So… I’ve got a frame I want powder coating and have had two quotations for the same service, one at £72, one at £120! Whilst the more expensive firm have a flashier website will there really be any difference if they are both shot blasting, priming and coating?

£50 in Birmingham

This was talked about in a thread just the other day. Difficult to say if prices reflect level of care in masking etc or if they’re just higher.

Try to go on reviews if possible.

Thread the other day.

If it helps I’ve seen some folk make a right mess of powder coating.

Price doesn’t seem to have any correlation to quality.

Thanks

Check out

http://www.pwsfinishing.co.uk/

Highly regarded in the Bmx world, they take good care when handling your frame, do a excellent job at a reasonable price and make sure its well protected for posting back to you

Check out some their work here, its a 10 year thread and its still going strong, Superbike Dan is the owner of PWS finishing & an ex pro bmx’er

http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=191414.0

I’d definitely pick a place that’s done a lot of bike before and not just some old guys steel Triumph motorbike. My LBS gave me dire warnings about a few frames that were turned to scrap by over zealous media blasters.

Also ask if they will mask threads etc – I had a pretty bitter experience having mine coated and not something I’d do in a hurry again, frankly it wasn’t worth it.

Correct link for the 10 year thread

http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,56789.0.html

My local place charges £30 – £35 but that is PC only, I always strip them myself. I would double check what media they are blasting with, anything other than walnut, plastic or soda will kill a bike frame.

Another possible issue that I’ve read about is that with aluminium frames the powder baking process can count as a heat treatment if the company has their oven temps wacked up and the frame is left in longer than needed

I’d second what Rusty said about the oven temperature. I got my Orange 5 powder coated by a local firm that mostly do car bits. I only had it back for a couple of weeks before the frame cracked at the top tube / seat tube weld. Might be coincidence, might be that they cooked the aluminium till the welds were brittle. If I were to do it again, I’d go for a firm that has a track record of working on bikes.

I did a friend’s Orange 5 for him at my usual place after chatting with the company owner, he gave my previous steel frames ‘a good long bake’ to get the PC tougher but we chatted about aluminium heat treatment cycles/PC. He hadn’t heard of it before but did the frame first at the lowest temp to bake the powder. Orange offer a repowdercoat service so it’s doable but I think that PC companies that do Industrial / non critical stuff might be another issue but aluminium welding/heat treatment isn’t my specialty so I could be talking absolute cobblers

Interested about the heat issue. Any other experience of PC an all frame?

I’ve used Bournes Powder Coating in Birmingham. They did my lads HT frame, think it cost me £30 for blasting and coating.

I’ve had three frames done by TotalBlastServices, he does a lot of Orange 5’s and everything gets masked up and cleaned/chased really well. Not massively expensive either.

For steel frames, the blast media is largely irrelevant.

We had a very coarse aluminium oxide blaster at work that I’ve used on old frames and prepping new (very thin) tubes for brazing. You’d have to blast a single area for a very very long time to do any damage. Trashed frames will be due pre-existing corrosion being blasted out leaving a pepper pot tube.

You don’t say where you are but if you’re in Sheffield I’d recommend Batchglow at Dinnington who have done loads of stuff for me over the years inc alloy frames and wheels and have always been excellent quality and value. They also operate around the clock so are easy to avoid getting stuck in traffic whilst visiting.

Thanks all. I’m in Southampton. I’ve had Trestan Finishers recommended but not many bike examples on their website.