LCGB Forums

Hey all,

Hope everyone is having a good crimbo, Very soon it will be time to get my frame dipped, blasted etc etc and checked for straightness, I was thinking about getting it galvanized before its painted, has anyone done this on here? if so did it turn out ok?? A mate of mine suggested having the frame powder coated but I'm not a big fan cause if it starts to rust it can spread a long way under the coat before it rears it's ugly head, anyway what are your thoughts about galvanizing first before paint??

Thanks

Why?

Frames have to be badly cared-for before they rust. Galvanising seems an overkill solution to a small problem if the scooter is stored under cover.

Above all, galvanising does not take paint very well. There are special primer coats for galvanised surfaces but in my experience, don’t work as well as well-applied powder coat or even traditional paint on top of an etch primer.

No, I would not go there.

When galvanized the metal is dipped in a "very" hot tank, this can twist and deform certain parts.

Care would have to be taken over the areas that you do not want galvanizing (cone holes, shocker mount, etc).

Galvanizing also leaves "nibs" on the metal. These are small spikes that are usually ground down.

On the "pro" side, if done correctly the inside of the tube will also be galvanized.

If it was galvanized from new it would have been a good idea but is it worth doing on a 50 year old frame ?

Thanks both for your opinions, if nothing else it was worth an ask, I can see all of your points of view why it would be a bad idea, so that bright idea of mine has been canned

I galvanised a few frames (was manager of a galvanising plant), had no issue with twisting, and if galvanised carefully no ripples in steel. The big issue I had was getting a good earth off the frames, galvanising isn’t just a top coat on steel it goes into the steel so grinding or drilling is the only option which defeats the properties of zinc coating the steel. Painting is no issue if it is properly etched with what’s known as T-wash.

I have been getting frames powdercoated in zinc rich high build primer recently. I have also sprayed the inside of all the tubes with a good coating of Lanoguard or ACF50 - done one a warm day and rotating the frame to get good coverage. Then a good quality paint job to top it off.

Avoid getting the frame dripped rather than blasted - the acid remains in the seams and leaches out causing the paint to blister. Appreciate that the acid should be neutralised - but you dont know whether its been done properly until its too late.

I know it's a different thing but I use to work with my Dad fitting galvanised steel window frames and we had to use special primers to get other paints to stick and if you weren't careful and knocked it it would flake off. If you do get it done make sure the breather at the bottom of the frame doesn't get blocked as this will cause it to rust

bookertmgs1 wrote:Avoid getting the frame dripped rather than blasted - the acid remains in the seams and leaches out causing the paint to blister. Appreciate that the acid should be neutralised - but you dont know whether its been done properly until its too late.

Good to know thanks