Enamel dipping instead of re-painting

[shadaboot27]

I've just bought a 1939 Raleigh Sport that I'm planning on restoring, Cost me a fiver! Bargain! Anyway I know that really old bikes like this were enamel dipped rather than painted. This is much more durable than paint, but I'm wondering if there are places that I can get this done? Has anyone on here done this before when restoring a bike? I want to restore it to a very high standard so I think this would be the best option, but it all depends on the cost.

 

[fossyant]

They enamel paint them these days. You have Atlantic Boulevard, Mercian and Argos.

 

[shadaboot27]

Are these names of places that do it?

 

[sittingbull]

They enamel paint them these days. You have Atlantic Boulevard, Mercian and Argos.

How could you forget C&G of Liverpool?

My Herety was enamelled by C&G back in about 1990.

I've seen a few stunning finishes they've done including this one:

Which was finally rebuilt a couple of months ago, which reminds me to get around to updating an old thread with some recent pics (it's not mine sadly).

 

[shadaboot27]

Looks great! But it also looks expensive?

 

[sittingbull]

If I remember correctly it was £150 including transfers. A friend of mine has had a number of frames painted by them including this Claud Butler Saxon from 1953:

He's always used them (when a professional finish is required) and I believe local frame builders have done so for decades. The only time he's looked elsewhere was when chrome plating was necessary, it's getting harder to find places willing to re-chrome (at a reasonable cost anyway).

I am not certain whether they provide a mail order service but would have thought so.

 

[John the Canuck]

Looks great! But it also looks expensive?

the Scots up here have a saying.....



''....there's no pockets in a shroud............''

 

[fossyant]

Oops, should have said C&G... Enamel isn't cheap. You are looking at about £150 for single colours. If you want fades, special paint and lug lining then it's £250 to £300.

 

[shadaboot27]

Damn, I just want a plain gloss black finish. I can do the decals myself. Perhaps spraying is the next best option.

 

[sittingbull]

Maybe consider powder coating?

I've not had a frame coated myself but those I've seen looked good to me. I think it gives a fairly durable finish and presumably will protect the frame so it could be enamelled in years to come if desired. I think the cost is around 1/3 that of painting too

This may be considered sacrilege in the world of restoration? I'm not sure

 

[fossyant]

Powder Coating is OK, but it's not as good a finish as enamel, especially if you want it restoring properly.

 

[shadaboot27]

I have had frames powder coated before for £20. It looks good once it's done but it chips off easily. I want to restore the bike to a very high standard but I really cannot afford £150 or more. Most of the parts that I get for my restoration projects I get for free as I break up vintage bikes and sell the parts for a living, so I get to keep all the best bits and make a profit at the same time. I'm not a wealthy collector or restorer but at the same time I do want to restore them to a very high standard. Usually I don't paint them as I try to find frames that are in good original condition. But this Raleigh sport is in desperate need for a repaint. As all my builds are budget builds I think spraying is my best option.

 

[shadaboot27]

If I can find somewhere to get it enameled for a cheap price that would be great.

 

[sittingbull]

What about approaching a car body shop? Decide what colour you want and ask them to let you know when they've got a matching vehicle in for a respray.

I think you'll have to do any frame preparation yourself.

I'm guessing this is different to enameling but will be superior to powder coating.

@smokeysmoo has used this approach with a Peugeot build.

 

[shadaboot27]

I used to work in a car body shop so I could easily do it myself, the problem is that I don't have a body shop! But I can certainly do all the prep work myself then take it to a body shop for painting and hopefully they will oven bake it too as they will make the paint more durable. I think a body shop would charge about £40 to do this so I think that's defiantly my best option.