Clear coating a high polished aluminum frame

C0na

C0na

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I am in the (long) process of stripping and polishing an aluminium frame, and I wanted to get some info in regards to protecting the finish.
Right now the frame has been sanded and polished to a mirror finish. Now I know that aluminium is a passivating metal. The frame obviously is not pure Aluminium, its alloy (NS soda). What finish/protective coating can be used to prevent the aluminum from oxidation & maintain a high polished finish?
 
pink poodle

pink poodle

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only advice i can offer is to vaccum before you spray! you don't want a mystery pube finding it's way into the finish!
 
C0na

C0na

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pink poodle said:
only advice i can offer is to vaccum before you spray! you don't want a mystery pube finding it's way into the finish!
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No way! I'm gona shave my beard while clear coating, its the new look, Ill call it the hairy headtube....
 
D

DJR

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Take it to a smash repairer and get it sprayed in 2K clear in their booth, may not cost much but get a few quotes first

for home use maybe a clear frameskin kit rather than paint but might look a bit oxidised where it's not protected. Anything you spray at home won't last that long and will chip easily

you could always go a different tack and use a wax or oil finish and just top up the finish every so often
 
PLUGGA

PLUGGA

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C0na said:
I am in the (long) process of stripping and polishing an aluminium frame, and I wanted to get some info in regards to protecting the finish.
Right now the frame has been sanded and polished to a mirror finish. Now I know that aluminium is a passivating metal. The frame obviously is not pure Aluminium, its alloy (NS soda). What finish/protective coating can be used to prevent the aluminum from oxidation & maintain a high polished finish?
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Pretty sure clear won't stick to Aluminium, it needs an etch primer to bite in, and then the top coat will stick to that. Give me a few hours, and I'll confirm once I'm at work with info off the computer.(I'm a spray painter of 17yrs) Hit you up soon!
 
C0na

C0na

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PLUGGA said:
Pretty sure clear won't stick to Aluminium, it needs an etch primer to bite in, and then the top coat will stick to that. Give me a few hours, and I'll confirm once I'm at work with info off the computer.(I'm a spray painter of 17yrs) Hit you up soon!
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Awesome thanks mate!
 
OCD'R

OCD'R

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Sure mate, not the same as I've suggested for you to look into or ask about but as you were...
 
PLUGGA

PLUGGA

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So, clear definitely WILL NOT stick to polished alloy. Apparently there is a PPG paints product in NZ that will adhere, but has a nasty chemical in it which is illegal here in Aus. You can suss that out, but I wouldn't recommend it. If it banned here, it's gonna be a nasty cancer causing fucker. A clear powder coat could be an option. PPG has a powder coat section to look into, though I ran out of time to check them out. Number is 1300 305 699. Be specific with the deets, and they'll sort you. Good luck mate!
 
C0na

C0na

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PLUGGA said:
So, clear definitely WILL NOT stick to polished alloy. Apparently there is a PPG paints product in NZ that will adhere, but has a nasty chemical in it which is illegal here in Aus. You can suss that out, but I wouldn't recommend it. If it banned here, it's gonna be a nasty cancer causing fucker. A clear powder coat could be an option. PPG has a powder coat section to look into, though I ran out of time to check them out. Number is 1300 305 699. Be specific with the deets, and they'll sort you. Good luck mate!
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Great info, thanks for your help! Ill give them a call.
:thumb:
 
C0na

C0na

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Just spoke to a couple of powder coating shops. They all are not sure how well it would adhere to the polished surface. One guy told me it would be a waste of time for a mountain bike frame, as the clear coat would just scratch off in large chunks and would yellow over time. So maybe a metal polish and sealer may be a better solution....
 
PLUGGA

PLUGGA

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C0na said:
Just spoke to a couple of powder coating shops. They all are not sure how well it would adhere to the polished surface. One guy told me it would be a waste of time for a mountain bike frame, as the clear coat would just scratch off in large chunks and would yellow over time. So maybe a metal polish and sealer may be a better solution....
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Or you could paint it a nice clean straight silver tinter. Would look pretty sweet. Just putting it out there....
 
PerthMTB

PerthMTB

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Some Giant models are polished ally with matt clearcoat, such as my 2012 Giant Trance X0. TBH you have to look really closely to notice the difference to one that's just painted silver!
Trance_X_0_2000px (1024x687).jpg
 
C0na

C0na

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davehirst said:
try permanent painted coatings of australia, the have a product called glisten pc which might do the trick
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Just did a quick google glisten pc, the description of the stuff seems to do exactly what I want. Reviews on the stuff seems to be good too. I shall investigate further. Thanks mate!
 
donny70

donny70

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I've used it before and it didn't harden properly for me. Not sure if that was bad mixing on my part or just too cold? The AP120 pre-treatment is great though, I use it before I powdercoat small parts. It pits the metal without reducing the shine. Getting your frame clear powdercoated would probably be better in the long run and should be considered...
 
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