Ed; I got a letter from Amdrew Moore about powdercoating and he brings up what might be a few valid points, but the issues he brings up may be one more of quality control, knowledge of the process by the painter, and their ability with the materials. If Richie Sachs or Peter Weigle are in range, maybe they could answer the question of stripping the frame of the powdercoating finish, and how that might effect the longevity of the frame construction. As for what Andrew talks about in depth of the finish, if you've got an older classic that was around well before Imron that was originally done in a stove baked enamel, Imron does not give the same finish as the older enamals & provides a much higher lustre.
Some of this also comes as a personal decision, as to whether you want to keep the frame as much original as possible which make make a few of us that are more purist cringe, but if powdercoat is a process that will help save a frame by limiting the potential of further detioration, and can miimic the original finish well I'm all for it.
Below is much of Andrew's letter. .................................................. HOWEVER I won't get a fancy lugged frame done this way, our process includes sandblasting which allows the powder to adhere better and over the years they found it's better to paint the frame hot (the cure temperature for a polyester is 180 deg C) The last frame I had done was an 853 Argos, the powder is thin around certain problem area's such as the seat cluster....the static electricity used to charge the frame may suffered from the similar problems as encountered in chrome painting. The powder is also thin on the edges such as the reinforcing sleeve at the seat clamp.
There is no doubt that the finish lasts longer but it doesn't have the depth of shine of a wet paint, the lacquer we have goes slightly yellow after curing
Peter Naiman
Shorewood, WI
> Peter,
> I think you are on to something here. I am always
> frustrated by the
> fragility of traditional paint and the inevitable
> scratches and chips ( not
> to mention the possibility for rust!). Even Emron
> and the like are not as
> durable and protective as powder.
> I have tried powder coating on two frames. The
> first is a 1950's Dennison
> and the painter put the paint on too thick in an
> effort to cover up some
> imperfections rather than taking the time to
> properly prepare the frame
> prior to painting it. There was minor pitting which
> was initially filled
> with small amounts of bondo but this was removed
> during the sand blasting
> prep. What should have been done at that point is
> that the imperfections
> should have been filled with Silver Solder or
> brazed. The result this first
> go around was a finish with some orange peel to the
> finish and a bit of a
> puddling effect around the lugs similar to what Dale
> had mentioned. The
> second effort was far better. I had a 1950's Claud
> Butler painted with a
> dark chrome powder finish, with a powder clear coat
> over that. The result is
> very nice. The transfers are not original but are
> based on copies of
> originals and are made out of a very thin vinyl.
> These seem to work much
> better that the thicker vinyls previously available
> and in this instance
> each letter is separate. They are not all together
> on one long piece of
> vinyl. Both the transfers and paint are very
> durable. Alternatively,
> transfers could have been put directly on the
> finished silver paint with a
> traditional non-powder clear coat paint sprayed on
> afterwards for a more
> conventional appearance but you have to look very
> closely at my Butler to
> realize that the transfers are not under a layer of
> paint as they have a
> similar gloss to the paint and are very thin. The
> edges of the lugs are very
> crisp and the finish is uniform. There is very minor
> orange peeling and
> while the finish has good luster, it is not as deep
> as the very best
> traditional painters are able to achieve. That said,
> it will resist chips
> and scratches a lot better! I may bring this to the
> Cirque if I have it
> completed in time. If heresy is the verdict I would
> however prefer to be
> dragged behind a brace of Hetchins (preferably
> pre-war), rather than being
> stoned. I fully expect that my next effort with
> powder coating will be even
> better. I am convinced that much depends on the
> quality of the prep and the
> skill of the painter which is the same criteria for
> a well executed
> traditional paint job! Additionally, it is possible
> to rub out/lightly wet
> sand the colored finish to achieve even better
> uniformity prior to spraying
> the clear coat. It takes work, and some care around
> the lugs, but it is
> bound to be worth the effort.
>
> Edward Robert Brooks
> Managing Director
> Edward Roberts International
> Auctioneers of the Fine and Rare
> 1262 West Winwood Drive
> Lake Forest, Illinois 60045
> Phone- 847.295.8696
> Facsimile- 847.295.8697
> Email- ebrooks@eriwine.com
> Website- http://www.eriwine.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Naiman [mailto:hetchinspete1@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, February 04, 2005 12:05 PM
> To: Keith Helon; Ed Brooks; David Cooper;
> classicrendezvous
> Subject: Custom powder coating of cycling frames;
>
> I know this may seem like herecy to many on the CR,
> but I'll live life on the edge dangerously, and
> for those who don't agree I'll agree to be stoned by
> you'll at Cirque outside the Battleground Inn at
> sunrise.
>
> I've sent a few jpgs of my 2000 Hetchins Magnum OPus
> Millenium over to Spectrum Powdercoating to get a
> ball
> park estimate to powdercoat the frame in two colour,
> maybe three, with luglining. They came back to me
> this
> morning with an extremely fair estimate of $700.
> After
> looking over the galleries of pictures, & talking at
> length with Mark a few days ago, one of the two
> owners, and asking many in depth question about
> their
> process, they seem fully capable of doing the work.
> I
> may give them an older, less ornate Claude Butler I
> have to do for me to see how their final work looks.
>
> Knowing from prior experience, that powder coating
> can
> be very heavy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> =====
> Peter Naiman
> 4420 North Ardmore Avenue
> Shorewood, WI 53211
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
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===== Peter Naiman 4420 North Ardmore Avenue Shorewood, WI 53211
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