Here is my opinion.
I have had bikes powder coated. My hill topper I had them powder coated because I did the best restorations on it as I possibly could. I ride it around very little. I wanted the bike to look like it does now 20 years from now. I spent a lot of cash on restoring it and wanted to protect my investment with a quality finish. My hill topper frame, forks, swing arm, covers, engine blower housing, and rims are powder coated. I did that 2 years ago, and right now it looks exactly like it did when I put it together.
For my riders, and bikes I abuse, I paint. Because its really not a big deal to tear them down and paint. They don't have original parts or very few. I don't care if I scratch them up.
Depends on what you want to do. Are you building a show bike or are you building a riders.
I have had bikes powder coated. My hill topper I had them powder coated because I did the best restorations on it as I possibly could. I ride it around very little. I wanted the bike to look like it does now 20 years from now. I spent a lot of cash on restoring it and wanted to protect my investment with a quality finish. My hill topper frame, forks, swing arm, covers, engine blower housing, and rims are powder coated. I did that 2 years ago, and right now it looks exactly like it did when I put it together.
For my riders, and bikes I abuse, I paint. Because its really not a big deal to tear them down and paint. They don't have original parts or very few. I don't care if I scratch them up.
Depends on what you want to do. Are you building a show bike or are you building a riders.
Paint: I know a lot of us use cheap stuff from chain autoparts stores that tries to sell itself off as viable automotive paint. Go in and buy a pint of ppg, reducer, catalyst, then the clear, reducer and catalyst for that, and stand by for sticker shock. So what kind of paint are you refering to? Spray paint, duplicolor in a can, two stage, or single stage acrylic? I spend over $300 per mini bike paint job on paint and consumables.
Powder Coat: For a truely artistic, and eye popping result, powder coat is not it. No offense to the folks who do this, and we know that current PC applications can yield some very nice finishes. But it will never be on a par with a quality paint job. You don't see quarter million dollar hotrods painted with it. However PC gives you a very good finish, with superior wear resistance. PLUS, a Powder Coater is blasting your bike first.
I paint all of my bikes, and I ride all of them. I do not ride them in mud, or keep them outside, and I currently have a scratch to deal with that will require complicated touch up with paint. If it would have been PC, it probably wouldn't have scratched in the first place.
Powder Coat: For a truely artistic, and eye popping result, powder coat is not it. No offense to the folks who do this, and we know that current PC applications can yield some very nice finishes. But it will never be on a par with a quality paint job. You don't see quarter million dollar hotrods painted with it. However PC gives you a very good finish, with superior wear resistance. PLUS, a Powder Coater is blasting your bike first.
I paint all of my bikes, and I ride all of them. I do not ride them in mud, or keep them outside, and I currently have a scratch to deal with that will require complicated touch up with paint. If it would have been PC, it probably wouldn't have scratched in the first place.
^^ no offense taken, and I agree as this mindset is the very reason I do powder work. Its an art to me and a science, I do stuff with powder that just isnt found everywhere.
Example, I media blast then wet sand super smooth everything I do, prep is the key to clean, crisp work, then powder knowledge and how each color flows, and then again, it might be the $5k gun I use, I dunno.
I dont do patio furniture, I do show quality work. There is a difference:thumbsup:
wait till you see what I am doing to the Bonanza I tore down a week or so ago :smile:
Example, I media blast then wet sand super smooth everything I do, prep is the key to clean, crisp work, then powder knowledge and how each color flows, and then again, it might be the $5k gun I use, I dunno.
I dont do patio furniture, I do show quality work. There is a difference:thumbsup:
wait till you see what I am doing to the Bonanza I tore down a week or so ago :smile:
With the degree of detail you apply to your PC work, the labor costs add up if someone is paying you for your time. Of course the degree of prep work also applies to paint costs. NO painter wants a dicey prep job, and I have cut some corners in prep, and paid the price later. But most of my bikes are show quality, or flawless paint jobs- not too difficult with 7/8 frames, lol.
If I could PC as easily as I paint, I'd use PC on a few of my bikes for durability.
If I could PC as easily as I paint, I'd use PC on a few of my bikes for durability.
Thats gonna hold true for anyone looking to get something done locally as well.....I just found that out the hard way with my Bonanza frame I just had done. Its not a bad job, but its not what I expected compared to my last guy that did powdercoating for me which is now gone, and they raked me over the coals price wise.
If your gonna have it done I would look for a shop doing auto and custom stuff, more so than an outfit pushing big commercial work.
If your gonna have it done I would look for a shop doing auto and custom stuff, more so than an outfit pushing big commercial work.
There's no moisture when painting either.....or you did it wrong and you're going to have to do it again. A paint booth is as dry as an oven, though the bake cycle isn't quite as high. Here where I paint, the humidy is about 9%. I can and do leave bare metal around, and it does not rust. Pretty neat deal.
I use rattle can etching primer. Works as good as anything else I've used. For paint, I use either a single stage DuPont, (cheaper) or a two stage PPG or DuPont. (Not cheaper) Lots of guys here use rattle cans, or readily availbable single stage from autoparts stores. But those methods are not comparable with powder or catalyzed paint.
I use rattle can etching primer. Works as good as anything else I've used. For paint, I use either a single stage DuPont, (cheaper) or a two stage PPG or DuPont. (Not cheaper) Lots of guys here use rattle cans, or readily availbable single stage from autoparts stores. But those methods are not comparable with powder or catalyzed paint.
thats the dilema i had, I will not use rattle cans, the paint sucks, poor shine, soft and vulnerable to gasoline. The self ethching primer is good.... I just didnt want to go through the setup of using hardener and a spray gun, so i went with powder....left it to someone else.
Plus around here its regularly 80% humid...
Plus around here its regularly 80% humid...
I hear ya on the humidity. I used to custom paint HD tins in Japan. High humidity, and about half the time I experienced fogging. I was using acrylic lacquer, so I had to rub between coats anyway. Time consuming as hell.
Even on the single stage DuPont, I use a bit of catalyst, though none is required. (8:1) On parts that I know will see gasoline spills, I clear coat with a 2:1 urethane. I haven't found anything in a rattle can that is fuel proof. (yet)
If I didn't have the means to paint, (tools, equipment, or weather/booth) I'd definitely send frames in for powder coat. Heck, you get a sand blast job, and a durable finish for less than the cost of painting and you don't have to clean paint guns, and clay bar the pickup you "thought" wouldn't get overspray. LOL.
I have a bike I'm slowly restoring that may be my first PC bike. Black, candy red, and a bit of chrome. As nice as Tex's jobs are, I might be better off sending it to him. :thumbsup:
Even on the single stage DuPont, I use a bit of catalyst, though none is required. (8:1) On parts that I know will see gasoline spills, I clear coat with a 2:1 urethane. I haven't found anything in a rattle can that is fuel proof. (yet)
If I didn't have the means to paint, (tools, equipment, or weather/booth) I'd definitely send frames in for powder coat. Heck, you get a sand blast job, and a durable finish for less than the cost of painting and you don't have to clean paint guns, and clay bar the pickup you "thought" wouldn't get overspray. LOL.
I have a bike I'm slowly restoring that may be my first PC bike. Black, candy red, and a bit of chrome. As nice as Tex's jobs are, I might be better off sending it to him. :thumbsup: