[geeniusatwurk]

Hey my friend's mom's rearset is powdercoated black with red accents, and it looked so sweet i thought I'd do the same. Questions:
1) What's the cost comparison to anodizing and powdercoating?
2)Are there some materials that can't be anodized at all (like aluminum or fiberglass)?
3)Does one look better than the other?

thanks for any help!

 

[MrDigitaL]

I'd like to meet your friends mom ;D

 

[908SSP]

Anodizing is for aluminum doesn't look good on most castings. Powder coating can be used on most things just about anything that can stand up to the 400 degree baking it requires. The stock Monster rearsets would probably be better off powder coated as they are cast. If you really want them anodized they need to be polished first so that would probably double the cost.

 

[geeniusatwurk]

ugh double cost is not good. what would it run for a powdercoat?

 

[Guest]

I'm looking to have a bunch of stuff powdercoated too and also have a question(s). ;D

The parts are already anodised in either gold or red which I need recoated in flat black. Do I need to strip the surfaces to bare alloy first or can they powdercoat over the top?

Also, some parts are threaded for 10mm bolts. Does the powdercoat reduce thread size enough to cause problems with the original mounting hardware?

Can parts like individual bolts, frame plugs etc be coated or are they too small?

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

as alex noted, if the part can withstand 400 degrees for about 20 mins to cure the powder, you're all set. no problems if the part's already anodized. it'll still conduct electricity which is what's required for the powder to adhere to the part once sprayed (positively charged cloud o' powder, attracted to negatively charged part).

for threaded holes, any decent powdercoating shop will plug all threaded holes, and tape off any surface that shouldn't be painted like a bearing race on a wheel.

i USED TO powdercoat but found it to require WAY too much prep-time to be profitable. there's also TONS of powdercoating shops all over the place. if you can find a local shop, ask them if they regularly do automotive stuff, and if they do small batches of parts (as opposed to HUGE lots of parts). do they offer discounts for same-color parts? can you see a sample of their work? etc... if they seem professional, etc..., save your shipping $$$ and have it done locally. if you have no luck finding a good local shop, check out www.firecote.com. looks like a pretty good gig, and they have reasonable prices for moto-bits.

 

[MonsterHooligan]

I'm going to see if my local powdercoater (who does a good job and does small batches)
will set up some special pricing for us.

I'll post back when i know.

 

[DaffeDuc]

anyone ever powdercoat a fuel tank?

 

[Guest]

Daffe,

All the sheet metal on this chopper is powder coated a satin black. This next chopper has the engine rockers, belt drive components, wheels, - well pretty much everything but the fork tubes and wheel spokes are powder coated!

jb

 

[MrDigitaL]

I just did my swingarm and rearsets on my S4.
They told me bolts would scratch so i didn't do them.
I'm going to find some anodized bolts.
The swing arm & rearsets look great.

 

[DaffeDuc]

thinking of doing the same to my swingarm and rear sets.. thanks for the info!

btw, also cool photos! maybe just get the tank powder coated... no worries about scratches anymore!

 

[Guest]

Great info, thanks guys. I'm leaning towards the satin instead of flat now too.

 

[PEDS DOC]

I WAS NEW TO POWDERCOATING APPROX 2MONTHS AGO WHEN MY DEALER SUGGESTED THAT I GET MY WHEELS POWDERCOATED BLACK. (SATIN) THE COOLEST THING THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. I GET 10 TIMES MOR COMPLIMENTS ABOUT THE WHEELS NOW. GO FOR THE POWDERCOAT.

 

[Guest]

maybe just get the tank powder coated... no worries about scratches anymore!

careful daffe... powdercoated paint is plenty durable, but i definately wouldn't consider it scratch-proof. likely MUCH more durable than the "dark" paint ducati uses, but again... it CAN be scratched.

 

[bartmanS4]

Hey my friend's mom's rearset is powdercoated black with red accents, and it looked so sweet

Please post a picture of Stacy's Mom's "Rearset". She's got it goin' on!


Seriously though, what kind of prep work is necessary for powdercoating?

 

[DaffeDuc]

careful daffe... powdercoated paint is plenty durable, but i definately wouldn't consider it scratch-proof. likely MUCH more durable than the "dark" paint ducati uses, but again... it CAN be scratched.

but is it more durable than regular paint jobs? (the ones that are done correctly)

 

[Guest]

What I've heard, actually from the guys at Exile Cycles, is that until it's fully cured (? days) it scratches fairly easily. In fact, they say not to wipe it with anything because you'll get millions of tiny dust scratches dulling the finish - that is until it's fully cured. ( I want to say 28 days, but thats for concrete . . .) Once it's cured however, it is much superior to paint.

I had a horse run into a powder coated gate - the gate was totalled, all bent up, but the powder coat still looked perfect. (the horse only had one small scratch)

jb

 

[Guest]

Seriously though, what kind of prep work is necessary for powdercoating?

surface has to be absolutely clean. if there are any impurities, they will boil out of the metal's surface at the temps required for powder to cure. as they're boiling out, they'll leave "bubbles" or "pin-holes" in the finish & it looks like [email protected]

when powdering, i'd, clean the parts with a degreaser, then sand-blast them, then acetone. then you also have to plug any tapped holes, tape off bearing races, etc... the environment it's done in should be as dust-free as reasonably possible as well. you also can't handle the parts once the powder's applied since before curing, it's litterally a dust that's held onto the surface by static electricity. you touch it? you gotta blow it off the part and start over. finally, if there's anything IN the part that won't stand the 400 degrees, you gotta take it off (bearings for example), and be prepared to replace it upon cooling of the part.

i used to charge $40 to powdercoat a dry clutch pressure plate for example. for the time it took to do one unit, i should've been charging $80! but then again... who'd pay that much?... that's why i terminated it. but there's plenty of big-houses that do this work for plenty cheap!!

 

[DaffeDuc]

... so I'd be out of a fuel tank for about 1 month? not sure if I can handle that unless I get another smashed tank to ride around with.