Author Topic: Powder coated fork tubes......bad idea! (Read 8406 times)

Anton · « **on:** March 18, 2014, 08:21:20 PM »

Hey team,

So i decided to get my fork tubes powder coated, I had read somewhere that it wouldn't be a problem.... I should have done more research!

Now they dint fit back into the lower part of the assembly. Any suggestions on what I should do? I was thinking I could strip off just enough from the bottom to get the tubes in and a bit more to allow for spring compression. I wont be using Gators, just the small dust caps. Will this be possible without exposing bare metal above dust caps?

Or will I have to strip completely and think of something else?

Thanks

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2014, 10:20:40 PM »

Sorry mate but thats one of the silliest things i have heard on the forum yet, powder is not a high friction coating and will never work on fork tubes, have it removed or get new tubes....

Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2014, 10:52:17 PM »

Fork LEGS, it's fork legs you can coat........

martin99 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:11:34 AM »

You'll laugh about this one day Anton - honest

In the meantime, a lesson learned. Make sure your powdercoater knows about motorbikes. If yours had, he would have told you not to do this.

krusty · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:48:45 AM »

I had to check the date to make sure it wasn't April day one.

754 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:49:37 AM »

And lot of powdercoat will come off with a wire wheel...that should not hurt the fork tube.

brandEn · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2014, 04:59:12 AM »

Hopefully they didn't blast the smooth chrome away.

Anton · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2014, 07:55:52 AM »

I blasted all the chrome off. So anodizing would be the best option then?

754 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2014, 08:25:25 AM »

Can't anodize steel..there are other coatings, but they may be pricey.

greenjeans · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2014, 08:38:14 AM »

You may consider buying new fork tubes - they are somewhat reasonably priced. Annodizing would probably cost more than new tubes.

Anton · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2014, 09:09:21 AM »

Ahh rats! This is turning out to be one expensive mistake.
Thanks for the replies fellas

lrutt · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2014, 10:00:55 AM »

Anodizing (which won'twork) or any other plating will need to be a hard coat chrome the way fork tubes are meant to be. Its not necessarily just standard chrome.

so unless you spring for sending those tubes off for a proper hard chrome plating you need to get new ones.

I take it you don't have much experience with mechanics or motorcycles. We all have to learn but at this point I'd have to say to back away from that bike a bit and do more research. It's going to get real expensive real quick if you keep this up. You didn't tear into the motor or carbs yet have you?

What exactly are you doing and what is your end goal?

Anton · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2014, 10:22:11 AM »

No obviously not much experience here Irutt. Your exactly right, this mess up (along with clear coating my engine side cover with regular clear coat) is due to a lack of research and just wanting to get things moving with the project. I completely tore the bike apart including the top end of the engine. Everything that I have done (excluding the forks and side covers) I have put countless hours of research into. And I am confident that it has been done correctly. Iv just been Gettin a little impatient lately wanting to get the bike done for some spring riding. I realize now I need to slow back down and go back to doing things the way I had been before. Makin sure things will work instead o just assuming they will.

I really appreciate all the help I have gotten through this forum it has been the most valuable tool I have access too.

bjbuchanan · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2014, 11:24:33 AM »

Now that you have learned your lesson go post a wtb for fork tubes for your model bike. You will probably have a couple good choices for cheaper than new. If they are the ratty type that is unchromed under fork ears black that part out.

I like to breeze through the project section to get ideas, good and bad. It has helped me in the past answering questions I didn't realize I had yet

ncstatecamp · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2014, 11:43:54 AM »

Quote from: calj737 on March 19, 2014, 04:29:02 AM

Anton - try removing the PC with Acetone. It should soften up and allow you to wipe/rub it off. If you want your uppers colored, try anodizing instead.

Nope, acetone won't even touch a proper powder coat job. Hell I don't think air craft stripper will touch it. The only things that will take it off are super heating for a long period or abrasion.

Cqyqte · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2014, 11:46:42 AM »

I believe the fork tubes are toast, since I think he said he blasted the chrome coat off the tubes before PC. So they are nackered! Don't waste your time trying to save them.

Cqyqte · « **Reply #16 on:** March 19, 2014, 11:54:16 AM »

Fork tubes are steel coated with harden chromium.

iron_worker · « **Reply #17 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:23:01 PM »

Unless you get those tubes polished and rechromed I doubt they will ever be usable again. The blasted surface is very rough and the surface of the tube needs to be very smooth and hard in order for the seal to do it's job and be able to survive.

I had to get new forks because of bad pitting and they were about $150 I believe.

IW

Trad · « **Reply #18 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:23:38 PM »

Quote from: Cqyqte on March 19, 2014, 11:46:42 AM

I believe the fork tubes are toast, since I think he said he blasted the chrome coat off the tubes before PC. So they are nackered! Don't waste your time trying to save them.

I agree with this. The craters from the blast media will no longer support a good seal. Fork tubes are toast at this point mate.

Trad · « **Reply #19 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:24:45 PM »

Quote from: iron_worker on March 19, 2014, 12:23:01 PM

Unless you get those tubes polished and rechromed I doubt they will ever be usable again. The blasted surface is very rough and the surface of the tube needs to be very smooth and hard in order for the seal to do it's job and be able to survive.

I had to get new forks because of bad pitting and they were about $150 I believe.

IW

Damn, beat me to it.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #20 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:46:15 PM »

It will be cheaper to get new tubes than to go through the processes involved in HARD chroming, besides, if those tubes have been sand blasted then polished then hard chromed they will probably lost a minute amount of surface area which could lead to seal leaks.....just a thought...

Duke McDukiedook · « **Reply #21 on:** March 19, 2014, 01:25:22 PM »

My question is who in their right mind would do this for you without asking first, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Obviously your guy does not know much about motorcycles or suspension components.
Or maybe he has inhaled too much powder.

Lostboy Steve · « **Reply #22 on:** March 19, 2014, 01:33:50 PM »

Even if it was an inverted fork, you would have run into problems getting it through the triple trees. Gun coating worked really well on my yz250. As far as the fork "tubes" go, wow, that is the worst idea ever. Maybe you could have them stripped and then coat them with this: http://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/finishes/C-110Q/ I don't know, good luck.

Lostboy Steve · « **Reply #23 on:** March 19, 2014, 01:35:34 PM »

Quote from: calj737 on March 19, 2014, 11:47:27 AM

@ncstatecamp - I'm not sure I'd agree with that. I stripped a bracket with it after a test spray for color choices. Softened it almost immediately and I just used a hard plastic scraper to remove.

Maybe because the surface was aluminum? All I know is, I'm very careful around my parts now when I use Acetone to clean anything.

Yes, aircraft remover works, but it is extremely time consuming.

Anton · « **Reply #24 on:** March 19, 2014, 04:08:53 PM »

Thanks for the helpful replies and suggestions guys. I think in just going to look for some used fork tubes. Keep it simple. And yes I know this was a dumb mistake, let's move on from that. I don't need to be reminded every other post.

Thanks again

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Author Topic: Powder coated fork tubes......bad idea! (Read 8406 times)