Re: A summary, was [CR] powder coating vs. wet paint

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme)

From: "P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@starpower.net>
To: <hsachs@alumni.rice.edu>, "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <43B5AF5D.3050003@cox.net>
Subject: Re: A summary, was [CR] powder coating vs. wet paint
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 17:25:45 -0500
reply-type=response

Harvey makes a good point about gloss... most modern auto enamels have this "glassy' effect that sets them apart from say paint in the 1950s-70s. It's not the colour but the hard, unrelenting gloss that makes the bike look.. well.. repainted. At the streetcar museum where I was the painter-in-chief, we avoided Imron and used the old Dulux, the original nitro-celluloise synthetic auto enamel instead. Alas, no longer made. But it's possible to reduce the gloss in modern paints like Imron. And worth doing in my opinion.

The other thing to remember for those of you lucky to own pre-war machines... if they were black, they were almost surely "dipped" not sprayed. And again the application of the paint is a big factor in how original it looks. I did a lot of what the British call "enamelling" at that museum... brush enamelling.. and this worked well in repainting the top tube of a Raleigh roadster, perfectly matching the colour and the "look" of the original. A proper brush enamelling takes lots of time and patience but the results are very gratifying. And authentic. Unless you have a big vat of glorious British Bike Black to dip your frame into.

Painting is very complex and fascinating especially if you get into the history of various methods and materials over the years. But done right by yourself or someone else, it can be very satisfying indeed. And sometimes done too well.... I know my '73 Cinelli (repainted by the original owner via CycleArt) is a repaint because it looks much better than the original paint job.

I am not entrusting any of my Peugeots to Jim at CycleArt until he can prove he can do as poor as masking job on the black lugwork as the original.

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA