Powdercoat... why come?
 

Just wondering why some people bring their frames in for a powdercoat. what's the purpose. Sorry, I am dumb.

to change the color and/or protect it from the elements

I think mcafiero is referring to why they choose powder coat over paint?

I couldnt tell you my self...but I know what both are for.

Powder = durabler

Wet paint = prettier

much more durable, can be lighter, cheaper.

Powdercoat is generally less expensive and more durable than paint. It's also generally less attractive. If you need a quick and dirty way to protect your frame fromt the elements powdercoat is the way to go, if you want to restore a beautiful old frame paint might be preferable, especially with pretty lug work as powder tends to go on a bit thick and mask some fine detail.

I'm sure there are exceptions. Certainly bad paint is way worse than mediocre powder. A really good powder coat job will look almost as good as paint and be more durable, but it will cost you.

because powder coating is very resilient to paint chips....

My Pista started to look a little worn so I had it powdercoated light grey for about the same amount of money as wet paint, and it looks very nice, to me.

A commercial powdercoating business here in my community did it in one day.

I took the bike apart (my lbs removed my King headset), gave it to the powdercoating people, had it back together and rode it the next day.

Supposedly the powdercoating process is not as bad for the environment as wet paint too.

This is very true.

thats about it

nice descrip.

anyone know any good powder coating places in boston or nyc? thanks

Yes. I just went to Scott at Long Beach in Plymouth (about 1 hour from Boston) and he did a fantastic job. He is really an artist. He takes his time and will also take time to explain to you what's happening with the process.

http://lbcustomfab.com/index.html

For me, it is the money. Here in Toronto a frame/fork can be sandblasted, given a chemical dip and then a powder-coat for $75. I spent $40 on paint for my Razesa before I realized how crappy it was looking (I suck at painting), plus I spent hours stripping the old paint off. Powdercoat is win-win.

Time, too. The painter has had my Peugeot since July!

Anybody know how much a decent powdercoat job would cost?

Depends where you are, what colour and type of powder etc. Also how much, if any, stripping needs to be done.

I powdercoat my bikes because our shop has a powder coating line and I get them done for free.

speaking of, anyone know a good powdercoater in Austin? Im puttin a coat on the cover the under the clear coat decals on my frame.

what!? I can not haz understandingz?
If you are looking for a powder coater, many auto shops have the facilities to powdercoat, so the yellow pages would be a place to start. If they dont have the facilities (I would assume you can find a place in austin that does) ask them where they have their parts powder coated. I'm talking about body shops that do custom work, not like schucks or midas or something like that.

be careful of those who only really powdercoat cars and motorcycle crap. when they strip and blast the frame/fork, they can overdo it because they're not used to bicycle tubing. look for someone that does bikes.

Are you saying that you want to put a powder coat over a clear coat and decals? That's not going to work. Powder coatings are baked on and need to be applied to bare metal.

I've had two frames and forks sandblasted and powdercoated here in Michigan. I was quite pleased with the finished frame. One gloss black and another pearl white, with a clear coat on top. Finish was remarkable durable. Adjusting and moving the front derailleur didn't even scratch it. Cost was about $120 for the sandblasting and cleaning and two coats of powdercoat. Yes, it is better for the environment. Be very careful about telling the painter to protect the threads. Once coated, they are extremely hard to get the screws in, especially the small ones.

Powder is better for earth than paint. Powder is cheaper than paint. Powder coating can have very quick return times depending on where you go. Sometimes powder coats can be had for under 100$.

Powder coating can look amazing. The variety of color is huge. For those of us who don't give a damn about period correct the powder coat will save many frames from being rusty garbage.

I just had my frame sandblasted and Powder coated here in San Diego. I used an air compressor to get sand out of the internals of the frame and I repacked bearings in BB. After I finished I flipped it back over and still had sand in frame.Had to repack bearings. Make sure you give the frame a few good thumps and rotate in every direction to shake all sand out from tubes.

my bike before and after a powdercoat (and a new fork):

it cost me £20~$40USD and for it looks like a totally new bike!