Penton Mudlark frame and paint questions

[gappster]

Greetings!

I am the new owner of frame W373ST, a Mudlark. The bike is mentioned on this site here:

linkhttp://pentonusa.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14154&whichpage=3

I purchased the bike from a member a year ago, in pieces, and I am now starting to work on putting it back together. I do have another Mudlark that our family has owned since 1975 that I am using as a reference.

Anyway, this weekend I had the frame sandblasted and here is how it sits now:



I have two questions about the frame:

1. Damage repair
2. Paint or powdercoat?

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1. Damage repair.
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It appears that at some point this frame ran against something (a road?) that created a flat spot on the frame. This spot is visible in the image in the back corner of the frame.

Given that I don't plan on showing this bike I don't think there is a need to attempt to repair it. I am curious if other members have had similar damage and your thoughts on having a skilled fabricator weld in new tube.

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2. Paint vs. powdercoat
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This is a well discussed topic on the board! I'm open to either painting the frame or powder coating the frame. My main concern is that the frame does have some corrosion and I would like to protect it as best as possible. I've tried to summarize what I understand below:

a. Powdercoating
1. very durable finish but there are some mentions of it causing some component fitting problems
2. Cost

b. Paint
1. Significantly less cost (I can do the work)
2. Not as durable as powdercoat but chips, etc can be repaired relatively easily

Any thoughts or comments on either topic are appreciated. I have scoured this site looking for information and the knowledge of the group is great!

- Jeff

[Daniel P. McEntee]

On the repair issue, I would TIG weld up the offending area with successive beads of weld, then grind and polish it to shape. You weld in just enough material to clean up, and with a TIG torch you can do that and put the metal where you want it, and make the grinding process easier. And in the event that you have a low spot, it's easy to touch up.
   As for paint or powder coat, since it sounds like you will be riding it instead of showing it, I would go with paint for the reasons you mentioned. If you ride it you know you will put some scratches and dents in it some where along the line, and you can always touch them up. In my opinion, if riding is your main priority, then follow that path with what you do.
   Welcome to the group!
   Dan McEntee

[Kip Kern]

I agree with Dan, TIG the spot in question and finish it off smooth.  As far as paint, I used SEM self etching primer and Original Hammertone paint on the frames of the 4 I restored.  Paint can be had from Lowe's in spray bomb or you can get a pint to spray via gun.

[gappster]

Thank you for the suggestions. Hadn't even occurred to me use TIG to fill the spot. I'm taking the frame to a fabricator tomorrow.

[gappster]

Here's a image of the frame after a bit of welding:

quote:Originally posted by gappster

Thank you for the suggestions. Hadn't even occurred to me use TIG to fill the spot. I'm taking the frame to a fabricator tomorrow.

[Daniel P. McEntee]

Looking good! If some one were to ask me what piece of equipment that they should add to their garage or shop for working on vintage bikes, I will always say a TIG welding machines and then lessons on how to use it. The price of a good TIG welder has REALLY come down and if you know how to do any other form of welding, it's not too hard to learn. With a TIG welder, there really isn't anything that you can't stick together! I have changed jobs in the last year and lost my access to a TIG welder, but plan on getting one for my garage as soon as finances allow. The machine I am looking at is a Lincoln 200 amp TIG and stick welder, and can be run off a 20 amp 120 volt AC line! Technology has really come a long way! With a TIG/stivk welder, you can do the small, delicate stuff with the TIG side, and if you need to weld an iron frame from something, drag out the stick welding cables. This frame repair is just a small sample of what can be done and since most of the metal gets ground off, is a good project for valuable practice, and you don't care what it will look like! Good luck with the project!
   Dan McEntee

[Kip Kern]

I just replaced my old welder fleet with Hobart machines, a new TIG and a new MIG.  Love them both and too, a 20 year update on technology was well worth it;)