Blasting , powder coating and baking aluminium bike frames?

[nihontobiker]

well i recently contacted a few powder coat company's and some seem to blast the frame and some just dont?

Even if i have stripped the frame myself they seem to want to blast it with aluminium oxide for some reason , apparently for the powder to stick , but then some companies dont do this at all.

I just dont like the idea of high pressure shot attacking my frame and the temperature is this an issue that should concern me also?

I like the sound of a company called blast coat in wales but again they need to blast it , is this something that just cant be avoided?

 

[hamster]

It's really best to prepare it immediately before coating, that way the chance of contamination is minimised and the powder coat will be reliable. Generally the better guys I have encountered insist on it. It costs almost nothing extra, so why do it yourself?

I've had alu frames blasted and coated, with several thousand miles done afterwards without trouble. Clearly the right medium has to be chosen and a very thin frame could be destroyed by a complete monkey with a sandblaster. If your powdercoater looks organised and knowledgeable then let them get on with their job. If they look like cowboys I wouldn't let them do it anyway.