Powdercoating 101, & A LIME GREEN SUMMIT!

General
1

Read this thread first: http://unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44948

Well, this morning I finally got around to powdercoating a second frame; my Carrot-Orange Summit. I am very pleased with the results. The following is a step-by-step guide that I documented for those that are unfamiliar with the process of powdercoating.

PICTURES 1 & 2

  • remove frame from unicycle
  • grind/sand/strip paint off of frame until it is down to shiny, bare metal. (this process takes the longest. it took me almost 2 hours)
  • hang frame from oven rack in powdercoating booth

PICTURES 3 & 4

  • clean frame with acetone to remove grease and dirt
  • spray powder using the gun until entire frame is covered in color

PICTURE 5

  • slide tray into old electric oven and bake frame for ~20 minutes or until powder has “flowed” out to a smooth texture.

PICTURE 6

  • remove tray from oven

PICTURE 7

  • admire your new frame’s beauty while you wait for it to cool

Entire process from start to finish: almost 3 hours. But it was worth it!

FINISHED PICS:

  • Summit Frame
  • Snafu Concave Pedals
  • KH '03-'04 Wheelset
  • KH cut-down Fusion Seat

Who else thinks she’s beautiful?

I have had several requests to powdercoat anything from BC Wheel Plates to custom frames. If you would like a something powdercoated, please send me an e-mail lee.webb@verizon.net. I am still debating whether or not to set up a little powdercoating business for fellow unicyclers or not. But shoot me an e-mail and we can talk. Rates still to be decided.

  • Lee

For more pics, look at my gallery http://unicyclist.com/gallery/?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=31067

2

frigging sweet! you’re da green man!

3

I want to make love to those unicycles.

4

sweet!!

Im thinking about painting my rim blue…

5

Your going to take appart your unicycle to paint the rim blue?

6

The frame looks awesome. Summit orange is sweet but that green is even better.

I did. Who wants a black rim like every body else thats just boring. My summit is past just paint and flame stickers, but I’m not going to say whats happening to it. I’ll post a thread when its done. I powder coated mine to a burgandy it was sweet for awhile I used powder coat that would go on engines so it scratched off pretty easy for a powder coat. I have a new color skeem planned now.

7

Do you powder coat yourself? Or do you bring it somewhere? I would love to see some pics on how your new project turns out!

Um so did my powder coating “step-by-step” :smiley: guide help anyone get a clearer understanding of what powdercoating is at all?? :o

  • Lee
8

GASP YOU DIDN’T DO THE BEARING CAPS?!?!?!?!? :stuck_out_tongue:

The green looks good, where’d ya get it? I have only bought powder from Eastwood and Caswell so far. Caswell is better in my opinion: more colors and better quality powder.

It took 2 hours to strip the frame of paint? What were you using to do it, a chemical stripper or an abrasive disc or something? Because if you were just to sand blast it with either sand (and Klass Bil will tell you to wear a respirator because if you don’t the sand will get in your lungs and bad things will happen), walnut shell, or beads, that would do it in about 5-10 minutes. However, I understand that not everyone has access to a sandblaster or blast cabinet, which is why I ask.

I powdercoated Tim’s frame for him, along with Shadowuni’s, mine, and JVTFMs.

Tim’s was Burgundy, Nick (Shadow) had a White KH w/white DX32, I had a Yellow muni and black trials, and Jim had a Gunmetal Grey Onza.

All pictures of the unis can be found here

Are you baking that in your home oven? That’s oldschool. When PC first came out, all the hot rod guys would just bake it in their home ovens, much to the dismay of their wives. Just ask my dad :stuck_out_tongue:

Yea, Tim’s is gonna be pretty sweet, I don’t think anyone has seen something like what it is going to be.

Oh, also, I wouldn’t really recommend starting up a business for it. I mean, Harbor Freight sells a powdercoating kit for $100 and Caswell sells one for about that, so anyone could start it up themselves. But that’s just me.

9

sweet deal man. thx for posting how to do it.

10

[QUOTE=digitalattrition… I mean, Harbor Freight sells a powdercoating kit for $100 and Caswell sells one for about that,…[/QUOTE]

You can also buy one from Sears under the Craftsman name.

11

Is there any reason a 36" steel rim can’t be powdercoated? (assuming i can find a oven big enough)

12

Nah, rims are fine to powdercoat, nothing to worry about with them. It’ll probably cost $75 to get it powdercoated, cause they’ll have to start up an oven that a car chassis can fit in.

I didn’t know that craftsman was in the powdercoating game.

13

Having the frame and rim powder coated the same colour looks awesome. I have a 24in Hardcore Muni from Bedford Unicycles, it’s done in orange nicely contrasted by black everything else(and a little chrome) and profile hub and cranks. The only thing that I don’t like about Bedford’s powdercoating is that it is done over chrome, so it doesn’t last as well as it should. The plus to that is that scratches and wear points can’t rust.:slight_smile:

Sorry, don’t have a better pic right now.

14

It’s been out for just a couple of months now.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00917288000&subcat=Gifts+Under+%24200 It’s on sale now until 12/10/05 for $159.99 normally $189.99

15

Do you mean it chips off easily? If it isn’t PCed with a candy color (which are meant to go over chrome and be just as good as regular PC), that is understandable. You are supposed to only use regular PC on bare metal, but candy and I think textured powders can go on chrome and be ok.

The Craftsman powdercoating system looks OK, not any worse than those offered by Eastwood or Caswell. Although I think Eastwood overcharges on theirs by a considerable amount (or at least they used to).

16

would it be possible to powdercoat in multiple colours?

17

If you mean mix powders together and spray it, no. During flow out the colors would mix together and form one color.

I guess if you take time to mask different areas to PC, then you could. I think I’ve seen it done somewhere on the forum (Tomsey’s uni?) and it looked really good.

18

bump:)

To answer your question, digitalattrition, Im using an “old electric oven”, that I got used for $25. It works fine. Right now I dont have a sand blaster, because they run around $600 and up! Unless I find something cheaper, Im sticking to just grinding the paint, or using a paint stripper.

-Lee

19

That looks fantastic! Well done, and thanks for the step by step guide. If only I had the equipment to follow it.

Andrew

20

i was thinking abought geting the eastwood one i think is like 99.95 what do you guys think abought it. also are there aney other beter systems at around the same price. thanks