Re: [CR] powder coating vs. wet paint

(Example: Books:Ron Kitching)

Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 12:17:23 -0800 (PST)
From: "Peter Naiman" <hetchinspete1@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] powder coating vs. wet paint
To: gpvb1@comcast.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <122920051859.21170.43B4320C000CAB85000052B22200761064CE0D909F09@comcast.net>
cc: Keith Helon <keith362@juno.com>

Greg; We went over this very issue months ago on the CR, and there are many opinions on the subject, such as clear coating doesn't actually inhibit rust, that rust can form under the PCing, that you cannot apply transfers over PCing, that powdercoating is impossible to remove, that PCing goes on too thick and will hide delicate lugwork. These are a misunderstanding of the technology, as the technology of PCing has advanced in recent years.

A fine company like Spectrum will powder coat a frame, and the actual thickness of the final coating will be as thin as or thinner than that of paint. Since the PCing is thin it will not hide lugwork. Rust will not form under a frame that has been properly prepared or prepped before PCing, as the PCing actually bonds itself to the metal surface, so rust doesn't form between the metal and powder coat layer. I've a frame done by Spectrum and I applied the waterslide transfers myself without difficulty and clear coated the frame. As for removal of powder coat, according to the folks at Spectrum, there is a paint remover called Aircraft Stripper that is available at Wall Mart that works well, but I'd find that to messy. Sand blast will not remove powder coat, but delicate glass or plasting bead blasting will without wearing on the metal of the frame.

As for being a purist and keeping to being period correct, that is entirely another matter. Just a thought on being period correct, that if we were truly 100% period correct on our restorations, I would think that we would try and use stove baked enamels similar to those used in earlier times, and varnish fix transfers. Those technologies have advanced so now we are using more modern paints, that are not really environmentally freindly and using either waterslide or vinyl press on transfers. I'll not preach on that subject, because I believe that we can all make that determination ourselves. The main point for me is that no matter whether someone chooses older or newer technologies, we are all trying to accomplish the same thing, which is to preserve our vintage cycles.

Peter Naiman Glendale, WI

gpvb1@comcast.net wrote: Your opinions are your opinions. I'm more than happy to stand by what I said on the subject. Great for hardware and such, not so great for vintage steel bicycles, IMHO. Greg Parker Ann Arbor, Michigan Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 10:12:17 -0800 From: Brandon Ives

To: "usgeigers" Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR] powder coating vs. wet paint

First off let me say there is nothing wrong with powdercoating a classic bike. Like all paint and related techniques things progress everyday. Personally, these days, I find powdercoating a superior way of painting. My main two reasons are that it's more durable and much more environmentally friendly. The only time you'll see corrosion under the paint is if it wasn't prepped well and doesn't have anything to do with the paint layer itself. If you don't think spider-webbing doesn't happen with liquid paint I'll send you a picture of my big-name custom painted Imron OT frame with it happening. People have also talked about removal being a pain. The only person that should care is the painter not the customer. From the customers end 'hard to remove' is a benefit, not a problem. As far as lug edges disappearing under the powder that is just poor painting technique. My wife's multi-layer powder job I did on her bike 5 years ago is thinner, clearer, and cleaner than the paint liquid Trek put on it in the '70s. Powdercoating has come a long way in the last 10 years, so if you haven't given it a look in that time please do so. Ignorance is no excuse so check out:

best, Brandon"monkeyman"Ives Vancouver, BC

On Thursday, Dec 29, 2005, at 00:16 US/Pacific, usgeigers wrote:
> I'm a man who listens for tid-bits of good advice and massive amounts
> of
> wisdom. I am re-thinking the powder coat idea and am now looking into
> spray
> paint pricing and lead-time. Thank you both!

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