Frame painting, Spray vs. Powder Coat

[Chakka]

Has anybody done a comparison of the 2 methods? I had my last frame and swingarm powder coated because I imagined it would be more durable. It looks great and is very abrasion resistant, however I am getting ready to restore bike no. 2 and thought I might try PJ1 paints and clear coat after. I have a set of shocks rebuilt by Rocket (sprayed with PJ1) and they look as good if not better than my frame. The thought of shelling out $250 every time I redu a frame has me thinking....I have a total of 4 bikes i would like to rebuild and powdercoating gets cost prohibitive.

Chris

[Lew Mayer]

Chris, do a search on this question in old posts. There was a good discussion, pros and cons of both methods. I've powdercoated before but that discussion has made me think twice before I decide which method to use. Partially depends on what you're gonna do with the bike,ride or restore.

Lew Mayer

[peter kane]

You may want to check this out from a previous posting.  Limco is supposed to be the original paint supplier for the early steel-tankers.  Read on...

I just got off the phone with a rep at BASF the company who owns R-M Limco paints. I read off the below paint codes and this is what he told me:

L79835 = metalic jade green
L79835 = mellow white
L15001 = metalic silver

He gave me the name of a few places in MA where I may be able to find these colors, but he told me to drop the "L" designation before the paint codes as the "L" is no longer used. He also told me that the original Limco Supreme Single Stage is no longer produced as paints have come a long way and that it was most likely that the originals had lacquer. He said these colors are available from Limco in two different paints.

1.) A less expensive enamel (maybe $18-25 per qt)

2.) An expensive/durable base coat gel coat would run between $20-35 per qt. The gel coat will out perform the original paints as they are more durable than what was available even 10 years ago.

Again, drop the "L" prefix/designation when referring to these paints.

I spoke with Lyn (male) He sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

Autobody Supplies & Paint
90 Washington Street
Worcester, MA 01610
508-791-4111

Peter Kane
V3442
Plainville, Massachusetts
[email protected]