yummygooey

I need to get this frame finished. It's currently covered with multiple layers of carnauba wax, but it's just not resilient enough for the long haul. I am currently leaning towards a powder coat over a wet spray because of the durability factor.

My main color choices right now are:
1) clear
2) teal

The issue with clear is that powder clearing a raw frame will give it a muted gray primer-ish look. Wet spraying also has its share of issues, as most paint clears don't stick to steel.

What other colors do you guys think I should take a look at?


TET Track by yummygooey, on Flickr

XianRL

Forest green.

NikZak

if you just had the coice of those two colors and cant be bothered polishing it to a high gloss almost mirror finish before clearing the raw metal, i'd go for the teal, always looks good

adriano 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel)

yummygooey

Who's going to have a bluing tank big enough for a bike frame? Bluing is cool, but it doesn't seem like it'll do much to protect a bike that I'm going to commute on.

adriano 

i can dream.

illdthedj

teal or celeste frame with a black fork. i think the black fork would balance out the full black back wheel and look good. even raw clear coat with the black fork i think would look good. actually, better. the raw gray matches well with the front gray tire.

Thirteen.

^^^ I agree with this. no matter what color frame you decide on, make sure to have a black fork for an outstanding look. I wouldn't suggest celeste though, that would make your bike look too much like a wannabe pista concept.

yummygooey

The fork used to be black (or carbon?). The previous owner spray painted it silver to match the frame.

Any tips on stripping a carbon fork?

PluperfectArson

IMO, you should paint it tickle me pink.

illdthedj

i reverse agree lol
yah scratch the celeste comment.

black fork, raw frame. black fork visually balances black back wheel, raw frame matches gray front tire. some asymmetrical color matching going on while making the build visually balanced = cool IMO

sorry have no clue how to strip the fork, other than using chemical stripper like aircraft stripper and i have no clue whether or not that would damage the carbon underneath.

Squirrelli

Sand it lightly.

Chemicals might dissolve the epoxy away and I'm sure you don't want that.

illdthedj

media blaster with feathers? lol i dunno

Squirrelli

i lol'd

XianRL

It seems there have been a few forums about getting paint off of carbon. Try here and here.

amschnellsten

carbon can also be polished too!

yummygooey

Looks like I'll be sanding the fork. Whether I'm going to sand it to the carbon or to the primer and respray it black remains undecided.

The guy I was originally looking at sent me a picture of what a clear powdered frame looks like from them, and it's less than appealing. I've found another guy that's $25 more (but still reasonable, $100 all in), but he's been getting some good rep from a guy that just got his frame powder cleared. I'm still waiting on pics.

FastJake

White! With your bare/polished carbon fork.

cc700

oiled bronzz

PluperfectArson

mmmm just liek mah men