Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

My Father in Law's 1949 O'Mara Track bike.

Powder Coating done at Mr Kleen - Padstow NSW. These guys are quick & Cheap! The last frame I had done there cost me just $75 +GST, for an Aluminium GT, MTB frame (no forks) Blast and Coat.
Chrome work done by Albury Electroplaters - Albury NSW. I just sent the parts down through Aust Post. The job is faultless! These guys still put Copper down first (many dont now). The price was very reasonable.

rollin wrote:

Blue chrome are excellent in Sydney, say $120 for bars

My experiences were quite the opposite. They ruined more than half the parts I had taken to them, discarded all the particular notes and instructions I had left them and even though I was happy to pay extra as I expected a top quality job I was treated in a condescending and disrespectful manner and still charged for the parts that were ruined.

I couldn't recommend them any less.

Is there much of a weight penalty for powdercoating these frames over spraying?

6 of one half a dozen of the other I suspect. I've never picked up a powdercoated frame and noticed it feeling heavier than a similar painted frame.

there is the weight penalty of baggage you'll carry for ruining a beautiful lightweight frameset by powdercoating it.

Had my aluminium roadie frame media blasted and coated at Mr Kleen, in Sydney. Cost $95 for a blast and coat of the frame. Job was well done, although make sure that you or get your LBS to clean the threads and tubes, especially at the BB shell.

munga wrote:there is the weight penalty of baggage you'll carry for ruining a beautiful lightweight frameset by powdercoating it.

I agree. Paint when building up nice frames, powdercoat when turd polishing.

Just looking for a bit of advice, and it seemed in the same vein as this thread.

I've got a frame I'm looking to strip and paint, mostly because of surface rust and flaking paint. It's a Shogun made of Tange Prestige tubing, which is only 0.4mm thick the middle. I'm a bit worried that regular sandblasting might damage the tubes. Has anyone had experience with blasting lightweight tubing? I spoke to Precision Powder Coating, who have done quite a few bikes, and they were a bit iffy, said that they wouldn't be comfortable sandblasting it.

I contacted a few soda blasting places, but I was looking at around $150 just for stripping. I know this isn't a cheap hobby, should I just suck it up and pay? Or try and do it myself? Or just let it rust?

Powder coat is only as bad as the guys doing it.
I have seen some ok ones, I would still choose powder coat over rattle can, rattle caning frames just never works,
The only problem with powder coat is that it's super thick and you lose your detail

Munga has laid on rattle can jobs which far exceed the quality of some powder coats I've seen. But you're right, [insert method here] is only as bad as the guys doing it.

TedDancin wrote:Just looking for a bit of advice, and it seemed in the same vein as this thread.

I've got a frame I'm looking to strip and paint, mostly because of surface rust and flaking paint. It's a Shogun made of Tange Prestige tubing, which is only 0.4mm thick the middle. I'm a bit worried that regular sandblasting might damage the tubes. Has anyone had experience with blasting lightweight tubing? I spoke to Precision Powder Coating, who have done quite a few bikes, and they were a bit iffy, said that they wouldn't be comfortable sandblasting it.

I contacted a few soda blasting places, but I was looking at around $150 just for stripping. I know this isn't a cheap hobby, should I just suck it up and pay? Or try and do it myself? Or just let it rust?

You can get different grades of blasting media (to cater for the massive variation in uses, from taking off chunks of rust from pig iron to fine detail work) and if I was doing the blasting myself I would be confident that a mild grade with lower than normal air pressure and a gentle hand would be fine.

But if you didn't have your own sandblasting cabinet, I would just hand sand it, that way you know you can't go wrong (well you can but it would take some effort!) Given, as you say, the tubing is only 0.4mm thick, leaving the rust to get any worse is not exactly desirable.

Dan wrote:Munga has laid on rattle can jobs which far exceed the quality of some powder coats I've seen. But you're right, [insert method here] is only as bad as the guys doing it.

+100
started rattle canning several frames myself, and although i consider myself fairly handy in several fields, came to the realisation that in spray painting.... im not ! stubborness and many frames to restore dictates i must persevere, but if i had only one frame in a limited time frame .... and if the frame was mediocre - PC would do just fine. A nice frame (im building up to a 653 Aussie built frame), then practice makes perfect (or close enough), plus i WANT to do a nice garage done job.

from what i have seen Dan, from your europa + viner frames - they turned out a treat, and i wish i had your turn of hand for the black art .

thanks, dan. i think the key is knowing how many passes is 'enough' for each coat.

Remember there's other less aggressive blasting methods like water blasting and soda blasting. I tried the Caboolture powdercoaters that Scotty recommended and was quite happy, $77 for a blast, prime and then colour coat. The finish was a little orange peely in a couple of spots but otherwise came up not too bad and like Scott says they do a few frames so they go easy on any threads, the only bits I had to clean up to get bits to fit was inside the seat tube and the gear lever stubs on the down tube.

Has anyone ever had any paint eye matched to "touch up" a frame? I've had paint mixed and matched for a car, but there must be a place that would be cheaper than $100 a litre...and I don't need a litre!

You can sand blast yourself with very little expense. I bought a blast gun from Supercheap for about $20 and use fine bedding sand from the hardware shop. It works fine.

re: rattle canning, the secret is in the prep. Surface must be absolutely grease free - including fingerprints.

Another secret is to warm the can by standing in a sink of hot water - as hot as you can stand. It boosts pressure and thins the paint nicely. Then, multiple THIN coats. Invert can and press to clear nozzle between uses.

I used to paint R/C car bodies and even won a concours trophy for my work ... once!

morini wrote:You can sand blast yourself with very little expense. I bought a blast gun from Supercheap for about $20 and use fine bedding sand from the hardware shop. It works fine.

Ooh interesting, I had no idea stuff was available that cheaply, I've used the blast cabinet at my work but it only just fits a frame so is very awkward.
I'll chase it up, thanks for the tip.

trailgumby wrote:re: rattle canning, the secret is in the prep. Surface must be absolutely grease free - including fingerprints.

Another secret is to warm the can by standing in a sink of hot water - as hot as you can stand. It boosts pressure and thins the paint nicely. Then, multiple THIN coats. Invert can and press to clear nozzle between uses.

I used to paint R/C car bodies and even won a concours trophy for my work ... once!

This. Always work for me too.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

silicosis. just sayin'.
try baking soda for delicate work, or go to somewhere like blastmaster, and buy a bag of the right stuff, like illmenite.

With a bit of dicking around You can probably use any of the common blast medias like glass, soda etc. I use bedding sand because it's dry, dry, dry.

I have had a motorcycle engine done by a mobile soda blaster in my back yard. It does a pretty good job but isn't anywhere as aggressive as glass beads or sand. As someone pointed out, it is good for delicate work and only leaves a residue of bicarb. I chose it to do an engine because it saved me pulling the motor apart and meant that the only prep I had to do was seal the engine. Left a huge patch of dead grass where we did it. Got to love that in Queensland......less to mow.

I like the rattle can tip. Sounds like there's going to be dozens of push bike frame "paint workshops" springing up all over Australia. Watch out Cosgrove.

morini wrote:With a bit of dicking around You can probably use any of the common blast medias like glass, soda etc. I use bedding sand because it's dry, dry, dry.

Did you build a cabinet? How do you stop all the media going everywhere ... ?

I couldn't be bothered building one so it goes everywhere. Sand's cheap.

morini wrote:I couldn't be bothered building one so it goes everywhere. Sand's cheap.

Haha ... I hope you wear goggles and gloves etc etc that can be a little dangerous.
Plus the Mrs. would kill me bringing all that sand in the house !!!

In the house????? I do it behind the shed.....