powder coat, stove enamel or Paint ???

[yandy_yay]

So in a couple of months once my workshop is built (that will be a shed in the garden...) i'm gonna strip my bike down to the frame which could do with blasting and treating to remove some area's of rust before it gets too bad the question is what are the pro's and cons of each type of finish i can have.

i would imagine that Plain 2-pack paint i.e whats on it already it the least hard wearing but as for powder coating and stove enamelling i have no idea.

Thanks Andy
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past bikes: (20 years ago) cg-125 (wriiten off), C-50 (thrashed n' finnaly scrapped), CZ-125 (nicked - never recovered, insurance payout was more than i paid for it !!!)
Current bikes: GN 125(now sold), Divvy 600s.

[stonesie]

Powder coat can take fairly high temperatures and is very tough, lasts for years and has a smooth finish so will just wipe clean.

I have some car wheels that a mate did and they are standing upto the brake dust very well, he has a website www.danumpowdercoating.com there's a gallery of his work on there including a bike frame iirc

[Phoenix]

Powder coating is a thick coating of plastic so is probably the hardest wearing but as it has to be baked it'll mean removing all bearings and masking things off meticulously so threads and seats aren't filled with powdercoat, it also only provides a glossy finish which depending on the bike you may or may not want.

[Teflon-Mike]

Powder coat is a thick sheet of plastic. Its great at resisting chips and scratches, BUT it goes hard with age, and goes brittle. When it gracks or crazes, or moisture gets in under neath it, like where a bolt hole frets, or its been badly scratched, the metal rusts underneath and it starts to peel.
Personally I dont like it, its not very well 'bonded' to the metal like paint is.
Stove enamel is good, but has to be baked on, sets like glass and chips easily. But bloomin hard wearing, and well keyed to the metal it wont blister like powder coat, even if a bit does get chipped, and it can be touched up.
But my preference is for good paint, starting with a good etch prime, a bit of high-build depending on the surface finish left after blasting, then plenty of coats of colour, topped with laquer.
On my Trials bike, though, I blasted that, back in the summer of 1986 (Summer job was 'pot-man' for a local sand-blaster! I did it in a tea-break!), jenolited it to be sure that the metal was rust-free, then painted it with red smoothrite.
24years on, and well, its been given a new coat every other season or so, and more than a little touching up here and there between times, but has done well, considering the hard life the bikes had, the knocks and scrapes, plus the shit, muck and pee its had to fend off!
For a working bike, its pretty good. Keys almost as well as paint, but with a plastic finish almost as tough as coating. But it does fade, and it doesn't look 'factory'.
So for road-bikes, I paint.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[ZRX61]

[tutton]

Yeap i got some matt black powder in the shed, and some special effects like blue ripple etc.
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Past: '05 Peugeot XPS '99 Aprillia RS125 '94 FZR600R
Current: '02 ZX636 A1P '51 CCM R30

[yandy_yay]

Thanks for the replies, i think i'm gonna give it a go at just painting it in direct gloss 2-pack if it turns out crap i'll sent it off to be powder coated.
____________________
past bikes: (20 years ago) cg-125 (wriiten off), C-50 (thrashed n' finnaly scrapped), CZ-125 (nicked - never recovered, insurance payout was more than i paid for it !!!)
Current bikes: GN 125(now sold), Divvy 600s.

[Vincent]

Powder coating every time, paint will just be a waste of money IMO.