# Industrial mill vs brushed finish



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

I'm trying to decide on which finish to get, industrial mill or brushed finish. This will be for a road bike (R350) and I am planning on getting etched graphics. 

If anyone can weigh in on their preferences, which finish is easier to keep looking the same or new, etc. Do the etched graphics look better with one finish versus the other? I don't have a chance to see the finish in person, so any help / feedback is appreciated! Thanks


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

My Seven frame could be classed as "industrial mill" relative to the finer brushed finish on my Kish. The Kish looks much better than the Seven and is easier to keep clean. WD-40 on a rag is the best method I've tried for cleaning.

My graphics aren't etched on either frame but I would think the finer the brushed finish, the better the graphics will stand out.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Thanks Mike.  I think you are right about the finer the finish, the more the etched graphics will stand out (i.e. more of a contrast).


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## Pisgah2000 (Nov 24, 2015)

I have an industrial mill and a matte satin Lynskey (both 2011s with lots of miles). The matte satin has aged better and still looks pretty much new. Since that's not an option, I'd probably go bright brushed. Industrial mill isn't bad, but doesn't really ever look "clean", no matter what you do to it. 

Also, as has been mentioned, I'd imagine the more contrast between the frame and graphic finishes the better, at least when it comes to being able to see the graphics.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

My Carver frame is OEM'd by Lynskey and has etched graphics and (I believe their) industrial finish.

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

(click the link...sorry RBR cannot handle Imgur hotlinks)

Industrial brush with etched graphics is very hard to photograph and is pretty a subtle look. I dig it because I'm tired of BIKES THAT SHOUT GRAPHICS AT ME. lol.
See: Ti Gravel Grinder - Carver Bikes for non-built pro photos.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

My Lynskey is the Bright Brushed and I like it. I wish it had etched graphics, but mine came with decals that cracked and flaked pretty quickly, so I removed them.










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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Thanks for all the feedback. Opus, I have not seen the decals in person but they do look like they would scratch and/or come off easily. Is there any kind of clear coat over the decals to protect them?


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

burgrat said:


> Thanks for all the feedback. Opus, I have not seen the decals in person but they do look like they would scratch and/or come off easily. Is there any kind of clear coat over the decals to protect them?


There wasn’t on mine, but that was 3 years ago. Maybe they do them differently now. The material the decals were made of was very brittle. It started to crack and then flake off. Finally, I took some GooGone and a Scotchbrite pad to it and removed them. 


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## Lookbiker (Sep 2, 2006)

I have a ProCross with an industrial finish and a Helix with a bright brushed finish, both with etched graphics. The etched graphics stand out slightly more on the brushed finished, but until this thread, I never really noticed the difference. I would have no problems going with the industrial mill finish if I ever got another Lynskey. Etched graphics are nice.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Lookbiker said:


> I have a ProCross with an industrial finish and a Helix with a bright brushed finish, both with etched graphics. The etched graphics stand out slightly more on the brushed finished, but until this thread, I never really noticed the difference. I would have no problems going with the industrial mill finish if I ever got another Lynskey. Etched graphics are nice.


Thanks for the info. Do you find that one is easier to keep clean looking (i.e. fingerprints, scratches, etc.) versus the other? I've heard the bright brushed is easier to touch up.


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## waterlogged (Aug 29, 2009)

I recommend matte or bright brushed. I had a Lynskey with industrial mill finish and it just never did it for me given that you have to pay extra for that option. It's ultimately your choice and your money.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I'd get the bright brushed. Polished is impossible to get clean. My wife has a 350 with that finish and it looks nice. I have a 16 year old Lynskey Litespeed with that finish. You can touch it up with a Scotch Bright cleaning pad. I put new components on the Litspeed a few years ago and removed the decals and buffed the entire frame. It looked brand new. 

The Litespeed decals were decent. What Lynskey uses now sucks. My wife's bike had flaking decals and its only a couple years old. If I were to do it over again, I'd get etched decals. Or maybe none at all.


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## Chader09 (Jun 10, 2014)

Yeah, the Lynskey vinyl decals seem like "cheap" option. I would plan to strip them or pay the extra for etched that actually show some level of quality.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Chader09 said:


> Yeah, the Lynskey vinyl decals seem like "cheap" option. I would plan to strip them or pay the extra for etched that actually show some level of quality.


Honestly, I don't think anyone anywhere sells and ships vinyl decals without issues on bare metal

FWIW, while my Seven decals stuck well, without a clearcoat they chipped very easily. My Carver came etched, and it is a very subtle finish-a bit too subtle almost if you like easily seen brandings.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

My Procross is industrial mill. I bought some grey abrasive pads from empire abrasives, and made it brushed in about 30 minutes. It is the same pad they use in the factory, and it is about $3 a sheet. For under $20 and 30 minutes of time, you can make the mill finish brushed. Just have them ship decals uninstalled. Have you checked ebay for a frame yet? They are selling new frames directly on ebay. Sucks as an owner that someone can get a new frame with options you want for around $1k. They used to cancel the auctions and relist them till too many people complained to ebay. Check completed sales and you will see insane deals people got.


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## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

spookyload said:


> My Procross is industrial mill. I bought some grey abrasive pads from empire abrasives, and made it brushed in about 30 minutes. It is the same pad they use in the factory, and it is about $3 a sheet. For under $20 and 30 minutes of time, you can make the mill finish brushed. Just have them ship decals uninstalled. Have you checked ebay for a frame yet? They are selling new frames directly on ebay. Sucks as an owner that someone can get a new frame with options you want for around $1k. They used to cancel the auctions and relist them till too many people complained to ebay. Check completed sales and you will see insane deals people got.


I still haven't purchased, not sure when I will. I would buy through ebay as the deals are really good. 
I wouldn't mind doing the the finishing to brushed myself, the only issue is that I want to do etched graphics and it would probably be near impossible to get it to look ideal around the etched part (I assume the do the finish first, then etch?).
What do you think of keeping the etched downtube section with the Lynskey name, plus an inch or so on both ends, untouched (Industrial mill finish) and then doing a bright brushed finish everywhere else? I wonder if the etched graphics don't stand out as much on the industrial vs brushed finish. Actually I am overthinking this too much...I really just need to buy it, build it, and ride the hell out of it.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I refurbished my 1999 Litespeed Ultimate a few years ago. I took the decals off with acetone and used the green Scotch Brite pads from Home Depot. It's easy to do and the frame looked brand new. Just cut them in strips and go with the grain when polishing. 

Frankly, I think the idea of getting the etched graphics in a milled finish, and then brushing the frame down -- except for where the graphics are would look horrible. I'd polish over the graphics too. They should be stamped deep enough that you won't polish them off. The decals they use on those bikes suck. My wife's started peeling after a year.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

burgrat said:


> I still haven't purchased, not sure when I will. I would buy through ebay as the deals are really good.
> I wouldn't mind doing the the finishing to brushed myself, the only issue is that I want to do etched graphics and it would probably be near impossible to get it to look ideal around the etched part (I assume the do the finish first, then etch?).
> What do you think of keeping the etched downtube section with the Lynskey name, plus an inch or so on both ends, untouched (Industrial mill finish) and then doing a bright brushed finish everywhere else? I wonder if the etched graphics don't stand out as much on the industrial vs brushed finish. Actually I am overthinking this too much...I really just need to buy it, build it, and ride the hell out of it.



Just order it the way you want. It'll be what you want out of the box-and look professional.


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