pro-bolt vs. powdercoating

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Makaveli
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pro-bolt vs. powdercoating

#1 Unread post by Makaveli »

i have decided that the colored "tasty nuts" from pro-bolt are pretty expensive. so i was wondering if there would be any problem with taking in a bunch of my stock bolts to get them powder coated. i dont really know the difference in powder coating and Anadozing so i dont know if this is a good idea or not. whats your opinions?
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#2 Unread post by BlueBomber »

I don't know much about powdercoating...but I don't think that would work very well.

From what I understand anodizing changes the top layer of the metal surface, making it protected and potentially another color...powdercoating will put a paint over it (essentially) and this will chip when you use tools on parts.

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#3 Unread post by sharpmagna »

I believe Powdercoating would stand up to abuse better than annodizing. Powdercoating covers the bolt in a powdered paint and then the paint is baked on creating a protective layer of the bolt that is fairly thick. Annodizing is actually a controlled rusting process. The rusting proces creates a very thin layer of colored "rust" that protects the metal underneath. The coating is much thinner and more fragile than powdercoating.

The bad thing with powdercoating is the baking process. It involves fairly high heat for the smoother finishes so that could weaken the bolts. Do some research and both processes and decide for yourself...
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#4 Unread post by qwerty »

Powdercoat isn't paint, but used instead of paint. Powdercoat is plastic ground to the consistency of dust. It is "fluidized" by forcing air from the bottom up through a container of powder, creating a dense cloud of particles. A venturi pump (blow across a soda straw end, and soda climbs the straw) is used to draw powder from the cloud, then through a device that induces an electrostatic charge to the powder particles. The powder particles then stick to the parts being coated by static cling. Finally, the powdered parts are heated enough to melt the powder particles, the liquid droplets flow together to form a smooth finish. The powdercoating I've done required less heat than the baked enamels the powdercoating replaced, so I doubt any issues will arise in strength of powdercoated components. Powdercoating is 5-10 times thicker than paint, so fitting wrenches may be an issue. Plastic-coating parts also does wonderful things for corrosion resistance.
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#5 Unread post by mgdavis »

Anodizing is basically ALUMINUM oxide. Steel bolts/nuts cannot be anodized. You could also powercoat aluminum, but the anodizing would probably stand up better, as it is actually harder than untreated aluminum. I imagine that, as tough as powdercoat is, it would start to chip after awhile. It would also dimensionally change the part it was applied to.
In my opinion, I would not want stressed aluminum fasteners on my bike, nor would I particularly care for powdercoated steel fasteners. Nothing wrong with steel or stainless steel, polish it up if you want something flashy.
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#6 Unread post by Johnj »

I don't want bright fastners, I want flat-black stainless, allen or torx, Truss-head 6x25 machine screws.
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