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Powder Coating.....

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Old 12-27-2009 | 12:19 PM
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j shizzy wizzy's Avatar
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Powder Coating.....

I would like to powdercoat my frame/subframe and other bits to black one day.....probably not for a couple more years though.

Has anyone had experience with this? Any idea what kind of money I might be spending? Any suggestions or pro's and con's to doing this? Also...has anyone one heard of anodizing these parts?

Thanks guys! Just brain storming!
Old 12-27-2009 | 01:27 PM
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Most shops can give a verbal quote on powder coating, wheels, frames, fenders - just about anything if they're worth a dime because they are usually busy. Anodizing is more expense but has its advantages. Powder coat is just paint - it sits on the surface. Anodizing penetrates the metal not far but will avoid scratches better. Powder is a good tough coat. Widely available and relatively cheap. Just for grins I would call Jet-Hot and get a quote on ceramic coating. There might be some temperature limits on some of the parts you are considering. Be aware that paint or ceramic goes everywhere so all your bearing shafts will have to be cleared. They may be able to cap off these surfaces but I'm not sure.
Old 12-27-2009 | 01:35 PM
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Poweder coating isn't just painting. It doesn't just sit on the surface.

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/b...ics/index.html

The powder is usually applied to the component by applying a low-voltage electrical charge to both the part and the plastic particles-but the charges are opposite, so the powder is attracted to the surface of the part..........................After a part is sprayed, it is transferred to a large oven heated to between 350 and 400 degrees F. It is left there until it attains a temperature at which the powder "melts" and flows into a smooth, extremely durable coating. The heat also causes the powder to chemically react in a process called crosslinking, which is what makes it so durable.
Old 12-27-2009 | 02:10 PM
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I grant you that it has superior bonding properties but it is not like anodizing. Anodizing is more like staining wood - it penetrates a few millimeters into the wood.
Old 12-27-2009 | 04:17 PM
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Welp, I did it, not sure how much help I'll be though.

I did it so long ago now I don't remember the cost.
I did all the labor of taking the frame and swingarm down to bare.
Yes, frame and swingarm off the engine/chassis componets.
All bearings removed from frame and swingarm, I did.
All bead blasting, to prep the metal for coating, I did.
All taping off bearing race and threaded holes, I did.
I want to say it was only around $175.00 or less for the powdercoating at that point. It was Cardinal brand powder in a flat black 20% gloss. Much lower and the coating is not as tuff I am told.
Then all the masking is removed. There is some cutting, sanding, filing to do to "dress" it up. Run a tap with some tap oil through all holes. Install new bearings. reassemble the bike and Bam-o it's done. Piece-o-cake.
Make sure you inspect your parts on pickup from the coater. I had to have a couple of parts re-shot because of runs or quality. This is not adviseable to do multiple coats but it can be done. Also don't be afraid to be a **** bastard and demand excellent work and offer to pay a little more to have it just right. They'll usually turn down the money but the point was made and now they will spend extra attention to your parts. Remeber the powdercoaters are running parts all day for industrial applications and they don't need to look nice they need to be coated. Make sure you communicate what the show sides are and what absolutely cannot have coating on it.
Been there. Having to cut, sand, or grind excess coating is a real pain in the *** and should be avoided if all possible.
There you go, my 52 cents.

Good luck, it does look cool when you are done and it has been very durable.
Old 12-27-2009 | 09:36 PM
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Caswell ( http://www.caswellplating.com ) has a DIY system for nickle plating, chrome plating, and also powder coating. I have used the plating systems for firearms and just starting to do a few engine parts and interior items for a 1976 BMW 2002 restoration I am working on.

The plating works really well for smaller items. I can't speak to their powder coating systems but it may be worth a look see.

I'd post a picture of the firearms work but I can't make my link to photobucket

Last edited by Bytes; 12-28-2009 at 10:45 AM.
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