powdercoat question

[marciero]

Can powdercoat be spot sanded/filed, brazed, as in add braze-ons, and re-powdercoated without having to be completely stripped?

[eBAUMANN]

Can powdercoat be spot sanded/filed, brazed, as in add braze-ons, and re-powdercoated without having to be completely stripped?

thats a good question...

potential issues include:

- blending the 2 layers in such a way that it doesnt look terrible
- adverse effects of putting the frame/original finish back in the oven again for the new finish...could potentially create problems/cracks/etc etc

depending on the area of the frame and the color, it make actually be easier to paint the modified area.
ride it around, it might last, it might not, but it would be easier/cheaper/totally safe for the existing finish.

worst case, it lasts 6 months and then you need to re-do it or get the whole thing re-powdered.

[bicycletricycle]

we have had this done many times on projects we work on (not bicycles) it seems to work fine but it does get thick.

[Hindmost]

There are some rattle-can, wet paints available that match certain powder coat colors. So touch up is possible.

[11.4]

The answer is yes, badly. If you're talking a frame, you'll have very obvious layering and if it's a lugged frame, any work will really obscure the lugs. If there's any pattern, it won't look like the original.

Now I've seen some powdercoat masters who can touch up really well, but they are rare. Remember that the powdercoat has to stick magnetically to the metal and then fuse to it. That doesn't quite happen as well when there's a preexisting coat on the metal. You can do dual layer powder coats using some specialty base coats, but that's about it.

You might consider doing a spray (wet paint) clear coat over the existing powder. A clear coat can minimize the effect of a lot of flaws in the powdercoat. It really depends on how bad your damage is.

In the end, if you want it to look right, any powdercoater can blast the frame to bare metal and most will insist on doing so -- they don't want to have you reject the job because they didn't prep the frame correctly. It isn't that much extra cost compared to setting up a powder and spraying it. And you'll find that it's hard to do a powder to powder match so close that even the colors will blend in -- not just color but also any surface texture or sheen.

[marciero]

So sounds like a qualified yes. Is a custom fork, brand new. The builder forgot braze-on tabs for a front rack. I did email him asking if he could "fix it" and he responded simply "send it back". I'm going to trust that whatever he does will be of an acceptable level of quality. Is reputable builder, and though there were some long delays on the fork I am probably going to have him build the frame to go with it, which was the original plan.

[11.4]

So sounds like a qualified yes. Is a custom fork, brand new. The builder forgot braze-on tabs for a front rack. I did email him asking if he could "fix it" and he responded simply "send it back". I'm going to trust that whatever he does will be of an acceptable level of quality. Is reputable builder, and though there were some long delays on the fork I am probably going to have him build the frame to go with it, which was the original plan.

My response, at least, was a qualified no. If he's going to fix it, for a front rack, he's probably just going to strip the fork and redo it. I wouldn't worry about it if he's really a reputable builder.

[marciero]

My response, at least, was a qualified no. If he's going to fix it, for a front rack, he's probably just going to strip the fork and redo it. I wouldn't worry about it if he's really a reputable builder.

Trust, etc. Am letting go...