Powder coating prep ?

Question

I have a killer BMX frame I want to have powder coated for strength vs. regular paint. My question is for the prep work. I don't want to have the frame sandblasted due to the thinning/weaking of the tubing it causes. Can't I just sand it to bare metal by hand???

Answer 1

I had a frame powdercoated, and I did the sanding myself only because I'm cheap. The frame was 0.035" Chromo, which is very robust. It could have easily handled being sandblasted. Check the wall thickness of your frame. it's only the frames that sound like Coke(tm) cans when you tap on them that would have a problem with sandblasting.

Answer 2

Well, thats a first! I never even thought of the possibility of sandblasting through a metal tube.

When I build steel frames, sometimes the tube is as thin as 0.007" (7 thousandths of an inch) and I sandblast EVERY frame prior to finishing.

If your frame is steel (CrMo or Hiten) don't worry about it. You'll take off more metal by hand sanding. If your frame is aluminum then you will either have to strip it chemically or have it walnut-shell blasted.

I personally dislike powdercoating... just too heavy looking... too thick.