| Author | Message | ||
     Olinxb12r |
I really want to have my fork tubes and triple tree powdercoated, but I'm worried about clearance issues when putting everything back together. You guys have any ideas? | ||
| Gowindward |
Have the fork tubes anodized black and the powder coater should mask off the inside bores of the triple clamps. | ||
| Olinxb12r |
One of my friends said I should do anodized. My only problem is everything anodized I've ever seen doesn't look like the black I want. I want everything to match my frame. Won't anodized come out shinny and still have a metal look? Here is a pic of my frame.  | ||
| Olinxb12r |
There was a guy that was selling a Firebolt just like mine with the fork tubes and everything done. I was trying to find the post in the classifieds, but I can't. Anybody else remember that post? Maybe I could email that guy. | ||
| Crusty |
Just as a heads up; I had the Banke shifter and brake on my M2 anodized black, and the black has faded into a nice shade of charcoal grey from exposure to sunlight. If you want the color to match the frame, it might be a problem. | ||
| Lonexb |
not my bike. looks like either paint or powder.  as long as you go to some one who knows what they are doing. you should not have a problem with powder coating your front end. i did my rims and various little bits last winter. i also plan on having my front end blacked out this winter. i am going with powder coating. brian | ||
| Bake |
Ok, here's my .02 If you don't know the powder coater speak real slow and maybe give him drawings and pictures. They coated my Laverda frame so thick you could barely see the serial number when they were done, I spent hours in areas like the steering neck and swing arm pivot because they laid it on so thick it was difficult to get bearings back in! | ||
| Spiderman |
If ya got a good coater he should be able to tell ya on average how thick his coat is. You can then take your upper clamps and have them punched out a few thousand to compensate for the powder coat... BUT... Make sure that 1 the coater knows what he is talkin about and 2 you have some one who knows about machining do the clamps... | ||
| Madbandito |
Average powder coating is 2 to 4 mils, or .002 to .004 inches. Less and you dont get the wear quality. More and you get all kinds of headaches trying to assemble close-tolerance parts. I.E.- each tube is coated .002 = .004 total for both sides per part X 2 parts = .008 total thickness added to the parts minimum- If the guy knows what he is doing... OTOH, it could add as much as .016 if he really loads the powder on... Can be done but you have to give up the tolerance somewhere.... It is after all a powdered plastic in very basic terms FWIW | ||
| Spiderman |
mils? don't you mean thousandths? | ||
| Madbandito |
Yeah, but in our world, a mil is a thou of an inch... In the rest of the world, a mil is a millimeter... Go figure.... (Message edited by Madbandito on December 23, 2005) | ||
| Spiderman |
not in my shop LMAO | ||
| Vr1203 |
I used Gunkote, it is very durable ,it does not ad much thickness,.http://www.kgcoatings.com/gunkote.html   | ||
| Slaughter |
Anodizing also adds material (though much less) - it can also change the microstructure of the metal on the surface (makes it more brittle) - I'd go with paint. You can get a painter to use a flattening agent in a black to "tune" the gloss for you. Catalyzed acrylic or polyurethane will outlive you in your old age. Powdercoating is iffy UNLESS you can work with the powdercoater. They don't necessarily hire the most high-dollar help. The small R&D shops that do aerospace work are better but now instead of a $100 paint job, you're probably talking closer to $500 for both fork legs. I'd go with paint AND a painter with experience with aluminum. | ||
| Vr1203 |
You cannot anodize the tubes without removing the factory anodizing first. Its some kind of acid bath.The factory finish is very good, inside and out. The removing process will take out the anodizing inside as well as out. And you will have problems with wear, clearances, ETC . |
