Harvey, You hit the nail on the head! The best way to build a house that will last is to build a solid foundation. I have found that a chemical etch and an epoxy primer (applied as soon as the frame is dry) makes the biggest difference with respect to durability. Bead blasting a frame works well also, but the surface still has to be cleaned for the epoxy to bond well. The most important part of the paint job is the epoxy primer because it is what seals the frame from oxygen and moisture.
There are other factors, however that speak to durability. Once the primer has been sprayed, there is a about a 12 hour window where I have to spray color, otherwise, the primer has to be sanded completely. If I am spraying a metallic color, then I have to spray a sealer after sanding the primer. At this point, however, the epoxy is on and staying put. Any chips or durability issues are going to be more aesthetic in nature. At NAHBS in Indy I demonstrated the durability of my paint by banging 2 color sample tubes together (hard). The result was some dented tubes, but no chips. Keith
Keith Anderson
Keith Anderson Cycles
222 N. Marble Dr.
Grants Pass, OR 97526
541-471-4114
http://www.keithandersoncycles.com
<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, <ngellner@gmail.com>
Charles Andrews and Noah Gellner have both posted on paint durability and paint quality. I watched my friend Les Lunas for a few years, and he
taught my wife. What most folks don't seem to realize is the absolute necessity for getting the naked frame absolutely clean, w/o any fingerprints, dog hair, or even the hair from a gnat's eye. Les would then etch with the iron phosphate solution, never touching the frame, let it dry, examine it, and iterate until nothing more could be done. At
that point, it was finally ready for Corylon (?), a tough two=part epoxy primer. And that would get examined, millimeter by millimeter, for
any imperfections that required a bit of fill applied with a toothpick and sanded out. Then came the Imron.
If the surface preparation is righteous, you can get a durable finish. If not, it's hopeless because the layer cake of primer, paint, and clear
has nothing to hold it in place.
It's sort of like setting up a machine tool. Sometimes it takes longer than the actual machining. And that's why a really good paint job done the traditional way is expensive, regardless of the paint brand.
harvey sachs
mcLean va