powder coating prep question..

[Dezeez]

I'm starting to get ready to have some parts powder coated over the winter. I was wondering if I should take the time to strip the clearcoat and paint off of the sissy bar and the scoops. Will that save me any money or is that part of the regular powder coating process?
I was also debating if I should polish everything and just have a clear powder coating done or if I should go with the chrome finish powder coat. Any input from someone with past experience would be great.

 

[4gasem]

The chrome P/C looks like yuck to me... Clear P/C over bare aluminum isn't bad but if it gets scratched and moisture gets under it, it will spider web.

You will want to strip everything and either rough it up or have it bead blasted so everything sticks well...:thumbs up:

 

[gleno]

A couple of thoughts.

1) If you are going to get the frame down to this level you might want to consider additional bracing? See here http://www.saarloos.net/content/view/22/37/

2) The factory welds are usually pretty messy. I used a dremel to clean up the rough welds and metal spatter before my last respray.

3) Scoops and grabrails that are clear coated require a lot of preparation. the better they look before the clearcoat goes on, the better the end result BUT clearcoat will not improve the polished finish of alloy. It just isnt optically clear enough.

Best to chrome them.

Its the attention to little details that add to the final presentation.