Looking for ideas for powdercoat of vintage frame
04-29-16, 05:36 PM
#1
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Looking for ideas for powdercoat of vintage frame
I've got a Trek 720 circa 1993 that I'm considering getting powdercoated. I'm looking for ideas on color and/or special powdercoat effects. If anyone has pictures of bikes of this era that they think have especially attractive paint jobs (stock or custom) I'd love to see pictures.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
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04-29-16, 06:52 PM
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what's the bike going to be used for? they are doing some really cool things with color changing auto paint these days. photo and heat sensitive. never seen it on a bike.
04-29-16, 09:28 PM
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Powder coating used to look like plastic but the technology has advanced considerably. They are doing amazing things with powder coating - gloss, metalics, pearls, fades, layered colors, etc.
Check out the gallery.
Check out the gallery.
Last edited by TimothyH; 04-29-16 at 09:34 PM.
04-30-16, 06:21 AM
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03-15-22, 07:25 AM
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Schwinn Paramount restoration project. Frame from 1968. Got a quote from Mr. Schwinn himself and it was crazy expensive. My LBS sent it out to powder coat and I think it turned out great.
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03-15-22, 09:53 PM
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Powdercoating by O'Leary in Santa Fe
The wet look
powder-coating fine detail
Powder coating can look great. I rest my case.
03-16-22, 01:48 PM
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Not all powder coating is the same. Some definitely looks like thick, dull plastic. But powder can be done to look very different. I had a frame done years ago by a friend. I told him the frame was a Chinese, mass-produced version of once-great handmade GT Zaskar (I had one of those too). He said, "Hate to break it to you... but this frame is extremely well made." The welds are beautiful."
He suggested a process that let the "grain" of aluminum and the welds show... something about letting the color settle into the details, thin out on peaks/ridges... He lost me on the actual process. He ended with "Trust me. It'll look like bad ass."
This is what he did:
He suggested a process that let the "grain" of aluminum and the welds show... something about letting the color settle into the details, thin out on peaks/ridges... He lost me on the actual process. He ended with "Trust me. It'll look like bad ass."
This is what he did:
Last edited by Zaskar; 03-16-22 at 01:54 PM.
03-16-22, 03:35 PM
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03-17-22, 02:39 PM
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Powder coating can work.
I wanted to post about my positive experience with powder coating. I was able to effectively color match the original paint and the lugs retained good definition. I had heard that it could go on too heavy and blur the definition of lugs. With the right powder coating approach, it can come out well. Obviously a good media stripping of the frame is an important first step. Plugging holes where the medium should not go into is an important preparation step, too. Talk with the person doing the application and make sure they understand what your concerns are.
Once the bike is done, you can use a good quality, extra fine oil based, permanent paint pen to do lug lining. You can buy externally applied decals that are UV resistant and durable that don’t need to be top-coated. I recently posted about a restoration I did of an Allegro and there are extensive pictures of the finished product in that post. Here are a few for your consideration.
I went this route because a repaint was prohibitively expensive. The stripping and powder coating cost $235 USD. I am in Sacramento, CA and the business I used was American Stripping.
Once the bike is done, you can use a good quality, extra fine oil based, permanent paint pen to do lug lining. You can buy externally applied decals that are UV resistant and durable that don’t need to be top-coated. I recently posted about a restoration I did of an Allegro and there are extensive pictures of the finished product in that post. Here are a few for your consideration.
I went this route because a repaint was prohibitively expensive. The stripping and powder coating cost $235 USD. I am in Sacramento, CA and the business I used was American Stripping.
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03-17-22, 10:10 PM
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^ The powdercoating looks good. The lug lines look...less good.
03-18-22, 08:36 AM
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Check over on the C&V Forum, Powder coaters you like - post them here!, and you may find someone highly recommended in your area. Some jobs do look like they were done by lawn furniture specialists.
03-19-22, 07:45 PM
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Kinda depends how into it you are. Used to be th elate Brian Balis was without peer. There are several painters. Joe Bell is real good. https://joebell.net/Dave-Kirk-Galler...aint-jobs.html
