Finding a Frame Painter

It didn't turn out to be all that easy to find a frame painter. I had begun making inquiries in New Mexico and was told to try a paint/powder coat shop (not bicycle specific) and also given the name of a frame building who 'might' paint or know someone who did. Other suggestions included trying auto body shops. However, since my residence in NM was temporary (18 months) I put the bike building process (more parts just meant more things to pack and move) on hold for the time being. Due to issues (including hurricane Katrina), I didn't get going right away after relocating either. But, after about a year living in the southeast, I finally had slightly over survival level income, and could anticipate having some time, and had developed some specific goals relating to my amateur racing so I started to again explore frame painting options.
This was a project I had never considered doing myself. I have known a couple of people in my life who worked on cars and am aware of not only equipment but environment (dust free) issues. I had also read enough to be aware of the need to prepare and paint a bike frame carefully (keeping paint out of the insides of the tubes) so I had a sense that, while an auto body shop might present an low cost option, it wouldn't necessarily be a good one.
I searched frame painters on the Internet for some time. I also had the added issue of trying to determine what paint job I wanted. I knew that I didn't want a re-creation of the original Schwinn Factory paint (yellow with black 'racing stripes' in the decals) and I was leaning toward something black or silver. I liked the way matte finishes looked (I've seen Trek bikes in both matte black and matte dark blue) and had pretty well decided that I wanted a matte black until I determined that was too close in appearance to many of the Kestral frames I'd seen, and I wasn't trying to make this bike look like something else. (I had likewise rejected silver because that figures in the standard Litespeed color scheme.) I spotted a dark purple paint job on one frame painter's web site and had basically decided to go with an all over purple and hope that the decals could be reproduced without the black stripes. I found no locationally close frame painters (although there may or may not be one in the New Orleans area which isn't too terribly far for me; but I couldn't determine if they were back in business post-Katrina) so I started inquiries via email. Between the time I began my search (Sept-Oct) and the time of my serious inquiries (Oct-Nov), two the painters' web sites disappeared. Another web site had a home page only but none of the links worked. I'll admit to some laziness (or lack of time) at this point; I didn't go through a lot of effort to try to track these businesses down or call them. But I figured that either: they were not doing well and/or were out of business, or; they were keeping so busy that they no longer needed a web presence. I fired out emails to the active sites giving the basics and asking for quotes for the paint (and return shipping) and go only one (prompt) reply. (I heard from some places much later on.) Jack Kane not only emailed me back quickly but also recommended that I not go with a 'plain' paint job. He referenced his gallery
and I began to see this paint job in a whole different light. If I had had the money to buy a whole new bike, the custom build options from Kane Racing Bicycles are about endless and definitely unique. (One of these days, after I'm through with school.....).
From start to finish, the painting process was a smooth as possible. I sketched out a design, based on some of the gallery bikes and also using the project one feature of the Trek web site
to look at color combinations, sent it via priority mail, called with a CC # after it was done, and quickly got it back via UPS. Not everyone wants a frame that is mostly purple with bright pink and green accents, but I'm happy with it (the color scheme was entirely my idea). Jack also carried the design onto the fork and had decals made in white to show up on the dark background. I'm really pleased to have found someone who does quality work because there are a couple of other bikes in the house that suffered some nicks in their paint from transport (including a couple of long distance moves) and may well be candidates for frame painting in the future.
Once I got the frame back, I was ready to get started (I had been accumulating pieces and parts since September) but for two things: Xmas travel and no derailleur hanger.
I took care of the latter with the help of derailleurhanger.com
which may not have the lowest prices, but has a great selection of derailleur hangers for slightly older frames like this one and provided excellent service and prompt delivery. I returned home just before the beginning of the New Year and found all of the bike parts anxiously awaiting my attention.
Coming up: why this frame? the rest of the parts; getting started with the build job