Powdercoat vs anodizing

dirtbiker77

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looking to splash some colour on my sled, i want to do:

Spindles
Handlebars
Sway arms
Bumpers
all the wheels in the back ( if i cant buy em in the colour i want)
some small things on rear skid
Rails
all shock coils


now i know that the rails should be anodized but what else out of the list should be, rather then powdercoated?
is anodized better in anyway? whats a good place to get my anodizing done?

thanks
 

Redturbo

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There is only 1 place in the Edmonton area the does anodizing. Anderson Anodizing, St Alberta. No idea on phone number. I know Kevin likes cash, if you get my drift. But you can only anodize parts of the sled that are alunium. There is also a limit of colours that he can do. The parts come out dull, but if you have them polished before hand, kinda mirror finish. But that adds to the price. I have couple sets of wheels done in red, black. Few other pieces done in black also. Im happy with his work.
 

dirtbiker77

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yeh want the rails done black, herd that powder coating can F em up with the heat... make them soft or something... but thanks ill have to look em up.

anybody see anything i shouldnt get powder coated on the list??? spindles are iffy i dont know about em?? plz help me out
 

krash

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There is a couple threads on here about powder coating, and I started one of them, it seems like nobody on here really knows much about powder coating, personally I think that heating aluminum weakens it is a myth. I could be wrong, I'm not a know it all, I'm getting my whole sled powder coated. balkhead, tunnel, A arms, spindles, ect; check it out in a few weeks I sould have it ready in thread (POWDER COATING). I hope that will help answer your question. I checked with SPECIALTY SLEDS about anodizing my whole tunnel they figuerd it would cost me around 1800.oo bucks.:beer: hope you find this usefull.
 

shoppingcart111

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People post problems they had and jump to conclusion that it was powdercoating, and not that there might have been a flaw in the aluminum from the manufacture. Powdercoating baking doesnt come close to the range to change its metalurgical structure to cause any damage unless the coater doesnt know what their doing. A buddy of mine owns a powdercoating shop and does alot of coating for some big local builders. PM if you want more information.
 

Longhairfreak

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There is a couple threads on here about powder coating, and I started one of them, it seems like nobody on here really knows much about powder coating, personally I think that heating aluminum weakens it is a myth. I could be wrong, I'm not a know it all, I'm getting my whole sled powder coated. balkhead, tunnel, A arms, spindles, ect; check it out in a few weeks I sould have it ready in thread (POWDER COATING). I hope that will help answer your question. I checked with SPECIALTY SLEDS about anodizing my whole tunnel they figuerd it would cost me around 1800.oo bucks.:beer: hope you find this usefull.
It sure is sad to see SPECIALTY SLEDS is still bending people over. I powder coated every aluminum piece on my sled except carb bodies cylinders and rear skid wheels. It was 110 pieces in total including my tunnel and bulkhead(god I love that word) for $1000.
 

Bnorth

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It sure is sad to see SPECIALTY SLEDS is still bending people over. I powder coated every aluminum piece on my sled except carb bodies cylinders and rear skid wheels. It was 110 pieces in total including my tunnel and bulkhead(god I love that word) for $1000.
Must have cost a lot less to powdercoat back in 1997.
 

Slim

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People post problems they had and jump to conclusion that it was powdercoating, and not that there might have been a flaw in the aluminum from the manufacture. Powdercoating baking doesnt come close to the range to change its metalurgical structure to cause any damage unless the coater doesnt know what their doing. A buddy of mine owns a powdercoating shop and does alot of coating for some big local builders. PM if you want more information.

I agree with you on that being a myth. A friend of mine is a welder and we got into this subject. Aluminum melts at something like 1200 degrees. you bake it at a few hundred degrees, wouldnt make any sense to me that less than half the heat would weaken them. And why would people weld aluminum if it made it "weak" from heat, maybe they should glue it instead lol. hmmmmm.... I would be delighted to be proven wrong. MYTHBUSTERS!
 

benclaluna450r

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It sure is sad to see SPECIALTY SLEDS is still bending people over. I powder coated every aluminum piece on my sled except carb bodies cylinders and rear skid wheels. It was 110 pieces in total including my tunnel and bulkhead(god I love that word) for $1000.

Let's see this powder coated mystery machine!
 

dvst8r

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I agree with you on that being a myth. A friend of mine is a welder and we got into this subject. Aluminum melts at something like 1200 degrees. you bake it at a few hundred degrees, wouldnt make any sense to me that less than half the heat would weaken them. And why would people weld aluminum if it made it "weak" from heat, maybe they should glue it instead lol. hmmmmm.... I would be delighted to be proven wrong. MYTHBUSTERS!

To expound on that thought: Annealing (softening for forming and other working) of 6061 aluminum is done at 775F for 2-3 hours, and even after that it needs a controlled cool down from 775F to 500F at a rate of 50F per hour. The only thing done with aluminum that is close to the temp range of powdercoating is precipitation hardening, and that is done at 320F for 18hrs and then air cooled and then 350F for 8 hrs, and then air cooled. So for the short time that aluminum is heated for powdercoating it is not structurally altered in anyway.
 

shoppingcart111

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I love how guys get their rails or whatever powdercoated and then they bend em and blame it on the caoting...they forgot to mention that they catwalk the thing for 40' at a time or jump ch!t, and they wonder why the rails are bending.
 

Pistonbroke

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Let's see this powder coated mystery machine!
LHF douchemobile.jpg

This pic is without his GF on it, I am sure someone will be along shortly to post that one. :)
 

Longhairfreak

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I love how guys get their rails or whatever powdercoated and then they bend em and blame it on the caoting...they forgot to mention that they catwalk the thing for 40' at a time or jump ch!t, and they wonder why the rails are bending.

Who would want a sled that catwalks?
 

maxwell

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There is a couple threads on here about powder coating, and I started one of them, it seems like nobody on here really knows much about powder coating, personally I think that heating aluminum weakens it is a myth. I could be wrong, I'm not a know it all, I'm getting my whole sled powder coated. balkhead, tunnel, A arms, spindles, ect; check it out in a few weeks I sould have it ready in thread (POWDER COATING). I hope that will help answer your question. I checked with SPECIALTY SLEDS about anodizing my whole tunnel they figuerd it would cost me around 1800.oo bucks.:beer: hope you find this usefull.

Its 250$ to annodize a tunnel from specialty. You realize that 1800 was labour for removing the tunnel right?




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maxwell

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I love how guys get their rails or whatever powdercoated and then they bend em and blame it on the caoting...they forgot to mention that they catwalk the thing for 40' at a time or jump ch!t, and they wonder why the rails are bending.

Wrong. I will pull up my thread when I get home. Unless someone else can find it. My coated rails lasted 15 minutes on a trail ride and ice age replaced them with a new set that I did not get coated and have been beating the chit out of them for 2 seasons now.

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