i.e. Dissemble the lowers, mask off and take them to the local powder coaters (not Argos etc) with double-layer of lacquer.

Any experiences? If you double-lacquer the finish should be just as durable as factory-finish?

Even if you take the seals out the oven may well mess the bushes up.

Just paint them; way easier/safer.

Paint?

yes, paint, spray, might be safer, powdercoating is great and very hardwearing, but, the stripping for it is agressive, and any bits of grit from blasting inside wont do your forks a load of favours, its doable but you would have to be meticulous with the masking and cleaning up before re assembly.

Ok. Stripping the existing paint. Nitromores? How do you remove all the residual Nitromores correctly?

To cope with any drip/running of paint etc I could use 1200 paper lightly?

Yeah; just take some very fine stuff to the existing lowers, don't touch any parts you have sanded (you don't want any oil on there) then mask them and give them as many coats as you can stand, drying to a tacky finish in between.

On the lacquer (should you lacquer lowers?) its pretty hard to run/drip or spot on lacquer?

Can you not just give 'em a polish.

Any forks i've had i've just polish with Autoglym car polish, they come up a treat.

However, if its a matt paint finish then maybe not, polished Fox 32 Vanilla and Rock Shox Revs with good results.

Forks look worse than they are because dirt gets ingrained into scratches etc.

If you going to re paint them, your only making it hard work for yourself stripping them completely, you do need to rub them down, fill the scratches, etc, etc, to be honest unless you have done much of this sort of thing you will struggle to get a decent finish, pop to your local car bodywork place and ask them how much.

Ah. Good point. Plus the stickers are covering upto 50% of the surface. Could also helicopter tape the sides/contact points as well.

You can ask for a clear laquer over whatever paint finish you choose, it will take them next to no time to apply a laquer coat, if you go for a metalic paint chances are it will be laquered anyhow, but you can ask for an extra coat or 2 to make it more durable. A paint finish wont be quite as durable as powdercoat, but will be tough enough, bazillions of bike parts, frames, etc, etc are just a spray painted finish.

When you say "Lacquer", are you wanting them clear over the bare alloy then ???
(Lacquer is normally just a clear coat)

Or do you mean going over the paint that's already on there / painting a different colour ?

Either way, Plastikote acrylic Lacquer (from Wilkos!!!) goes on nice & thick, & flashes off quickly so not as prone to running as normal cellulose lacquer (aka Halfords rattle can stuff).
At this time of year it will take a few weeks in a warm room to get nice & hard though. Once hard carefully flat with 1200 wet/dry & T-Cut to a nice shine. Then a good few applications of Turtlewax to hold the shine.
I would shy away from stripping magnesium fork lowers, just rub down where needed & prime any bits that are bare.
I've just done an old ht frame for the Winter & its come out rally nice. Just have to be patient while it hardens off.

These are Lyrik lowers that Im thinking of changing the colour on.

Powdercoaters- Do the lowers REALLY have to go into the oven? I mean if you request/specify that they are left out to dry naturally that should be fine?

Noted on Plastikote acrylic Lacquer- I was thinking of lacquer over the paint as paint can chip easily. Seeing as there might not be any riding to be had over the next few days this could give me something nicely 'distracting' to do instead 😀

I think its only the oven baking that turns it from a powderlike substance to a paint like one.

What is Powder Coating?
# Powder Coating is an alternative to conventional wet painting for automotive and other metal parts. It involves a process by which a layer of specially treated solid pigment in the form of a dry powder is applied to a surface. This surface is then heated, undergoing a chemical reaction as its temperature rises. As a result of this chemical reaction, the powder melts and rehardens into a single solid surface, matching the contours of the item to which it is applied. There are many advantages to Powder Coating over typical wet painting. Aside from being cheaper and more ecologically friendly, Powder Coating also creates a much more durable surface far less likely to scratch and chip.

Powdercoating is definitely out then

Powder requires a temp of 180c+ to harden, it wont go off on its own.
Two-pack paint will harden off quickly, & be quite durable.A car body shop will use two-pack, maybe pop along to one. Failing that a normal Industrial paint sprayers should be able to do it.

My Plasti-Kote HT… 🙂

Do not powder coat aluminium alloys, at 180 or even 130 celcius you will affect any previous heat treatment or change the microstructure of the existing alloy. It may ahve been powder coated by the factory but that will have been carried out as part of the heat treatment process (Audi do this on their alloy bodies cars and I'm pretty sure Santa Cruz do it too).

As the previous posters stated a good car body paint shop will do a lovely spray job, or get it polished or do it yourself with rattle cans…