I’ve stripped my bike down as the frame is off to the powder coaters this week.

I am also converting it to 1×11 from 2×9 and I won’t need the cable stops for the front mech anymore. Am I safe getting the stops removed without affecting the strength and integrity of the frame?

Cheers

Langers

Fine to remove – I’ve removed numerous canti mounts, braze ons and cable guides on plenty of steel and ali frames over the years.
I start off with a hacksaw to chop a chunk off then the narrow side of a file before finishing off with needle files. Wrap loads of insulation tape on either side of the cable guide just in case you slip with a file.

Do not underestimate the massive amount of time this will take – you won’t be powder coating this week!

Also if you have any dents or nicks that need filling JB weld (metal filled Epoxy) will stick to abraded aluminium and withstands powder coating heat.

Yep, would be fine as long as it’s done with care. I’d do it myself personally. Cut the stops off with a junior hacksaw, file the weld off and finish with emery cloth. Just take care not to cut into the frame material.

Edit – or what he said while I was typing. 😁

Am I right in assuming that this is no hole through the frame behind the stops and they are just welded onto the outside?

Just ‘tack’ welded to the outside of the tube – no hole underneath.

Get filing!

Don’t let the powder coated strip your frame unless he 110% knows what he’s doing and knows the difference between crushed walnut, soda etc if he is media stripping or your 100’s of hours filing off cable guides will be for nothing when he destroys you frame ‘shot blasting’ it.

Also there’s an old wives tale that the heat cycle of powder coat can affect the heat treatment of certain aluminium frames. I’ve had a few aluminium frames PC’d but I have a brilliant local guy who knows to run the oven as low as possible for bike/motorcycle stuff and then wacks it up full for his usual jobs.

Thanks for all of the info guys.

I am taking it to Fastline Coatings in Preston so they can have a proper look and give me a quote. I have been doing some Google Fu and they seem to come up quite a bit with very good feedback. They are also on a recommended list on RetroBike. I can ask them about the heat cycles when they cure the coat.

I’m also open to suggestions for other places I can take it in and around the Preston / Southport area.

Cheers again

Langers

Dremmel shirley?

My frame is 6061 aluminium, if that helps with any recommendations about the heat cycle of powder coating, and if it will trash my frame.

Cheers again

Langers

@RustyNissanPrairie

What does “crushed walnut, soda etc if he is media stripping” mean? Sorry if that’s a daft question!
Should I be requesting that they only remove the old paint and decals using chemicals and no shot blasting?

Cheers
Iain

“Shot” refers to a specific material, iron IIRC. Other options are grit (sand), bead (glass), soda (bicaronate of….), walnut etc. The optimum is to use the hardest material (to remove the paint effectively) that wont mark the component itself. You cant just go for the softest option as it then takes a lot longer and the particles cant be recycled (shot just gets hovered up and put back in the bag, anything else will break down each time it hits the metal).

Even chemical stripping has its problems, caustic will eat the aluminium!

If its someone recomended then they probably know what theyre doing, just ask questions to be sure. Id be more worried about masking bearing races etc.

Beyond me why you’d bother removing them. Just leave them? If you sell the frame on later and someone wants to put a front mech on? Or if you cock up when removing and damage the frame..? Not worth the effort IMO.