powder coating

[eddie]

Going to send my frame to apc powder coating in January

What preping do I need to do
Any advice welcome

[cobbadiggabuddyblooo]

Personally I would go for a good 2pac.
I used to think powder coating was the ducks nuts but I now understand why most of your metal furniture is powder coated as it's cheap to do.
I had the Triumph frame powder coated and it didn't take too much to chip the paint.
Repairing it was a going to be a pain in the butt so I learnt from that one.
I was told later too that it will oxidise easier and fade if left in the sun.

Finish was not as glossy either as the 2 pac finish like I have now and it stood up to the rebuild really well...
Only thing I wish I had done was place a small clear plastic strip on the frame as the hard plastic edge on my boots have worn through the paint. Touches up easy though with a little nail polish and not noticeable until I do another 2,000km..
But that's just from my own personal experience and others may disagree

[Rich]

6 of one half a dozen of the other. Personally I would go for paint too but not for chipping or UV stability reasons.

The blasting that is done for powder coating will take the frame numbers off the headstock. I had to borrow the stamps from work and restamp them.
Also with the frame being quite intricate it didn't seem to flow correctly when cured, maybe due to cold spots / uneven temps in the oven and some parts were Ok and some needed cutting back with T-Cut to polish.

With both methods stick some old bolts in the holes, cover the VIN plate in masking tape to protect it and then drill the heads off the rivets to remove.
Remove the bearings from the headstock, degrease and make some bungs to stop the grit wrecking the bearing surface. If you want the bungs I made up and the threaded rod I think I still have them in the scrap bin. Pay post I will chuck them in a jiffy bag, just let me know and I'll have a look.

[eddie]

Thanks for the offer rich I might take you up on that

I thought powder was pretty robust and unscrachable
Would a 2pac be expensive compared with powder

[Rod.s]

Thanks for the offer rich I might take you up on that

I thought powder was pretty robust and unscrachable
Would a 2pac be expensive compared with powder

No matter what you decide to go with the finish needs to be of an industrial standard to cope with the fuels/oils/fluids/stones/little children etc, a correctly applied powder coat finish is just as good as a well applied polyurethane finish. Generally the finish applied to tanks/fairings etc is softer and will damage a lot quicker than an industrial finish.

Powder coat is robust until it is compromised then filiform corrosion can take hold. 2 part industrial polyurethane is just as good and if applied with an electrostatic spray gun will be robust and should be cheaper, as there is (generally) no requirement to cure it at an elevated temperature (around 200c for powder coat). You can cure polyurethane at an elevated temperature but this is generally at temperatures bellow 80c. During cold winters or high humidity etc are good examples