Evan,
There is nothing whatsoever to fear when having a frame powdercoated regarding the temperature and its effect on the frame; there is none. Just make sure there aren't any gobs of grease inside the tubes anywhere; otherwise it will be running out of the frame by the time it comes out of the oven.
In regards to paint questions when trying to compare car painters to bike painters; I see it this way. First, there are no absolute rules; some "bike painters" can't paint bikes. Some care painters can do great work on bike frames. In my experience, the PRIMARY difference is as someone already mentioned. A skilled and experienced (meaning someone who is hands on and has been for many years, as opposed to entry level painters) bike painter should have extraordinary skills of perception AND the ability to recogzize potential problems with every aspect of the frames lifespan, and fix them during the repair/repaint process. A car painter is not likely to know much about things of this nature. Also, is the car painter going to do the alignment and braze-on work? I hope not! It is possible for a car painter to do damage to a frame without proper clamping setups etc. and other speciality equipment that might aide the process. Prep of the frame is one of the most important steps in a paint job. There are a lot of ins and outs to painting bikes, that goes triple if the job includes chrome plating and masking of lugs and such. Honestly in many cases the job is best left to professionals. Special care is required in order not to damage a frame in the process of restoring it. The more refined the frame is the more important it is to have skill at handeling bikes. I feel it is more likely you will find skilled and experienced workers in small shops as opposed to larger ones.
But by the same token, almost any person with modest skills, some patience, and perhaps a few key points of guidence from someone experienced, can do a great restoration at home. As a matter of fact, that's exactly how I started in early 1972. I had a neighbor friend who had a cousin how owned a plating shop. He told me he could have chrome done for free. I "fell" for it. I stripped the paint off of my 1971 Peugeot PX-10 and turned over my frame. Three months later my frame came back with chrome head lugs, seat lug, fork crown, and forks and stays. FREE! Then I masked everything and used a cheap badger air brush to apply automotive enamel (metallic green) to the frame. Went to Pops Bicycle Shop and bought some Peugeot decals and slappend them on, and then pinstriped the whole bike with light green hobby enamel. Looked great. My first time. So obviously any idiot can do it.
I think taking each bike and project as an invidividual case is the best approach. There are thousands of frames out there that are worthy of preservation and restoration, but not at rediculous cost. That's where the Decal Consortium comes in. As I will explain soon, this will open the door for less exotic but perfectly valid classics to be made practical riders for everyday use.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA......where it's a beautiful day in paradise!
>
> okay..this concerns a near vintage..<G> old steel, lugged Specialized
> Expedition frame I am reworking into a fixed-gear road bike, instead of
> buying a Gunnar Street Dog...
> I have been considering powder coating it, because I want a flat
> black. any downside?? the curing is supposedly done @ 300 - 400F, which
> shouldn't soften the brazing, as far as I know...
> any $.02 appreciated... any voices from experience???
> tnx..
> Evan