[?????]

What is the proper way to paint a fork? I want to avoid just painting over the existing paint and want to get full coverage so I think that I will have to take the fork apart and get the lowers separated. I have a 2007 Fox 40 and figure it's time to rebuild it as I've yet to do any maintenance to it. Are there any write-ups around?

While it's all apart, do any of you have tips on servicing or rebuilding the fork? Are there any changes that I can do to the dampening (moar shimz?) and such... whatever you've got. I figure the fork will be apart for painting anyways and I'm doing some other mods and maintenance so I've got a week or two of down time.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

If you're willing to wait, Luby from DirtLabs(see signature) and and lubytuned.com will have a whole write up on Fox 40's soon. If not, send it in.

 

[Sonic Reducer]

my friend painted his 40, but has a full setup. not sure exactly how he did it. heres how i'd do it: clean thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or acetone, fill all chips and other blems with a high quality plastic body filler like rage(bondo brand is garbage), scuff all surfaces with 200 grit, a coat of epoxy primer, then your base coats, clear, etc. you could also strip to bare metal and use a self etching primer.
if none of that makes sense, go grab some rattle cans.

 

[?????]

my friend painted his 40, but has a full setup. not sure exactly how he did it. heres how i'd do it: clean thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or acetone, fill all chips and other blems with a high quality plastic body filler like rage, scuff all surfaces with 200 grit, a coat of epoxy primer, then your base coats, clear, etc. you could also strip to bare metal and use a self etching primer.
if none of that makes sense, go grab some rattle cans.

I don't think that I want to use body filler, rather I would just rather get all of the existing paint off, possibly give it a rough polish to smooth out the scratches and apply the paint. I want it to look nice, but I know it will get scratched the first ride out so I'm not too concerned with a mirror smooth finish. I might even just use spray paint if I can find a pearl white to match my Intense frame.

Can I use aircraft paint stripper and sandpaper on the Fox lowers? I've heard of bad things happening with people sanding on fork lowers.

 

[ridiculous]

i rattle canned my old 40. Painting it was easy, stripping the PC off sucked big time, but some wire/nylon brushes to help in the tight spots. Im pretty sure there is now a tutorial on pinkbike in the "tutorial" section of the forums on how to paint a fork.

 

[MrPlow]

go onto www.farkin.net and check out my thread see if it helps.
http://farkin.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62163

 

[ridiculous]

with 2 coats of clear and several light coats of white spray paint.

shots kinda suck but you get the idea. Here are the scratches that it recieved by the end of the season.

 

[?????]

Looks very nice. How much were the 2009 stickers?

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

Looks very nice. How much were the 2009 stickers?

They run about $20 ish.

 

[weedkilla]

Does anyone have experience with what paints AREN'T affected by disc cleaner, my previously ****ty spray paint job forks now look a lot worse with a big run mark from disc cleaner. Any recommendations greatfully accepted.

 

[PatBranch]

Powder coat...

 

[IH8Rice]

I don't think that I want to use body filler, rather I would just rather get all of the existing paint off, possibly give it a rough polish to smooth out the scratches and apply the paint. I want it to look nice, but I know it will get scratched the first ride out so I'm not too concerned with a mirror smooth finish.

why dont you want to use body filler? body shops seem to think it works fine...plus if you have big scratches, its easier to fill it in w/ filler than to sand it down and take away more metal.

 

[ultraNoob]

If you're going to rattle can... use the Duplicolor Truck/Suv Paint. It's actual automotive paint base/hardener mixed in with the pigment. Seems to last longer that krylon or rustoleum. Last I checked... they have pearl white.

 

[Sonic Reducer]

another method that is cheap and decent is to get some rustoleum enamel in a pint can and thin it out with mineral spirits really thin, like 2:1 and brush it on with a small foam brush in several coats, then wet sand. you would need to prime though.

still another option would be to have a powdercoater strip and re coat the lowers. would probably be around $100 but with much better results and less time spent screwing around.

 

[?????]

Just bought:

Mar-Hyde Tal-Strip 2 aircraft coating remover
Mar-Hyde Total Prep automotive cleaner
Duplicolor Self-Etching Primer
Duplicolor Truck, Van & SUV Pure/Linen White Paint
Duplicolor Truck, Van & SUV Clear Top Coat
3M WETORDRY Fine Grade Assortment (220, 400, 800, 1000)

Now I need to find a Fox 40 disassembly write-up.

Is this the right way to go about it:

Remove paint with Tal-Strip.
Scuff and sand rough spots and scratches with 220 grit.
Apply a few thin coats of self-etching primer and sand with 400 grit after the primer dries.
Apply a few thin coats of white paint and sand with 800 grit after the paint dries.
Apply a few thin coats of clear coat and sand with 1000 grit after the clear dries.
Should I then apply 1 more coat of clear and use a polishing compound after the clear dries?

 

[Wilson]

Powder coat...

I'm about to get a new color for my boxxer lowers and I was thinking about powder coating but I was wondering : If I'm not mistaken, powder coating is using heat to get the result but is there any chances the bushing inside the leg melt under "high" temperature? The surface aera in contact with the stanchion is a kind of "plastic" so I thought it could melt in the oven...? I'm I wrong ?

Anyone here had there lowers powder coat ? What's the results?

Thx

 

[PatBranch]

You mean like the seals? They should be taken out because they will surely melt.

The powder coating process is putting a current through the metal, so the powder (plastic basically) sticks to it. Then it's heated in an oven. I'm getting mine powder coated right now.

 

[bullcrew]

Why not just lightly scuff surface paint/powdercoat and fill/psint from there as its laready bonded to the lowers making it a great primer??? Just a thought!

 

[bullcrew]

You mean like the seals? They should be taken out because they will surely melt.

The powder coating process is putting a current through the metal, so the powder (plastic basically) sticks to it. Then it's heated in an oven. I'm getting mine powder coated right now.

I emailed you FOO!
Decals are ready to roll in manilla envelope. Just need some info!!!!!
Nice job BTW diggin the SB ones thats sick!!!!!!

Hey howd you get the bushings out of the lowers? He also said to leave them in adn replace them when its done PCn due to heat on the tubes and tube distortion.
Talked to Jerry at Hippie tech and they sometimes get marred up from the 400 degrees for 30 minute cook rocess!

 

[bullcrew]

I'm about to get a new color for my boxxer lowers and I was thinking about powder coating but I was wondering : If I'm not mistaken, powder coating is using heat to get the result but is there any chances the bushing inside the leg melt under "high" temperature? The surface aera in contact with the stanchion is a kind of "plastic" so I thought it could melt in the oven...? I'm I wrong ?

Anyone here had there lowers powder coat ? What's the results?

Thx

From what I got informed from a buddy whis got the 411 on this as hes done several himself. He recomends leaving bushings in, PC it then have the old ones removed and new ones pressed in.

 

[PatBranch]

What bushings? The only things the stanchions touch is the seals and nuts/bottom part of the lower.

 

[Banshee Rider]

The heat from the PC process will compremise the magnesium lowers. I learned the hard way, to the tune of $150 for new lowers. If your going to change the color of your lowers, PAINT and clearcoat them. Do not powdercoat them!

 

[davep]

What bushings? The only things the stanchions touch is the seals and nuts/bottom part of the lower.

Ummm, you may want to actually look down into your lowers. They BETTER have bushings in there.....

There are generally two per leg. One right under the seals..another further down in the leg. The top one can usually come out with typical hand tools. the lowers will most likely require special tools to pull and replace.

 

[PatBranch]

The wiper and the oil seal (bushing?)? The top one will come out with your finger..at least on a super t. I use a hammer and a screw driver to remove the bottom one (with 1/3 piece of this pvc pipe so the edge of the lower doesn't get messed up).

edit: I'm retarded.

 

[davep]

No those are the dust wiper and oil seal. Like I said, under the seals,down in the lowers there are two bushings that the stanchion slide on.

Look something like this http://www.bti-usa.com/images/thumbnails/large/mz/mz850776.jpg

 

[PatBranch]

Ohh. I always thought that was part of the lowers.

 

[Geo100]

Sorry, does not seem to copy&paste
http://service.foxracingshox.com/consumers/index.htm#service/forks/40/40rc2.htm
From this website you can also see all other forks

 

[Old_Sckool]

Just a note on the magnesium lowers.

Despite what has been posted. Magnesium can be powdercoated.

But, only a small percentage of powdercoaters can do it. There is a special process for magnesium (sorry, I can't remember the details). Don't just ask if they can PC magnesium, you have to be very specific and make sure they are have what it takes to do it properly. If they don't, the PC will take and appear to hold initially, but it will blow off in large chunks anytime it is damaged, instead of just a small chip. Yes, I have first hand experience with this.

As far as the bushing go. Some can take the heat and some can't. You can try leaving the bushings in. Then just reassemble the fork and see how it works. But don't assume you'll be able to reuse them.

 

[Banshee Rider]

Just a note on the magnesium lowers.

Despite what has been posted. Magnesium can be powdercoated.

But, only a small percentage of powdercoaters can do it. There is a special process for magnesium (sorry, I can't remember the details). Don't just ask if they can PC magnesium, you have to be very specific and make sure they are have what it takes to do it properly. If they don't, the PC will take and appear to hold initially, but it will blow off in large chunks anytime it is damaged, instead of just a small chip. Yes, I have first hand experience with this.

As far as the bushing go. Some can take the heat and some can't. You can try leaving the bushings in. Then just reassemble the fork and see how it works. But don't assume you'll be able to reuse them.

Only a small percentage can do it because unless the process is carried out properly the PC won't adhere, or because the process doesn't compremise the magnesium?

When I spoke to sram when ordering my new lowers, the techs words were "Just be thankful they deformed so you couldn't use them, it would have been alot worse had they looked fine and you actually rode them."

Blowing smoke or not, I don't know. But he lead me to believe that its the heat process from PC'ing hurting the magnesium that is the actual danger, not ruining the bushings.

 

[bullcrew]

There I did mine today! Lowers, both crowns.
Scuff it all with 400-600 grit, then white dupli-colr and let dry, then dupli-color clear coat again let dry.
Note: Make sure to get in all nooks and crannys with the sand paper as to not leave a week bond area.

 

[RUFUS]

There I did mine today! Lowers, both crowns.
Scuff it all with 400-600 grit, then white dupli-colr and let dry, then dupli-color clear coat again let dry.
Note: Make sure to get in all nooks and crannys with the sand paper as to not leave a week bond area.

Trying to get the look of the 2010?
That looks good dude. I am thinking about doing both my black and white lowers when it gets warmer than -10.
Where are the new decals?

 

[bullcrew]

Trying to get the look of the 2010?
That looks good dude. I am thinking about doing both my black and white lowers when it gets warmer than -10.
Where are the new decals?

Sitting off to the side Im designing some new ones more 2010' ish.

 

[PatBranch]

That looks good!

The bushing don't actually touch the stanchion do they? Metal on Polished Metal sounds bad.

 

[Old_Sckool]

Only a small percentage can do it because unless the process is carried out properly the PC won't adhere, or because the process doesn't compremise the magnesium?

When I spoke to sram when ordering my new lowers, the techs words were "Just be thankful they deformed so you couldn't use them, it would have been alot worse had they looked fine and you actually rode them."

Blowing smoke or not, I don't know. But he lead me to believe that its the heat process from PC'ing hurting the magnesium that is the actual danger, not ruining the bushings.

Well yeah, as far as the SRAM tech, I kinda doubt it's in his expertise. Most likely he may of seen a set come thru that was done improperly. But more likely they're just being like most manufacturers and erring on the side of caution. PC'r tend to be spotting at best and although its overall a pretty easy process, there is lots of room to screw up if they don't know what they're doing, especially with a odd alloy like magnesium.

The main problem seems to be adhering. But it might also need a more precise temp control. But I don't remember temp being a major issue. It had something to do with how it was prepped, might have been a chemical treatment. Sorry I can't remember more details (I'm old and probably have early stage Alzheimer's). If you Google "powdercoating magnesium" you should be able to get more info. But I had to sift thru quite a bit, before I got any consistent info. That was a year ago. Might be more info out there now.

A couple things. Normal powdercoating only takes about 400 degrees. But some powdercoaters are pretty low tech and I've heard of guys getting temps up to 700 degrees (I guess some of the larger low tech ovens can have hot spots and cool spots, so they crank it up to make sure they get at least 400 degrees). I'm sure if you get it to hot it would damage Mag lowers. There may also be an issue with how it is stored while cooling.

My Fox 40's were PC'd. I had no problems as far a warpage. I even left the bushings in and they were fine.

But when I got it back, it looked pretty good. But there was a couple obvious flaws. Mainly, a little sloppy (specks, etc) But one spot had what appeared to be a wrinkle. It didn't seems loose, but I didn't poke it much. I just took it to a local guy. When I asked him if he could PC Magnesium, he said "I don't see why not". Hence my earlier comment about not just asking them if they can do it. MAKE SURE.

My first crash as Angel Fire in the rock garden, I blew off a chuck of PC about the size of a quarter (didn't even dent the fork). Every subsequent chip was at least a 1/4" in size.

I've had at least 8 frames powdercoated. Olympic PC in Santa Ana has done most (they do all Turner's work) They do great work for a reasonable price, but don't get into any super fancy custom work. Spectrum PC in Colorado Springs (awesome custom work, but expensive). Premium PC in Fort Collins (good work, but overpriced (180.00 for a front triangle). And a local guy who was dirt cheap, but the quality was poor ($35 for a complete frame, and the fork that didn't hold).

Right now I have a bunch of linkage parts and a Monster T down at Olympic.
The Monster is a great fork for PC'ing. Lowers are machined aluminum and the bushings can be removed by hand, no special tools. I'll being posting a pic in the Brooklyn porn thread when it is done.

Here is pic of my Fox 40, before it started chipping off. Metallic Brown. It was sweet looking when it was fresh.

 

[woots787]

Found this thread while searching for advice on painting my frame, Farkin link is very useful ta so though I'd post some ramblings on heat treatment.

I've no idea if the lowers are heat treated but as an example Boxxer crowns use 6061-T6 aluminium. T6 designates the temper and gives a yield strength of 241MPa against 125 MPa for the O or untreated temper [source - wiki]. If you heat the material you create a heat affected zone in which the temper effect might be removed. So the Boxxer crowns would be designed around a material which a yield of 241MPa but after the heating process in powdercoating it might end up with only have half that strength and so not be up to the job. Hence typically frames are heat treated after they are welded or the welding would reduce the strength in that local area (or Heat Affected Zone).

It might be fine, depends on what the lowers are made from but definitely worth you asking the manufacturer before you risk it. Try a bit of a google on magnesium heat treating.

 

[PatBranch]

My frame and super t lowers are at Olympic as well.

 

[Old_Sckool]

My frame and super t lowers are at Olympic as well.

Pat,
Did you ask them specifically about the magnesium?
If so. What did they have to say?

 

[PatBranch]

I just told them they were magnesium. They didn't say much other than they wouldn't strip it...so I had them stripped somewhere else.

 

[Old_Sckool]

I just told them they were magnesium. They didn't say much other than they wouldn't strip it...so I had them stripped somewhere else.

Ok Thanks.

Chris knows is $hit, so I'm sure he knows how to handle it. I'm still kicking myself for not sending the Fox to them.

 

[Wilson]

Sitting off to the side Im designing some new ones more 2010' ish.

I'm pretty messed up between Acrylic Enamels and Lacquers. I want to get a nice gloss finish while having the highest durability I can get out of a aerosol...Wich one should I use ?