Powdercoater Reccommendations in Canberra

Gos, I'm looking in your direction, for some reason...

What is it you want powdercoated?

A dual-beam frame with non-detachable subframe and a swingarm... they look suspiciously like C-model ZX9 items.

Sweet mate - I reckon the best powdercoaters in town are out in Queanbeyan - Tai Powdercoating. 6299 7009 - They did a *fantastic* job on a set of stock Prado steel rims in black, only $35 per rim, including centres.... I priced a few places, some of them wanted *double* that - preparation of the frame is the key to a good price.........it will need to be grease-free, and put some rubber bungs in the swingarm pivot. I am sure you know all the other issues with powdercoating frames...

cheers

I am sure you know all the other issues with powdercoating frames...

Erm, actually, I don't... never had anything powdercoated before. Which is why I'm just reading about it on the internet even as we type and why I need a reccommendation.

OK - in a nutshell, you need to ensure that any threaded frame-holes or bearing surfaces (eg steering head) are covered in some way. Its much the same with 2-pak........

You can use old bolts and screw them into any threaded holes - they will get a coating in the process, but the important thing is that you won't end up with a powder-coated thread.......(even if you do, its not that difficult to use the correct-size tap, and clean up the thread with it.......being *extra* careful when starting the tap into the thread.... )

*TIP* - insert the bolts from the *wrong* side (ie generally inside), so that when you unscrew them, you won't take a layer of powdercoating off around the perimeter of the thread !!

Steering head bearing surfaces.......these can be taped up with gaffer tape, but make sure the finished taped surface is very *neat*, don't leave any gaffer tape hanging over the edge of the steering head.......I saw this on an old Honda Four frame once, it looked *shithouse*...

thats *about* it really..........other than have the frame / swingarm fully grease-free......

Good luck mate. Preparation is the key to a great finish !!

Mhm... the biggest potential arseache I foresee is,

a) scooping all the grease out of the swingarm pivot and linkage bearings before the job.
b) regreasing those same bearings before reassembly afterwards.

Then there'll be the joy of getting the castle nut on the swingarm spindle undone and done back up again.

The other thing that's bothering me is that this frame has a ding in the right beam from where the bar-end on a snapped clipon dug in. It's really too small and too shallow to bother cutting into the inside wall of the frame beam and applying the blowtorch to beat it out. I was just going to bog it, but that's going to have to wait for the paint to come off the frame, which probably means I'm sanding it back myself... oh, goodie.

also with powdercoating, does it rely on it being a metallic surface to stick to it? or it'll stick to any surface? (in which case bogging a ding would suffice)

also with powdercoating, does it rely on it being a metallic surface to stick to it? or it'll stick to any surface? (in which case bogging a ding would suffice)

To the best of my knowledge, it does rely on a clean metallic surface for a good finish - the basic priciple is almost the same as normal spray-painting, except that a small electric charge is applied to the parts being coated, and this *attracts* the airborne *powder* (paint) to the electro-statically charged surface of the item being coated. This is what gives the really nice glossy finish you get with powdercoating.........thats the description my mate ProblemChild (long-time painter) gave me some years ago....

IK - yes, removing all the grease is a pain in the coight. But its just the same as any painting job really, 90% of the work is preparation, the actual *painting* bit is the quickest, easiest part of the whole job.

Swingarm nut should be a piece of piss ?? I have heaps of 1" water pipe if you need a breaker bar !! ( 1" water pipe is a very handy tool.....)

To the best of my knowledge, it does rely on a clean metallic surface for a good finish -

Feck. Guess that means I'll have to build up this dent with weld, or something...

Swingarm nut should be a piece of piss??

It's not the tension on the nut that's the problem; it's the shape of the nut. It's a 12-slot castle nut, one of those things that looks like a flower and requires a socket machined to look like a rook in chess. Even bikeshops tend not to have the proper tool to get them off...

If you need someone to do a good job on the frame dent, take it in to Peter Pulford - Pulford Racing Engines at Mitchell. Pete does a lot of bike stuff, and is an *ace* repairer of things like this. If its only 1 small dent, he will do it for a reasonable price.

That swingarm nut sounds fully *kooky* ?? I don't have any tools for a job like that, except of course the *Gentle Pursuader* and a cold chisel....

That swingarm nut sounds fully *kooky* ?? I don't have any tools for a job like that, except of course the *Gentle Pursuader* and a cold chisel....

Once you start looking for them, you find castle nuts on lots of bikes, especially on swingarm pivots and top engine mounts. Usually, they only have four slots, the same as most castle nut sockets you can buy from tool shops... the ZX9 one is somewhat rare in having 12... probably to make it compatible with both 4-pronged and 6-pronged castle nut socket.

Newbie question - does powdercoating have a smooth finish like paint or is it rough? I was thinking of getting my stock rearsets/exhaust handers done on my Z1000.

its *exactly* like a painted surface, ie smooth as a baby's bum. For the bits you want done, just ensure the surface is prepped properly.

Thats pretty cool- I'm going to see these guys this week to get a quote. I'm also interested if they can do a glossy finish as well, to match my painted bits when I get them done!