bare metal

[pat english]

i know this question has been asked a million times,but has anyone here had any luck with clear coating something bare metal?(steel)...i really like the look of my frame bare metal..was thinking of polishing and oiling it..i have tattoo machines that are bare steel and they havnt rusted in years.


i know this is off topic but,here are some pics of my machines.here is a pic of my original frame with the copys i had cast.

[shinyribs]

That is awesome. Your frame and the tattoo machines. What are they cast out of? Did you do the engraving? Dude,if you engrave I need to hire your services!

[TOOLS1]

I need one of those tattoo machines. No make that two. I have a very artistic friend that should be in the business. I just want one, for my collection of cool stuff.
TOOLS

[shinyribs]

I couldnt put my finger on it at first,but then i figured it out. Those tattoo machines look like old Ford straight axle kingpin spindles. Coolest thing i have seen in a long time.

[pat english]

 thanks bro.the frames are cast out of 4130..lol yeah i did the engraving..its not very good,but thanks.

[pat english]

thanks..i got an apprenticeship(and was shortly fired) at a well known builders shop,and he accused me of stealing his design..he started digging through his machines saying he has it somewhere..well he couldnt find it..dude was a dick.

[pat english]

thanks tools,but i cant sell those machines.i only have 5.i broke 2 and the other 3 i use...i do have some other machine kits that i can sell though.

[pat english]

anyways,what do you guys think of my idea of either cleering the bare metal or polishing it and oiling it all the time?

[shinyribs]

Yeah,got all wrapped up in the machines. Polishing sounds cool,but good lord thats alot of polishing. You can get satin clear coats. Or even no gloss powder coats. Last forever and look just like bare metal. We use it on cast aluminum valve covers.You cant tel a coated one from a non coated. I would think oiling the frame would get old after awhile.but thats just me

[pat english]

lol its cool.ive read that steel will still rust under the clear coats or clear powder coat..yeah im kinda thinking the same thing..having to oil the frame every few weeks would probly get old..i was just wondring if there was some kinda magic product that guys are using that i dont know about..cuz ive seen some bike in bare metal.

[shinyribs]

It won't rust under clear powder for sure. Never did it myself,but I wouldn't think it would rust under clear paint. When ever you powder coat anything steel it is bare,whether you use a colored powder or clear. Clear powder is cheap and you can get it in super gloss.Real slippery surface. We have powder coated the inside of oil pans to keep them from rusting during the off season and to knock down oil cling. Never had a problem with it.

[Piute]

Great info.save me ....

http://www.cyclespot.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18815

[pat english]

hmmm,something to think about.thanks

[shinyribs]

Oh, the 4130 CM steel you used on your frames is very rust resistant. Probably why they do okay. The oils on your hand would be enough to keep then clean.

[pat english]

ahhh,i see..i didnt know that.

[Lucky 1]

I am a sculptor and putting clear coat on bare steel will not work.
It will only last one year at most.

The best thing to do is to have a painter mix paint that looks that way and then clear coat that.
Make sure to sponge on or dip the entire frame into a phosphate bath or just use phosphoric acid with a sponge. Leave it over night till it all turns grey. Then the rusting process is stopped.

The put on primer, paint, and clear coat or get it powder coated.

Many powder coat places sand blast, give it a phosphate bath and then powder coat.
Then you have a real good frame.

[Lucky 1]

Yes there is bikes that are bare metal sprayed with clear. Ask to see them a year later.

[pat english]

right on.thanks lucky..

[MarkPBG]

I worked in automotive for 16 years and sold tons of paints. You can clear bare metal, but as has been pointed out, it will not last. The reason is that paint doesn't bond all that well with metal, which is why a good paint job uses a primer. There are no good clear primers out there that I know of, in fact, I don't know of any clear primers. There are some ceramic coatings that come very close to the look of raw steel or aluminum, and they're much more durable than either paint or powder coat. If you want that look, that's probably as close as you're going to get without having to redo it every year or two.

[shinyribs]

If you use an epoxy clear powder it will hold up just fine. No primer on powder coat obviously so you dont have that issue. Epoxy is tough. I had a 9 quart moroso pan with epoxy clear for 5 years. Thats alot of exposure to oil. Its still doing fine