Powdercoating a lugged framed bike?

[Black Sheep]

My road bike, which was my only transport for my time at uni and used daily for a few years after for commuting is looking very tatty and I'm wanting to sort it out.

It was dragged out of my uncle's shed where it had sat for 20 years, prior to that he'd used it for a number of years, after having bought it from my dad who bought it new new in the 60's

I had it sandblasted and then did a bad job of painting it bright orange, now I'm starting to use it more I'm wanting to either have it painted as it should be, or at least in a style of the time it was built.

I can't afford a proper paint job (£300+) and don't have the space and time etc required to paint it as it's now too cold to spray outdoors and come summer I'll want to ride it.

I can afford powdercoating, just worried it'll make a mess of the frame

Anyone experience of powdercoating a lugged frame?

 

[Alan O]

...as it's now too cold to spray outdoors...

Hope you don't mind a tangential question from me, as I was planning to spray a frame soon myself. Is it really a problem spraying in colder weather? As long as the can isn't cold, I'd have thought it would still spray OK, but I'm far from being an expert.

 

[alicat]

Armourtex in Edmonton did a good job for me with a frame with a few lugs on it. Maybe send them some photos and ask what they think.

 

[si_c]

I can't afford a proper paint job (£300+) and don't have the space and time etc required to paint it as it's now too cold to spray outdoors and come summer I'll want to ride it.

I had a frame stripped and repainted by C&G finishes in Liverpool a couple of years ago, cost me £150 including applying decals and clearcoating. Brilliant job - there were dozens and dozens of frames in the shop awaiting collection when I dropped in so they do a lot of bikes.

I was also quoted about £40 at the same time by a local powdercoating place, but I'd have had to apply the decals and clearcoat myself. Powdercoating will be the more durable option, but a shop that does a lot of bike frames would be a good shout, so worth asking around at a couple of LBSs to see who they recommend.

Powdercoating shouldn't damage the frame, but it might be a PITA to remove later.

 

[gbb]

I had an old 531 Raleigh Clubman with a lugged frame powdercoated some years ago in preparation for it becoming my winter hack .
I couldn't get the headset off at the time so they taped it up, sandblasted the whole thing then powdercoated it black. 10 to 15 years later it's not chipped or anything and that's after several years of heavy weather winter commuting. It's long been relegated to the back of the she'd but it's still solid.
It was a very basic job, plain black, done by an industrial powdercoater but it certainly did the job I needed it to.

 

[biggs682]

Last one i had done cost just over £65 for blasting and powder coating , and no issues in doing them at all
Only think to look for is that who ever does the powder coating doesn't apply it to thick

 

[glasgowcyclist]

There's some interesting reading here on powder coating and the things to watch out for...

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/paint-prep.html

 

[fossyant]

I had a frame stripped and repainted by C&G finishes in Liverpool a couple of years ago, cost me £150 including applying decals and clearcoating. Brilliant job - there were dozens and dozens of frames in the shop awaiting collection when I dropped in so they do a lot of bikes.

I was also quoted about £40 at the same time by a local powdercoating place, but I'd have had to apply the decals and clearcoat myself. Powdercoating will be the more durable option, but a shop that does a lot of bike frames would be a good shout, so worth asking around at a couple of LBSs to see who they recommend.

Powdercoating shouldn't damage the frame, but it might be a PITA to remove later.

C&G were the company who did the custom paint job on my Herety when it was built, back in 1990.

 

[Drago]

Powdercoating wont hassle a lugged frame at all. The place I use is an industrial coaters, but they sub-specialise in coating classic car and motorbike parts, so their work is of a decent quality. £50 for black or white if I don't mind waiting a few days for it to go through with a batch of other stuff, of £60 for RAL colours.

 

[Black Sheep]

Hope you don't mind a tangential question from me, as I was planning to spray a frame soon myself. Is it really a problem spraying in colder weather? As long as the can isn't cold, I'd have thought it would still spray OK, but I'm far from being an expert.

my understanding is that it can 'bloom' if too much moisture gets in while spraying, the ideal I've always understood is to be spraying in a warm dry environment




With regards the frame, the ideal involves stripes, a white head tube, white band on the seat tube and yellow bands on top tube and down tube as that's it's correct colours. Could put these on with vinyl though...

I'm near Bury, Lancs if anyone has a recommendation,

Been in contact with a powder coaters who was recommended by my local (now closed) bike shop

 

[classic33]

Got my frame powder coated at work, shotblasted as well, for nowt. That was in '86, still looks okay now.

It's like any other paint job. There's good and bad ones, whichever method is used.

Got the chance, I'd not hesitate in getting it done again. Just make wooden plugs for the bottom bracket and headtube. The paint won't stick to the wood.

 

[Specialeyes]

Mrs Spesh's Nigel Dean was powder coated last year and she was chuffed with the result. It still looks great too.

Mrs Spesh's Nigel Dean World Tour 1

• Specialeyes
• 7 Aug 2017
• 1

Freshly back from the powder coaters and rebuilt

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I've had bikes powder-coated in the past

My old (early 90's) work-bike, & the CX bike of the same time (Paul Milnes 653) were both done
Same company, same colour

Without good masking, it's a bugger to clear any threads afterwards, maybe put bolts in bottle mounts/'guard mounts (just don't screw completely in)

It does peel though, after impact...……………….
(March 1997)



As did the CX, after I sold it on, & the purchaser wrote it off during (I believe) the Three Peaks CX

 

[Globalti]

Why don't you take the frame down to the very excellent Neil at Atlantic Boulevard in Bury and explain the problem? I bet he can come up with an affordable solution for you and you'll get a superb job. He can also restore the decals.

 

[Black Sheep]

I think I've spoken to Atlantic Boulevard before, the quote was £300, well out of budget unfortunately