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Re-Powder Coating a 5.5?

1374 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  wilsonblur, 
wilsonblur
I have an 08 Intense 5.5 with the stealth black powder coat. I was expecting it to be like the powder coat I had put on my Marin Team hardtail which is impervious to nearly everything. The PC on the intense stains from every drop of water or mud and never comes clean. I hate it. I have waxed it to try and seal it and nothing seems to work. Plus its already flaking around the seat collar. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on having the current powder coat removed and re-painted? I am moving to Denver in April so I was looking for something in that area.

I also wondered if you have had yours repainted what did you do to prepare it ? Did you remove the bearings? Thanks Mark
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Dose
Check out Spectrum in Colorado Springs.

http://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/
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wilsonblur
Dose said:
Check out Spectrum in Colorado Springs.

http://www.spectrumpowderworks.com/
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Thanks I found them and emailed them. Did you get yours done there? Did they strip it too? How much was it? Did you get custom art work as well? Thx.
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Dose
I haven't had one done yet. They have a great reputation. Thinking of ordering a new frame raw and having them coat it. They used to have pricing on their old site that was recently upgraded. I can't remember the exact cost but I recall it being pretty reasonable for a single color. They will strip it and everything. The more custom stuff you have done.....obviously the more it will cost.
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L
STAINING: the super-flat-blacks are a little bit porous, and they trap everything just like you say. one of the worst things for them is conventional wax. it'll get into the pores and leave it with a milky white stain that's damn near impossible to fix.

CHIPPING: chipping occurs when the metal isn't properly prepped. typically in production runs, it's a lot more economical to just dip the bare frame in a tank of solvent to clean it (doesn't always work well), and then shoot it. it looks fine at first, but then the powder fails the durability test. proper prep includes media blasting to give the metal a slightly rough profile, and this also leaves it squeaky clean so there's no chance of oil or other contaminants on the metal.

+1 on the vote for Spectrum. they do fantastic work and they're a pleasure to deal with. very cool group of people.
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wilsonblur
LenMcC said:
STAINING: the super-flat-blacks are a little bit porous, and they trap everything just like you say. one of the worst things for them is conventional wax. it'll get into the pores and leave it with a milky white stain that's damn near impossible to fix.

CHIPPING: chipping occurs when the metal isn't properly prepped. typically in production runs, it's a lot more economical to just dip the bare frame in a tank of solvent to clean it (doesn't always work well), and then shoot it. it looks fine at first, but then the powder fails the durability test. proper prep includes media blasting to give the metal a slightly rough profile, and this also leaves it squeaky clean so there's no chance of oil or other contaminants on the metal.

+1 on the vote for Spectrum. they do fantastic work and they're a pleasure to deal with. very cool group of people.
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Thanks for input. The wax didn't work. I have some bike polish that keeps it black for one ride and then after the first sign of water and dirt its back to dingy stained black. I am moving to Denver in the Spring and will check out Spectrum when I move. .
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L
4
Glad to help! If you want to keep it stealth black, NIC's "Black Jack" is fantastic. It's a urethane so it holds up great, and it's a super smooth finish. It's one of my favorites. One of Spectrum's suppliers is NIC, so I wouldn't be suprised if they keep the black jack in stock. Here are some pics of what that looks like.






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special k
My friend had my old 5.5 re-powdered when he bought it. Here are some cut & pastes from emails I had from Spectrum.

If it is a single color (no
logos/no artwork) we can turn it in about a week. if it has decals or
artwork and a clear coat the turn around is about 4 weeks. Let me know
if you have any questions.


It will depend on how much there is to fill (dents/dings) but I would guess between
$20-$35. To strip the old finish $35. To coat a single color $165.
The stripping and filling will not effect the time much. It might add 2
days to the turn around. Please let me know if you have any questions.


Ghost flames usually start around $390.
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wilsonblur
special k said:
My friend had my old 5.5 re-powdered when he bought it. Here are some cut & pastes from emails I had from Spectrum.

If it is a single color (no
logos/no artwork) we can turn it in about a week. if it has decals or
artwork and a clear coat the turn around is about 4 weeks. Let me know
if you have any questions.


It will depend on how much there is to fill (dents/dings) but I would guess between
$20-$35. To strip the old finish $35. To coat a single color $165.
The stripping and filling will not effect the time much. It might add 2
days to the turn around. Please let me know if you have any questions.


Ghost flames usually start around $390.
Click to expand...
Thanks that's really helpful. After looking through their site I like this color blue. I will probably look into it next Spring after I move.
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awai04
Ha, I did exactly this with a '09 Works Tracer VP. I was told that taking off existing powdercoat is done both with a chemical and then a plastic bead blast. The plastic beads are softer than the aluminum, so no metal will be lost or modified. This process costs about $50 at Spectrum. Then, powder coat will vary depending on the design. In my case, the total was about $250 - $275 including shipping (round trip) to and from Spectrum. I can't say that custom paint is the most economical decision, but I'm totally glad I had my frame custom painted. So much, in fact, that I'm about to get a second frame done a similar way. :) !

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wilsonblur
awai04 said:
Ha, I did exactly this with a '09 Works Tracer VP. I was told that taking off existing powdercoat is done both with a chemical and then a plastic bead blast. The plastic beads are softer than the aluminum, so no metal will be lost or modified. This process costs about $50 at Spectrum. Then, powder coat will vary depending on the design. In my case, the total was about $250 - $275 including shipping (round trip) to and from Spectrum. I can't say that custom paint is the most economical decision, but I'm totally glad I had my frame custom painted. So much, in fact, that I'm about to get a second frame done a similar way. :) !
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Thanks they quoted that the Moots in the photo would be $450 and the other frame was $1300. They said they could do a single color much cheaper and I waiting for a quote with out the Celtic bands.
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awai04
wilsonblur said:
Thanks they quoted that the Moots in the photo would be $450 and the other frame was $1300. They said they could do a single color much cheaper and I waiting for a quote with out the Celtic bands.
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...Anytime. Hmm, now that I think more thoroughly, the price estimate (including shipping round trip) was closer to $300. Though, you get the idea.

Having the choice of any color or design you want is kind of fun, ya?
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wilsonblur
awai04 said:
...Anytime. Hmm, now that I think more thoroughly, the price estimate (including shipping round trip) was closer to $300. Though, you get the idea.

Having the choice of any color or design you want is kind of fun, ya?
Click to expand...
They got back to me, with shipping and stripping it would be about $335 or so. They wanted to know if I had any interest in air brushing the logos on. We'll see. It may have to wait, I still have to move to Denver from Germany, buy a house, two cars etc. It may be a next year kinda thing. Mark
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