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I have done up a few steel bicycles and am wondering if anyone has tips on a good clear coat that I can use. I have some spray on polyurethane that works okay, but in the past it has turned yellowish after 4 or 5 months. I just did an s3 frame that looks nice now you can see it is the one to the right. The one on the left you can see has some yellowing.Any ideas for a cheap alternative to finishing bike frames that will stand up to new york weather?Thanks in advance.Last edited by newlincoln; 05-20-2011 at 06:50 PM.
Reply:They make clear powder coat. A bicycle frame might cost $50 or $100 to do.
Reply:I've owned two brooklyn machine work racelink frames. Mine were powdercoated a color but my friends had their frames powdercoated gloss clear over raw metal. Looked awesome.
Reply:you could also try a automotive paint shop and ask then about clear coating them when they do the next car
Reply:Dupli Color Engine Enamel. $5.00 at O'reillys. stuff works great and is a ceramic clear coat. good up to 500 degreesRide it like you stole it!
Reply:Originally Posted by shanemyou could also try a automotive paint shop and ask then about clear coating them when they do the next car
Reply:I just did a set of Magnesium wheels with the POR-15 2 part clear. It is designed for that sort of thing. I did an aluminum windshield frame several years ago and it still looks good:
Reply:i sprayed a friends bmx frame about 4 years ago with a automotive clear and it is still holding up and a good paint guy will not run the clear even on a tube unless he is a crap painter and there is no need bake in a paint booth almost all automotive clears can be sanded and buffed in 12hrs some can be done in as little as 4hrs yes the adhesion promoter that was shown may help but i don't think it would be needed. as far as price from a body shop it shouldn't really cost all that much they will have like $10 in product if that and maybe 10min of there time if they are already spraying clear. also powder coat will chip very easy if the base material is not sandblasted to a very rough finish
Reply:Thanks for all the replies. I have bikes that are powdercoated but what in the world is powdercoat?I know it is paint and most bike companies do it and so on, but... I guess it doesnt matter what it actually is. Im just wondering if I can do it with my compressor at home and my atomizer bodyshop type gun. If powdercoat is a good way to do it, does anyone know where a good place to get clear powder would be? anyway, all the advice is good and Im really greatful as always everyone took the time to reply. For the bicycle people out there I got pretty decent results using1) about 38 amps out of the invertec for most of the s3 stuff which is .05mm at the ends.2) a little more on the are Henry James dropouts which are really strong but also heavy.3) er70s2 .035 which I think will move up to .045 next timeLast edited by newlincoln; 05-20-2011 at 06:50 PM.
Reply:here is a closeup of the headtube downtube weld. I still cant do great welds consistently, (cosmetically) but they are strong enough. Thanks for all the advice from people on the forum.Last edited by newlincoln; 05-20-2011 at 06:50 PM.
Reply:powder coat is not a paint. it is a powder that is statically drawn onto the part and baked on the powder basically melts . for more info check out eastwood. Powdercoat can not be done with normal paint gun u need a powder coat gun.
Reply:Simple version: Finely ground polymer powder, applied with a low pressure gun of sorts. Powder particles are positively charged and the piece to be coated are neg. charged. Powder sticks to surface of piece, piece goes in oven around 450* and melts, forming a solid coating. Google for more detail.PC is nice, tough and surprisingly flexible, so it's good for bike frames. ( I give the hanging wire to clients, for them to bend away at, that ask about toughness)One caution when clear PC'ing is NOT TO TOUCH THE METAL WITH BARE HANDS!!!!! ( experience talking!!) You'll get nice little rusty finger prints under the coating. Wipe the frame down with acetone or get the PC'er to wipe it down with their favorite elixir. Having it already hanging on wires is good as once clean, it can be moved around without having to be touched.You can PC at home, in a regular kitchen oven, but it'll stink and piss-off co-inhabitants when they cook next!! You can buy a little gun kit and small quantities of powder for DIY. But unless your frame is going to be a hell of a folder, you're better of finding a few local art metal, railing builder or motorcycle builder guys and asking whom they like. Tell the PC'er you're looking for a quality job and can pay cash if that helps their beer fund.As a side note, to give you something to play with. I use a Sharpie marker to sign my art stuff. It doesn't affect my clear powder coat and shows up good under the clear PC. So you can hand sign and date your frames for that extra som'in'-som'in'!! Note: unsure how it will hold up in the sun light. Don't know if the PC with save it from UV's or not.........? Originally Posted by newlincolnThanks for all the replies. I have bikes that are powdercoated but what in the world is powdercoat?I know it is paint and most bike companies do it and so on, but... I guess it doesn't matter what it actually is. Im just wondering if I can do it with my compressor at home and my atomizer bodyshop type gun. If powdercoat is a good way to do it, does anyone know where a good place to get clear powder would be? anyway, all the advice is good and Im really greatful as always everyone took the time to reply. For the bicycle people out there I got pretty decent results using1) about 38 amps out of the invertec for most of the s3 stuff which is .05mm at the ends.2) a little more on the are Henry James dropouts which are really strong but also heavy.3) er70s2 .035 which I think will move up to .045 next time
Reply:Newlincoln,I am also a bicycle enthusiast, how did you get started with building your own frames? This is something that interests me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Nice jobjalexl
Reply:I started out just chopping up old bikes and mitring the tubes on a grinder. I cut little pieces off, about 1.5 inches at a time with a mitre on one end and weld that on to another secion of the tube. good for practicing how to mitre and weld also. Also, if you have an acdc set up get some aluminum plate and practice with beads on that. It took me a while to get around to this but I wish I had done it sooner. What are you using to weld and how is your shop set up? I can help a little bit with the basics, but there are guys in this forum who have forgotten more then I know. Anyways, I can help with the simple things that I have done that allowed me to build straight frames that I ride around NYC on.Also, I just started a company for bike frames. The goal isnt to make much money, just build good frames for a little above the cost of the materials....just enough income to fund my bicycle and welding addictions!
Reply:I started out just chopping up old bikes and mitring the tubes on a grinder. I cut little pieces off, about 1.5 inches at a time with a mitre on one end and weld that on to another secion of the tube. good for practicing how to mitre and weld also. Also, if you have an acdc set up get some aluminum plate and practice with beads on that. It took me a while to get around to this but I wish I had done it sooner. What are you using to weld and how is your shop set up? I can help a little bit with the basics, but there are guys in this forum who have forgotten more then I know. Anyways, I can help with the simple things that I have done that allowed me to build straight frames that I ride around NYC on.Also, I just started a company for bike frames. The goal isnt to make much money, just build good frames for a little above the cost of the materials....just enough income to fund my bicycle and welding addictions!
Reply:Eastwood sells a product called Diamond Clear. I used it to put a protective coat on automotive aluminum and stainless trim. It worked pretty well, is pretty tough. Though not nearly as tough as powder coat. If you are looking for a truly tough finish, I'd go with the powder coat if you can get it within your budget. If you have the room in your shop, you might even be able to build your own oven big enough to do the bike frames, using components from an old oven.
Reply:Thanks for the oven Idea. I was thinking about buying a used jet air pizza oven, but they are a little expensive. I do have an oven in the basement, but had not thought of making it bigger. It is one of those hotpoint ovens that home depot sells. Any suggestions for a safeish modification to make it big enough for bike frames?Last edited by newlincoln; 05-20-2011 at 06:50 PM.
Reply:You can usually pick up pick up electric ranges/ovens for next to nothing. You might even be able to get what you need from your local appliance dealer from ovens that they take out. I would think you would need at least a couple of heating elements. The insulation is pretty cheap. I think they call it rock wool. If you google Powder coat oven build, you should get a lot of hits. here is one that I think looks like what you would need: http://www.machinebuilders.net/plans...at%20Oven1.pdfIt uses four elements.I do mostly small automotive parts, so I use a standard electric oven, and add a fixture if I need just a bit bigger. It's called a pregnant oven. I just don't get the best performance in the addition part of the oven. If you are doing bike frames, I would think something like above would be perfect. Looks like the guy built it for about $300.
Reply:So the Eastwood gun looks pretty good for 100 dollars. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYkYDXsXDEI[/ame]is a good video for an intro Thanks for pointing me to eastwood.
Reply:I've had Eastwood's original gun for 3 or 4 years. I bought the kit, which gives you some powder, and some of the stuff you'll need to get going. Great for a beginner. I can't comment on the other guns, never used em. I don't know if something the size of a bike frame needs more current or not. You might want to send a PM to Matt from Eastwood, he can probably answer questions for you. There are at least a couple of other manufacturers out there too, including HF, Caswell Plating and Summit Racing, just to name a few. Again, I have no experience with those guys.One of the features that I like with Eastwood's system is the bottles of powder screw right onto the gun, then when you're done, you just put the lid back on. you can buy bigger bottles that can be transferred to the smaller bottles.
Reply:my frame prior to new powdercoating. Here is probably the best powdercoater in the country for bicycle frames.http://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/p...ollection&id=4Last edited by Jimmy_pop; 03-02-2011 at 07:43 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by jalexlNewlincoln,I am also a bicycle enthusiast, how did you get started with building your own frames? This is something that interests me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Nice jobjalexl
Reply:Just occurred to me.....there is a rattle can product called Permalac. You can get it from .....http://www.sculptnouveau.com/Details...=46&category=7I haven't used it myself, but from others, on a different site, it's highly regarded as good stuff. Having read that you're doing this just to feed the need, sorta speak, and aren't doing it for profit( yet.....), I assume you want to keep the out of pocket cost as low as possible.(?) If you use a descent, vary common, off the shelf brand of rattle can clear coat, then it makes it easy for you and "clients" to do touch ups. Just food for thought. I used to use Tremclad, but am about to return a couple cases worth as they have messed with their formula and nozzle. I've had a spray malfunction rate of 80% and the new formula is too thin and doesn't cover worth a $hit. Very disappointed!!!! I buy this stuff multiple cases at a time. Not any more........Just as an aside. If you're in the US, I'd caution building and selling frames unless you a 1000% sure of your work and have a disclaimer in place. Every ambulance-chaser lawyer town will set up a stand outside your shop handing out cards to future clients. I've twice seen first hand what a broken off head tube can do to a chest and face. Not pretty......OK....nuff serious talk....back to the fun...........200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jimmy_popmy frame prior to new powdercoating.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jimmy_popmy frame prior to new powdercoating. Here is probably the best powdercoater in the country for bicycle frames.http://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/p...ollection&id=4Originally Posted by bert the welderhttp://www.atomiczombie.com/.......please don't blame me for the time you spend on this site and not getting other stuff done!!It's not real precision stuff, but good for a start with minimal tools. Have fun!
Reply:Originally Posted by newlincolnI started out just chopping up old bikes and mitring the tubes on a grinder. I cut little pieces off, about 1.5 inches at a time with a mitre on one end and weld that on to another secion of the tube. good for practicing how to mitre and weld also. Also, if you have an acdc set up get some aluminum plate and practice with beads on that. It took me a while to get around to this but I wish I had done it sooner. What are you using to weld and how is your shop set up? I can help a little bit with the basics, but there are guys in this forum who have forgotten more then I know. Anyways, I can help with the simple things that I have done that allowed me to build straight frames that I ride around NYC on.Also, I just started a company for bike frames. The goal isnt to make much money, just build good frames for a little above the cost of the materials....just enough income to fund my bicycle and welding addictions!
Reply:check out penetrol http://www.flood.com/paint-additive-...p?productId=11 . Technically it is a "flow promoter" for other paints, but I use it on some of my sculptures. I just brush it on and it lays down nice, leaves a gorgeous gloss, and is only like $20/gallon . I've only just started using it so I can't speak on it's longevity or durability but according to others they love it. We'll see. Use a little japan dryer to speed up the drying times.ars sine scientia nihil est
Reply:Originally Posted by newlincolnI just did an s3 frame that looks nice now you can see it is the one to the right. The one on the left you can see has some yellowing.
Reply:Originally Posted by zoracheck out penetrol http://www.flood.com/paint-additive-...p?productId=11 . Technically it is a "flow promoter" for other paints, but I use it on some of my sculptures. I just brush it on and it lays down nice, leaves a gorgeous gloss, and is only like $20/gallon . I've only just started using it so I can't speak on it's longevity or durability but according to others they love it. We'll see. Use a little japan dryer to speed up the drying times.
Reply:you want long term no fade no crack & no peel, even on polished metal this is the stuff right here not cheap, but the best usually isn'thttp://www.por15.com/GLISTEN-PC/productinfo/GPCGG/miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc.... |
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发表于 2021-8-31 23:40:25