eogie

I have a 91' Bridgestone Mb-1 and a 97'(?) Giordana Capella both of which need to be repainted. There's a guy in town who will strip and powdercoat for 75.00 for each frame. I've read about powdercoating smoothing out the edges of the lugs because of it's thick application. I'm not looking to restore these frames to their original appearance, but of course would like them to look nice! What are your thoughts? I haven't been able to find many examples. Perhaps a thin application would be okay?

The Giordana may be a bit trickier as it has inset lettering and what not.

Here's one example I've found. Looks good to me.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebicy...7600261669437/


Thanks


-Eric

nlerner

Ask your powdercoater for pics of the work he's done. If he doesn't have any, stay away!!

There are plenty of threads on this forum with pics of powdercoated frames. Try this one:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/386585-better-paint-powder-coat-frame.html

Neal

stronglight

I've seen photos of impressive powder coat jobs. But for "add-on" features such as masking for contrasting color lugs or separate panels & bands or different colored head tubes, you can expect to pay a bit more. Also a deep "candy" metallic finish under clear would add a bit to the cost as would application of decals. Powder coating does smooth the sharp edges of lugs... But, on the other hand, unfortunately even the thickest power coating STILL won't hide the ugly "pastry bead" wave joints of cheap tig welded frames.

Remember, you get what you pay for, so $75 would be very basic. I would think that at most just a single color protective finish from most ANY powder coater would run higher than that amount - especially with stripping the old finish, too.

But, check out the Spectrum Powder Works website for some examples of GOOD powder coating by a company which deals with a lot of bike frames. Here are a couple examples from their website.


This 1950s restoration don't look too shabby to me...



How 'bout this Mark Nobilette frame...

eogie

Those look beautiful. I'm going to go for it.

My title shouldn't have been "Will I ruin my frames by powdercoating?" but rather Should I paint or powdercoat?

I've seen one frame that this guy has done for 75.00 and it looked beautiful. It looked as good as any frame straight from the retailer. It was a Cannondale so I didn't get to see any lugs. I was shocked when he told me the price was only 75.00.....kind of makes me a bit more open to frames in poor cosmetic condition.

Here's the Giordana. This is when I first bought it. It has new bars, stem, tires, saddle etc. The only inset lettering I can think of on the frame (I'm in mexico) is the "hand made in Italy" written on the top of the piece that holds the rear brake....What the hell is it called? Shouldn't be a big deal. The paint looks okay in the picture but it has horrible chain suck and various other chips.



I wish I didn't have to paint the Bridgestone but rust has set in and I don't want it to go beyond cosmetic. I'll post pictures of the finished products.

Thanks for the opinions and examples.

-Eric

monogodo

Brake Bridge

huerro

My 2 cents.

I just got a frame done and the finish doesn't look nearly as good as wet paint. It is durable and cheap however and the bike that it went on isn't really a "looker" anyway.

Powder coat is an industrial finish for a tool. If your bikes are tools it's a great solution, If they are art, go for wet paint.

eogie

I should have guessed. Thank you.

eogie

What if I were to get a high gloss clear coat? I know I should just talk to the guy but I'm in Mexico and am very excited. My bikes are both tools and art. I'll have to do some research.

Thanks

eogie

I also think my first link and the examples above look pretty damn close to wet paint..nice and shiny. I need to pick some brains.

huerro

You can certainly get great powder done, but not for $75. Spectrum charges around $235 for a basic frame and fork, not including stripping.

I would just advise that if you think of your bikes as art, don't take them to a $75 powder coater.

eogie

I'm on a pretty tight budget....all of the time, so I can't have a 235.00 powdercoat job. If I were to get two frames done for 235.00, I would be well on my way to having my new commuter bike. I'll just have to wait until I can get home and chat with the guy. I appreciate the opinions and I apologize for not being patient enough to wait until I get home! I'll post pictures after completion.

Thanks again

Wanderer

Cost really doesn't have anything to do with quality.

If the guy doing the work is good, and wants to charge reasonable prices - good for both of ya.

eogie

That's how I'm feeling. What I saw of his work (one bike) looked excellent. The fella who took his bike there said that the guy was super excited when he brought it in. I'm pretty excited to meet him.

Now for the hardest part...figuring out colors.

unterhausen

there are some people near me that are supposed to be fairly good with bike frames, and the price is around $100. OTOH, there were some pictures in here recently of a bike that was powdercoated so badly that you could barely see the edges of the lugs.

Charles Wahl

I'm not an expert here, but I pay attention. I think that the problem with lugged bikes and powdercoating is that wherever there are exterior arrises (sharp edges) adjacent to abrupt interior corners the electrostatic field transitions make it so that the powder doesn't want to build on the exterior corner, and it is more attracted to the interior corner. The solution is to use more powder to ensure adequate arris coverage, which means that the thickness (in that area, at least) is greater than it would be with paint. One thing I've read is that using a lower charge (KV) reduces the tendency, but it also makes application of the powder harder, I think. I've seen photos of work that looked close to a good paint job, and I've also seen them where it's really clear that it's a powdercoat job, overdone; and by the time you find out how capable and artistic your guy is (or maybe just a capable person having a bad day), it's too late!

Neal Lerner has had several of his (many) bikes coated, using the same guy, and I've looked at his with interest. It seems clear to me that his powdercoat guy is getting better at it. So you do want someone that's got experience with bikes, in particular, because they definitely are a specialty: thin tubes overall, with greater thickness and a lot of transitions at the lugs. Painting fillet brazed or welded bikes without lugs is a cakewalk, by comparison -- they almost always look terrific.

stronglight

Another thought is that not all lugs are fancy pieces of art worthy of great visual attention. My favorite current bike, a Touring bike from the mid-1980s is a perfect example of this. I would never have a concern about a powdercoat finish obscuring the very simple short point lugs on this bike. They are currently in no way accented and even if a fine painter offered to hand outline them for free I would see no reason to do so.

Maybe I'm just coming to accept that there is far more to the lovely lines of a bike than the gaudy lugs to which I have always been attracted. I know of several Rene Herse bikes which have the most boring single color blue paint, and with only the modest signature on the down tube you would think they were an old Schwinn... but even the Schwinns had more dramatic (or distracting?) decals.

In fact, here is an example of an old R. Herse Mixte style frameset which recently sold on eBay. Although the original paint does have some box lining, I think this bike would not be greatly degraded (visually) if it had a decent, highly durable, single color powder coated finish. Afterall, it was designed to be ridden and to be enjoyed for this function... otherwise Herse would have chosen a career as a sculptor. [IMHO].

eogie

The lugs on both frames are not very fancy. I'm pretty sure it could be pulled off by this guy. That said, I would like to see more bikes that he's done...if there are any. The Cannondale made it look like he had done it before. I appreciate the opinions, everyone! It has been very helpful.

-Eric