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I've just had a frame powder coated. The faces of the bottom bracket shell and the end of the head tube were also powder coated, so I took the frame to a bike shop to get the bottom bracket shell and the head tube faced.
They phoned me up today to say they'd done the bottom bracket, but not the head tube because they don't have a tool to do it (despite saying they did when I dropped it off). They said it doesn't need doing anyway, because the paint is nice and flat?
So, do I need to face the head tube or is it not really necessary?
Edit: should probably point out the head tube takes external cups.
I've never bothered, the interference fit keeps headset right.
Nope - you could simply scrape or sand the paint off. The need for facing was needed in the days of hand-cut threads on hand-filed steel lugs. These days frames components are machined to a far higher tolerance than some bodger with a blunt facing tool will ever achieve. Facing was reinvigorated by component manufactuers and shops to try and explain-away the rubbish life of external bearing BBs.
Thanks for the quick replies! Will get on with it and stop worrying about it 🙂