ConstantinosYEA

I recently acquired a Raleigh Record mixtie frame from a friend for a good price. The serial number on the frame is NP5 45540. From what i can tell, this means it is a frame from the very early 80s. I know that Records are rather low on the Raleigh hierarchy as this frame originally had plastic simplex components on it that had turned gray (gross!). Currently the original paint is almost completely gone, most of the decals have either faded away or been scratched off and there is plenty of surface rust all over the frame.

I am going to strip down the frame down to bare metal but i am curious if it would be worth it to get an expensive powder coat job on a frame like this? It is just 20-30 Raleigh Tubing, which i believe is just a bit above hi-tensile "gas pipe" tubing. The person i am building up the frame for kind of wants a complex 2-stage powder coat job. The color would be "Illusion Amethyst". I think a job like that would cost upwards of $150 and I am unsure if that would be worth it for this frame. Would any of you put a fancy paint job on a lower end frame?

If i don't go for the powder coat, i will probably do a spray paint job myself but i will make sure to do it right using primers, sanding, and clear coat finishes.

Sci-Fi

Illusion Amethyst only costs $31 CAD for a pound of powder. Cures in 10 min @400°.

If that's what your customer wants, they're paying for it after all. Value or cost may mean different things to many people. As long as the frame isn't a rust bucket and you aren't throwing bondo on there to make it look better/smooth, a good paint job or powder coating isn't a waste of money.