colnago restoration: to powdercoat or wet paint?
hi all. so i recently picked up an '81 colnago superissimo. overall in very good condition, but the paint looks like a 30 year old well used bike- scratches, chips, etc. all over. i want to repaint the frame and am trying to decide whether to wet paint it or powdercoat it. i want to get it painted saronni red (it's currently colnago blue). there is rust on various places, including the chrome lugs. here is what i see as the pros/cons of each.
WET PAINT
i can do an oxalic acid bath and get the rust off. there will be a bit of pitting, but i think the chrome will still look great.
pros:
> keeps the chrome
> definitely saronni red
cons:
> costs more
> delicate paint
POWDERCOAT
i'm told it needs to get bead blasted first, then coated.
pros:
> super durable
> cheaper
cons:
> probably not perfectly color matched to saronni red (can it be?)
> can't keep any of the chrome (i am told they will likely blast it off, and even if they didn't, it can't be masked off during the powdercoating)
any suggestions? i'd really love to keep the frame looking original with perfect color and chrome lugs, etc. however, i do like the durability of powdercoating.
what have you all done and what do you recommend. thanks for the input.