about that powdercoat....

[toobalicious]

do you "finish it out" like you would paint? just had a couple of parts done, but the finish isnt as smooth and glossy as i would like... wetsand to 2000? will a fine-cut abrasive cut the finish enough to polish out 2000 grit scratches? i rubbed some meguires scratch-x into it for S&G, but it didnt cut it (pun intended)... i would hate to end up with an eggshell finish
this guy normally coats steel furniture parts, and as such probably isnt as concerned with finish as BMW are... the price was right
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[The CyberPoet]

Normally, the finish quality is a combination of three factors:

1. Surface prep. The better the underlying surface, the better the finish layer will be in terms of smoothness. Powdercoat tends to go on perfectly even because of the static attraction aspect of application (even compared to the underlying metal, not to itself), so if the underlying surface has a gash or a seam, the gash or seam will get the same thickness coating as the rest of the piece -- and will show through unless the entire piece (or at least that entire area) gets coated heavily enough to fill the gash. Anyone powdercoater who doesn't pre-sandblast used motorcycle parts is asking for troubles... Ditto for brand new metal stocks (where the stock is usually coated from the foundry to help prevent rust)

2. The type of powdercoating plays into the finished "Shine" of the piece -- different coatings have different formulations, and some are more matt, while others are higher-gloss finishes. Always ask for sample books to compare the finishes before you order the coating done -- and then walk outside and look at the sample in the sun, preferably up against the bike.

3. Powdercoats can be top-coated with a standard automotive clearcoat to increase the shine. If the piece is fresh from powdercoating, just rub it down with a bit of alcohol to remove any fingerprints, then follow the instructions on the clearcoat as to how fine the sanding grit should be before application. Since powdercoat is a plastic-based material (as verses to paints), be careful in sanding it before clearcoating to avoid marring it too heavily or wearing too much of it away (some powdercoat formulations are softer than others; this issue is usually problematic if the bake time & temps weren't truly sufficient for a complete cure).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[toobalicious]

thanks for the info---about what i figured... sucks too... these pieces are the aluminum "kick panel" type pieces on pre-98 kats--- the ones where the passenger pegs are (as seen below)... wanted to black them out, and thought powdercoat would be very nice... truth is, i couldve made them look this good with rattlecans (though i am not a bad shot), and couldve then wetsanded and buffed that rattlecan paint into something much nicer... i did try to wetsand one of the pieces; i knew i would be refinishing them if i couldnt make it look good... it is very smooth now, but i am having a hard time getting the 2000 grit scratches out, making the piece kind of "foggy" looking (but still shiney)... i may end up stripping and polishing these, sigh....
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