Hall of Shame: “Good Deals Gone Bad”
This gallery makes me sad.
Here, we’re showing you examples of unacceptable work that sounded like a great deal at the time. Our intention is not to bash anyone, so we’re not naming names… We do, however, want to educate you about what to look for and what questions to ask when you’re selecting a coater, so you know when a quote sounds “too good to be true.” And if you happen to find yourself in the same boat as these unhappy customers…
Yes, we can fix that.
“If at first you don’t succeed… hog, hog it on.” Overbuild is a common defect in the powder coating world, and the finish on this bicycle frame is a prime example. Powder coating thickness in custom applications should be very thin, typically 0.003-0.004″. Thin coatings look vastly better, and thin coatings are actually more durable. Thin coatings also reduce fitment issues during rebuild. The absurdly-thick coating on this frame rendered it unusable, and the customer was forced to pay another coater to correct it. Photos courtesy of Spectrum Powderworks, who stripped and properly refinished this frame.
“Poor Performer.” This locally-refinished GT Performer frame was plagued by a wide range of defects. I can’t imagine what goes through a coater’s mind as they’re handing a piece like this to a customer… Again, poor refinishing rendered this frame useless until we fixed it.
