Thanks for joining @UtahPowderWerks and for sharing your knowlegdes. I’m right now doing powdercoat sample with decals/stencils and masking so your input is invaluable. And a video series about that process, on a bike frame would be cherry on top!
On a side note , I will be in Utah next June for a couple weeks, I’ll keep in touch!
Questions to the powder pros in the thread - do y’all prime your frames? Do you clear coat them?
I’m guessing the answer will be a little bit “it depends” and I’d love to hear more about what drives your decision making on that sort of stuff.
I’m still figuring things out but I like how tough is clear coat over a single color coat.
Haven’t tried primer/base layer and would like to know too if they are really needed for bike frame.
Many bike brand use two to three coat on steel frames
Has anybody done a spray bomb (enamel or epoxy) over top of a powder base coat and if so were you satisfied with the results? Thinking of doing this with my current build to mask off & pop some of the details (and a downtube logo) with a different colour. Any one pulled something like this off?
If using a high temp enamel maybe it could still get a powder clear on top so it would hold up to baking? I’m not well versed on the ins & outs of powder coating so if this is all uneducated thoughts of an imbecile just let me know. I can take it more than I can take putting a shitty finish on this frame
I am just finishing a frame to get ready for powder. I plan on providing instructions for masking:
For 12mm Paragon round drop outs, which parts are you masking?
Do you worry about rust on any of those faces?
I mask off wherever there is a tight fit. Powder pools and sags - especially when there is a clear over base - and can make it hard to get a wheel into slotted dropouts for example. Or it can pool on the top edge of the slot or bottom of the fork end more on one side than the other and the wheel will sit crooked. I often have to take a file to the coating to get rid of the sags. For thru-axles, mask the axle mounting interface and then I chase the threads and re-face BB and HT after coating. I also find I have to touch up the bottle bosses, fender/rack mounts etc with a countersink to take the sharp flash off. Same at the top of the seattube. Binders for stems and seattubes can also be a pain as they fill up and the bolt no longer fits. Use your best judgement but expect to do some work afterwards to clean it up and make everything fit again.
One thing I’d suggest is to tell the powder folks not to use silicone bungs on things like bottle bosses. It might seem like a smart idea to protect the threads, but the powder just bunches up around the base of the bung, giving you a raised surface. You should be running a tap through it again anyway, so I prefer to leave little bosses like that unmasked.
Do you have any places you’d recommend in the greater Seattle area, who knows how, and will, work with bikes and their builders?
I have been using Seattle Powder Coat for a long time. They do a lot of bikes and have been good about masking stainless pieces and headtube/BBs/bolt holes. I think they do a good job and are willing to discuss what you want. As mentioned, there is still clean up to do. If you’re using single layer (no clear), you can prob ask them to apply thin to preserve details or whatever.
They are between Ballard and Fremont. They have funky hours and even though I live nearby they are a bit of a pain to catch them. I’ve requested quotes from some others but haven’t been impressed by anyone.
yes, it seems whatever they do, there is always some flashing to clean up.
That helps a lot- thanks for the advice!
