Powder Coating or Spray Paint

D

dos

New Member
Hello All,

I am resurrecting a cb500 four. I am going to take the frame to get sand blasted.

The price of that is $100. Originally it was $125 but I bargained.

The Price of Sand Blast and Powder Coat is $225

I am 21 and broke. I should be saving my money on other things but I really want to turn this into a cafe racer without gouging my pockets.. Is it worth the powder coating or could I just buy some primer and black spray paint?

I don't want to have to worry about the frame after this for a very long time.. and hopefully I can put the bike back together again..Maybe I could bargain to 200 for the job?

Let me know what you think. I have no problem just getting it sand blasted and putting on primer and such but I heard powder coating is "awesome" and Lasts longer.. but is it worth the price and I've also heard spray painting is still fine.. HELP lol
 
If you paint the frame, it needs clear. Real clear, not Wal-Mart rattle can clear.
 
You can easily touch up or redo paint on the tank and bodywork by taking it off. The frame is another story, and you want it protected well. I would spend your money on that to have a solid foundation to work from.

And it will hold up indefinitely. You'll spend once.
 
So you're saying powder coating will be the better option and to spend more coin? Ok yeah i might do that but what is so bad about buy primer and laying down acouple coats of black on the frame
 
$125 if pretty damn cheap to have a frame powder coated, I'd do that. But out of curiosity, did you even try getting the bike to run before you tore it down? I've seen a lot of people jump right in and tear everything apart before they even have a clue of what they need. They put the bike all back together after all the paint and add on parts only to find out it doesn't even run and don't know what to do to get it running.

And just my 2 cents here........ I don't know what your "budget" is, but if you are already having trouble coming up with $225 for blasting and powder coat, you are in for a rude awakening. I don't think I've ever spent less than about $1800 restoring a bike. Parts add up really fast. I've been working on and riding my bike for about 3 years, and it still isn't completely finished. But here are all of my receipts that I am scared to add up. I know it's well over $2K, maybe even $3K.





 
+1 on the rude awakening. Building or restoring get a bike is not for the faint of wallet. I rebuilt a 78 Kawasaki two years ago and estimate I spent about $3,500 to get it torn down, put back together and running after sitting for a long time. I just found out I have a worn out camshaft and had to spend another several hundred dollars on machining and new parts.

As to the original question, I had my frame powder coated and it came with a lot of problems like parts not fitting because of the thickness of the powder coating and cracking and flaking when certain parts were torqued to spec. My personal preference now is for a good paint job on frames, but don't undertake it yourself, it has to be done right in order not to rust. Expect to pay several hundred for a proper job.

Good luck with it. These projects are trials of patience and solvency.
 
+2 on the cost. Including the bikes, I'm going to have about $1,300 each in the two bikes I am building now. And that is with me being able to do all of the necessary machine work, body work fabrication, engine work, and paint in house. I'd be at, or over, the $3,000 mark if I had to pay for everything.
 
If you are going to put it all back together exactly like it was, go ahead with the powder coat. The prices you are quoting are great, at least for Florida where I live. Powder is generally fairly thick so re-tap threads, ream out holes and generally take the coating into consideration when you bolt it back together. Remember that the engine is electrically grounded to the chassis so make sure there is bare metal under ground wires, or at mounting surfaces if that is electrical path. Of course this would all apply to paint as well.

If you think there is any chance at all that you will do any modifications to the bike, just use some cheap spray cans to paint everything so you can complete the bike like you want it and drive it around until you are sure. Then you can take it all back apart and do the powder and everything else to make it pretty. No sense in spending money for powder if you are going to cut anything off or weld anything on and have to do it over.
 
Guy came in to the salvage yard riding a 68 yamaha something or other completely restored he spent 5000+ on re chroming alone. If it runs ride it and enjoy it.
 
Rattle can appliance epoxy for a frame. I have powder coated a few over the years and they are nice but impossible to patch when you scratch it - and you will. It's just a bike. The factory just threw a thin coat of paint on and it was good enough. If you are doing a bike that you intend to ride across country in all weathers, maybe P/C is the way to go, but on a bike that will get modified again and again, paint is the way to go.

It's a budget build - It's really important to spend that cash wisely. On things like tires and cables and things that make it work safely.
 
I used the spray and bake rattle can powder coat for my seat loop in this video ;D ;D ;D :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WJ3ED1WJ1c
 
jpmobius said:
If you are going to put it all back together exactly like it was, go ahead with the powder coat. The prices you are quoting are great, at least for Florida where I live. Powder is generally fairly thick so re-tap threads, ream out holes and generally take the coating into consideration when you bolt it back together. Remember that the engine is electrically grounded to the chassis so make sure there is bare metal under ground wires, or at mounting surfaces if that is electrical path. Of course this would all apply to paint as well.

If you think there is any chance at all that you will do any modifications to the bike, just use some cheap spray cans to paint everything so you can complete the bike like you want it and drive it around until you are sure. Then you can take it all back apart and do the powder and everything else to make it pretty. No sense in spending money for powder if you are going to cut anything off or weld anything on and have to do it over.
Click to expand...


To touch on a few negatives here. Armaundk and jpmobius bring up issues I would only be concerned with if taking your frame to a place that'll blast and coat a frame for as little as $200. A professional powder coater will plug every threaded hole on the frame, mask or cap every stud or exposed thread. I go over the frame with the customer to see if any none threaded holes need plugging for studs to go through or whatever. Powder coating when "applied properly" is usually thinner than paint and it is a misconception that it is "fairly thick". I can do a motorcycle frame in one coat that is between 1.5mil-3mil (.0015"-003"). With paint it usually entails a primer coat or 2 and then multiple coats of paint ending up at around 5-6mil or twice the thickness of a correctly laid coat of powder. And while in some cases it is harder to fix powder coat, the chance of it needing fixing is greatly reduced from the durability that powder can withstand. Scratched powder coating can be sanded and buffed just like paint. Powder coating should be the final step after the build is "complete", everything works, not mods need done. Then you completely disassemble, paint, powder, polish everything and then assemble your show bike condition rider.
 
o1marc said:
To touch on a few negatives here. Armaundk and jpmobius bring up issues I would only be concerned with if taking your frame to a place that'll blast and coat a frame for as little as $200. A professional powder coater will plug every threaded hole on the frame, mask or cap every stud or exposed thread. I go over the frame with the customer to see if any none threaded holes need plugging for studs to go through or whatever. Powder coating when "applied properly" is usually thinner than paint and it is a misconception that it is "fairly thick". I can do a motorcycle frame in one coat that is between 1.5mil-3mil (.0015"-003"). With paint it usually entails a primer coat or 2 and then multiple coats of paint ending up at around 5-6mil or twice the thickness of a correctly laid coat of powder. And while in some cases it is harder to fix powder coat, the chance of it needing fixing is greatly reduced from the durability that powder can withstand. Scratched powder coating can be sanded and buffed just like paint. Powder coating should be the final step after the build is "complete", everything works, not mods need done. Then you completely disassemble, paint, powder, polish everything and then assemble your show bike condition rider.
Click to expand...

Agreed on all counts, however. . . .

In the real world, on a budget, you will be very hard pressed indeed to realize any of it. The fact is that the majority of powder shops are industrial concerns, and the time required to do the custom work described will likely not be present for the prices quoted. And while powder can in fact be applied very thinly, generally it is pretty thick. That does not mean thicker than pro paint, but it is damned hard and the notion that you get your chassis back from ANY coater (or painter, blaster, plater etc) and can go straight to assembling it without checking and cleaning all the threads and critical surfaces is absurd. You can get great work from the right folks, but blindly expecting perfection will doom you to disappointment!

So back to the question at hand, $200+ for the powder is a good option if you are putting it back together as is and leaving it that way. Otherwise, Teazer's suggestion for the appliance paint is a great budget alternative. For the record, I do my own frames in epoxy and urethane - mostly because I do it in my own shop and can tightly control the process. I doubt you could get the same thing done for less than your powder quote. Regardless of what you decide, go over all the threads and other critical surfaces carefully - I do!
 
jpmobius said:
Agreed on all counts, however. . . .

In the real world, on a budget, you will be very hard pressed indeed to realize any of it. The fact is that the majority of powder shops are industrial concerns, and the time required to do the custom work described will likely not be present for the prices quoted. And while powder can in fact be applied very thinly, generally it is pretty thick. That does not mean thicker than pro paint, but it is damned hard and the notion that you get your chassis back from ANY coater (or painter, blaster, plater etc) and can go straight to assembling it without checking and cleaning all the threads and critical surfaces is absurd. You can get great work from the right folks, but blindly expecting perfection will doom you to disappointment!

So back to the question at hand, $200+ for the powder is a good option if you are putting it back together as is and leaving it that way. Otherwise, Teazer's suggestion for the appliance paint is a great budget alternative. For the record, I do my own frames in epoxy and urethane - mostly because I do it in my own shop and can tightly control the process. I doubt you could get the same thing done for less than the your powder quote. Regardless of what you decide, go over all the threads and other critical surfaces carefully - I do!
Click to expand...

All I will say about this is if you get your frame back from me you will be able to assemble it with absolutely no powder related issues. It's what I do as a "custom" coater and what sets me apart from the commercial/production outfits that everyone gets such good pricing and then they biatch about the issues. Yes you will pay more to me than a comm/prod shop, but you get what you pay for. I'd also argue your point of "generally it is pretty thick". Apparently you have never found a quality coater yet. I will also say there are lots of hacks out there doing stuff in their garage and charging beer/cigarette money to do it and then everyone wants to use the garage guys pricing to negotiate my prices. If they could do what I do, then they would be competition.
 
Marc does some awesome custom powder work.

I used his whitewall kit on my tires ;D ;D ;D :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gOyTYeemh4
 
Ichiban Moto said:
Marc does some awesome custom powder work.

I used his whitewall kit on my tires ;D ;D ;D :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gOyTYeemh4
Click to expand...
I can't keep em in stock. ;D
 
I managed to get my frame sandblasted and powder coated for $130AUD total. Just keep looking around!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
eglintonw said:
I managed to get my frame sandblasted and powder coated for $130AUD total. Just keep looking around!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That's like $95 USD, you'll never get your parts coated in the states for that if you keep looking. There's $20 in powder which leaves $75 for blasting and no profit, rent coverage, electricity running the oven, etc.
 
teazer said:
Rattle can appliance epoxy for a frame. I have powder coated a few over the years and they are nice but impossible to patch when you scratch it - and you will. It's just a bike. The factory just threw a thin coat of paint on and it was good enough. If you are doing a bike that you intend to ride across country in all weathers, maybe P/C is the way to go, but on a bike that will get modified again and again, paint is the way to go.

It's a budget build - It's really important to spend that cash wisely. On things like tires and cables and things that make it work safely.
Click to expand...

+1000

Epoxy. Assemble with care after its dried. Generally, not much will be exposed to everyday scratches and wear like the body. Save money for suspension parts or engine/carb upgrades. The expensive ventures, if you will.
 
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