the frame I would go with powder coat.

Mine is just a single color orange with no decals, pretty bland.
The problem with riding a retro bike with no decals is, I get asked
a lot on who the builder is.
-tom

Quoted message said:

I'm contemplating painting a steel frame with automotive touch-up
paint (acid-etching primer, base coat, decals, and clear coat). Has
anyone ever painted with touch-up paint before? if so, is there
anyway to bake a frame at home (bike won't fit in the oven 🙂

The second option I've been considering is powder coating. With decals
and a clear coat, does the quality of finish look anything like a good
paint job?

Modern acrylic enamels are a four-part system which hardens to a nice
glossy solvent-resistant finish in a few hours with no baking and
without a second pass of clear. We are well beyond nitrocellulose,
Imron, Base/Clear and all that. New stuff is good! See a paint shop.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

(Donald Gillies) said:

- most powder coats obscure the details of a nicely lugged frame. The
reason why powder coats are cheap is because THEY ARE CHEAPLY DONE.
i.e. rather than 3-4 coats producing a rich candy color with deep
brilliance and wet sanding between each coat, you get one thick
thick coat of paint slapped on that is 3x-5x thicker than a normal
coat of paint, and then melted in an oven, with all the restrictions
and downsides associated with that type of compromise.

- a powder coat is forever. however, a bike frame can likely live
longer than you - up to 100 years - and the color you love this year
may not tickle your fancy (or may be horribly out of style) in 10,
20, 40 years, and it may be hated by the next owner (who might even
be your next-of-kin.)

- in my opinion, we are temporary caretakers of these bikes. people
who powder coat a bike that was originally painted in wet paints,
are selfishly stealing some rights from the next owner down the
line.

Geez.....these are bike frames, not the original of "David"!

.....and, AFAICT, a powdercoat *can* be removed.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ozark Bicycle said:

(Donald Gillies) said:

- most powder coats obscure the details of a nicely lugged frame. The
reason why powder coats are cheap is because THEY ARE CHEAPLY DONE.
i.e. rather than 3-4 coats producing a rich candy color with deep
brilliance and wet sanding between each coat, you get one thick
thick coat of paint slapped on that is 3x-5x thicker than a normal
coat of paint, and then melted in an oven, with all the restrictions
and downsides associated with that type of compromise.

- a powder coat is forever. however, a bike frame can likely live
longer than you - up to 100 years - and the color you love this year
may not tickle your fancy (or may be horribly out of style) in 10,
20, 40 years, and it may be hated by the next owner (who might even
be your next-of-kin.)

- in my opinion, we are temporary caretakers of these bikes. people
who powder coat a bike that was originally painted in wet paints,
are selfishly stealing some rights from the next owner down the
line.

Geez.....these are bike frames, not the original of "David"!

Testify! No seriously. They're just bikes. Most of them are cheaply
made. Unless your Gitane was blessed by Eddy, go buy another one at a
garage sale, or a better one on the Internet in Closeout Corner.

Quoted message said:

....and, AFAICT, a powdercoat *can* be removed.

Paint it black!

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Ozark Bicycle <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

[...deleted...]

Quoted message said:

Testify! No seriously. They're just bikes. Most of them are cheaply
made. Unless your Gitane was blessed by Eddy, go buy another one at a
garage sale, or a better one on the Internet in Closeout Corner.

Quoted message said:

....and, AFAICT, a powdercoat *can* be removed.

Paint it black!

How ironic. Just hours before the "don't ruin bike frames" post hit
the presses I dropped off my red Gitane Tour de France rainbike frame
at the local powercoat guy, despite it's ~30 yr old antique roadshow
quality original finish, which I actually liked quite a bit, but for
the rust, being an afficionado and former (after normal working hours
& weekends) renovator of antique houses I lived in and their original
irreplacable features..

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
-Rolling STones, '66

I chose the darkest dullest grey, because my heart most certainly is
not black!

Quoted message said:

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/

Bill Westphal

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bill Westphal said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Ozark Bicycle <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

[...deleted...]

Quoted message said:

Testify! No seriously. They're just bikes. Most of them are cheaply
made. Unless your Gitane was blessed by Eddy, go buy another one at a
garage sale, or a better one on the Internet in Closeout Corner.

Quoted message said:

....and, AFAICT, a powdercoat *can* be removed.

Paint it black!

How ironic. Just hours before the "don't ruin bike frames" post hit
the presses I dropped off my red Gitane Tour de France rainbike frame
at the local powercoat guy, despite it's ~30 yr old antique roadshow
quality original finish, which I actually liked quite a bit, but for
the rust, being an afficionado and former (after normal working hours
& weekends) renovator of antique houses I lived in and their original
irreplacable features..

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
-Rolling STones, '66

I chose the darkest dullest grey, because my heart most certainly is
not black!

Quoted message said:

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/

Bill Westphal

I am working on my latest project, a Nashbar "X" cyclocross frame which
arrived finished in matte black (not sure what material, but paint at a
guess).

I have taken the opportunity to build the bike, as much as possible, in
all black components. This was aided by my black crankset and ordering a
black fork to go with the bike, then horse-trading with a friend for a
black seatpost and saddle (Avocet R1 atop pre-Ritchey Syncros seatpost
for retro-insanity cachet).

The effect is dampened somewhat by a yellow headset, but hey, it was
Grease Guard!

The top touch was getting a bunch of "X" graphics cut in black vinyl,
and then semi-randomly applying them to the frame. The gloss-on-matte
effect is subtle, causing the graphics to appear and disappear depending
on the light.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos