I just got a quote from a local powder coater. Two hubs and a crankset, masked by me, blasted and PC'd by them for $60.

Does that sound fair to you guys? I ask this in here because I guess the non-standard nature of fixed-gear on the road lends itself to people tricking out bikes, and tricking out bikes, sometimes, means powdercoating, so I figure you guys have some experience in this.

So, $60 sound like a good deal? It'll cost me atleast $40 to do it myself (correctly, that is. painting anodized aluminum sounds like a pain in the balls).

Thanks!

$60 sounds fair

I say fair. I might even say that's a deal.

Can you powdercoat aluminum? Doesn't the baking process affect the aluminum's structure somehow? I always heard it was a no no to PC aluminum. Maybe I'm wrong, which, if you know me, is highly likely.

$60 sounds good to me.

Furthermore, do you guys think I should plug the spoke holes? That might be tedious.

How tight are the tolerances on spokes? Microns? I would imagine not (that would make spokes might costly).

6061 and 2012 (which is what my parts are made out of) are heat-treated anyway. I guess the question is, at what temp?

The baking process in powder coating only subjects the metal to about 400F.

Here is Spectrum Powderworks' take on this question.

And...

Here is some info on heat treatment of Al

my advice: ask sheldon brown about powder coating a wheel and see if he thinks it sounds stupid or not.

Don't people get Al frames powder coated? I would ask the shop what they think. They probably have a lot of experience powdercoating Al and can tell you if it is a good idea.

Yeah, I would plug the spoke holes. They are fairly tight as it is.

$60 sounds very fair to me.

Well, the melting point for 6061 Aluminum is 1090F and the melting point for 2014 Aluminum is 950F.

I think at sub-400F temperatures, it should be fine. Plus, I told them everything I knew about my parts before the estimate, so I'm asssuming it'll be okay.

Now the question is, where can I get silicone plugs in non-bulk?

I didn't think they could powdercoat Al. With Al being nonconductive and all. Are you sure they are not anodizing the hubs? Could you do me a favor vomitron and post the place doing the work? I want to get a frame done and everyone around here wants $150 to $225. If this place is cheap it would be worth the shipping.

I keep telling him to forget it and spraypaint em!!!

Aluminum is non-conductive? Man, no wonder they stopped using it for household wiring and microelectronics!

i'm flabbergasted.

remember, the main cost in powdercoating is the baking process. most outfits have room-sized ovens, that are costly to bring to temp. by baking aluminum at 400 degrees, you are contributing to the heat treating process, strenghthening the metal. if you weld aluminum (like building a frame), the finished piece needs to be heat treated as such to regain it's strength and T6 rating. you should ask how thick the buildup is, and measure (or just bring a spoke in with the hub) the tolerance. even anodizing builds up a measurable amount, and must be figured into machining tolerances.

fwiw, when i got my frame powdercoated, we didnt mask off the inside of the seat tube, and i had to take a round file and deal with the over"spray" in the seat-tube before i could even dream of fitting the seatpost back in the frame. i've never built wheels myself, but i'm imagining that it'd be less of a pain in the ass to mask the spoke holes in the hub than it would be to remove powder, once it's coated, from those itty little holes.

i'd also feel negligent if i didnt tell you that you're gonna scuff the powder on your cranks in no time. no big deal, imho, but it might bother you if you're touchy about such things.

oh, yeah. aluminum can certainly be powdercoated.

-rob

Where is this place? I'm curious to find a powdercoater in L.A. The only place I've dealt with didn't seem very interested.

Firstly, anodized aluminum is non-conductive. The process can be applied to non-conductive materials (wood, plastic, etc), so that's not a concern.

So yeah, I'll plug the spoke holes. Maybe I'll pay the extra money to have them mask everything, since I'll probably end up spending $20 on plugs, and end up doing it wrong.

I really don't care if I scuff up the cranks. Cranks are often PC'd and end up lasting a great while (like raceface cranks).

Anyway, here's the place:

Epoxicoat
5100 Heintz
Baldwin Park (don't know the zip), CA

I didn't save the phone number, but I know nextel 411 didn't have trouble finding it.

Thanks for all of input, folks.

Thanks for the info. My post was more of a question than a statement. Appearently I'm unclear on the powdercoating process. I'll do some digging around online.

powdercoat is applied through electrostatic attraction of positively charged plastic powder to a negatively charged object (anode), then baked to a glossy, enamel-like finish.

Aluminum DOES conduct electricity, it just doesn't affect magnetic fields.

Certainly does. And my 2001 Cannondale Bad Boy came in nice matte black powder coat. It's beginning to lift a little in the high-rot areas, but it's definitely PC.

So....7000 series Aluminum should be able to handle powder coating too it sounds like.

edit: An interesting site comparing anodizing vs powdercoating, etc.