Powder coating - have you tried it?

[Sky_king221]

I have been coating for about 4 years now, and find it the perfect way to protect my parts. I rebuilt MGB carburetors and brake calipers as retirement projects. I use an Eastwood dual voltage gun and a modified HF gun. Powders come from Eastwood, Powder by the pound, Prismatic powders, and others. Its great to see a part come out of the oven in under and hour of cleaning, blasting and coating ready to be used.

 

[wachuko]

I have the Eastwood dual voltage gun and powder as well... all still new in its box... I need to get off my but* and start using it/practicing with it...

 

[savarin]

My gun is similar to the HF gun just a different name.
I made my oven from bits and pieces I had laying around.

powder coating oven

As if I didnt have enough on my plate I've had to start another project. Thats right, I have to. I've almost finished the refractor and its essential that I paint all the black parts. Now as paint will scratch I have decided to powder coat them. There is no way the minister for war and finance...

www.hobby-machinist.com

I also made a spray cabinet from some wood and clear plastic which makes cleanup so much easier.
All my coatings have come out very nice.
I also used a water drill to sink a new copper earth 2 meters deep which I think helps.

 

[mmcmdl]

My neighbor owns this place , as well as a couple other motorcycle shops . I haven't used him yet , but thinking about letting him do my Cubbie 1812 this summer .

Powder Coat Finishes | Baltimore MD

Powder Coat Finishes, Baltimore, Maryland. 558 likes · 73 were here. professional powder coating

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[C-Bag]

I guess I’ve been doing my own powder coat for 17yrs now(!! wow time flies!). The only hi $$ thing is my Kool Koat gun. I started with the Eastman but it got to where it was wasting a lot of powder and was not good for certain things. So I went lo end pro. My results were way better with about 1/4 the waste.

My stuff is small so I made my own booth out of galvanized sheet metal and EMT. It’s 24”x24” with a carousel so I could do 4 parts at a time. I finally got around to making a hood for it because I leave my garage door open when I powder coat and wind is a factor. It REALLY helped. My oven is just an old magic chef electric over I got off CL for $25. Works great for me. I used powder from the Powder Coat Store and use 60% gloss black exclusively as it looks good, wears like iron and doesn’t show fingerprints. Usually buy 10lbs at a time and usually do a run of powder coat once a week with anywhere from 35 to 70pcs at a time.

My latest DIY upgrade was to make a shaker. The Kool Koat has an external pot so I got tired of shaking it and decided to make something. The third time was a charm and it has made all the difference in keeping a good flow out of the gun as a run goes along. It’s an old HF light stand tripod, a golf cart base to hold the pot, an eBay treadmill controller with eBay 24dcv windshield motor, spare bench grinder wheel washers with a Delrin hub.

 

[C-Bag]

Not that I’m some kind of expert as I’m pretty much self taught so sometimes it seems more like superstition than fact

But early on I found I think on the Eastman site a DIY guide to powder coat. It seemed like other things in my life, it’s all about the details and I got several from it.

I’m a fair weather coater. It has to be atleast 65f+, little or no wind. The more wind the less the powder sticks and the more schmutz/dust gets in it. Less humidity the better. I set my pieces to be coated on top of the oven which is outside in the sun just past the doorway. This is to get them warm. The warmer the part the better the powder sticks. I also clean my hanging hooks contact surfaces of old powder coat to make sure I have good electrical continuity with every cycle. Without that I’m just wasting powder. My parts are all fresh from the laser cutter and rust free. I use brake clean to spritz the parts just before powder coat. I also use a flour sifter as part of filling the pot every time. Keeps the powder fluffy. I store my powder in an old ice chest under my oven to keep it sealed from any heat. I have a HF fridge dehumidifier in the air line along with a toilet roll filter. Obviously YMMV.

 

[savarin]

I find the most common thing that prevents the powder from sticking is not switching on the high frequency. DOH!!!

 

[C-Bag]

Mine has just a power knob, and a switch that counteracts Faraday effect that actually repels the powder. Like in tight corners or where two surfaces are close together but don’t touch. My stuff has several of those so I have to remember to turn that particular switch on every time. It’s a doh, but subtle. The powder gets really thin in those areas with it off and when on it’s like the rest of the parts. I guess it changes polarity back and for breaking the Faraday effect. I leave the power knob just shy of max. The thing I most noticed between the two systems is the Kool Koat is smooth where the Eastman had a slight orange peel to the finish. I think I paid $900 for the box, gun and two pots. It takes a lot of powder coating to justify that kinda cost but it’s been worth it in less wasted powder and better finish.

 

[Bone Head]

About the year 2000 I had to have my motorcycle frame rebuilt (wrecked). The gentleman who did it turned me on to a then aspiring powder coater who was doing it in a shop back of his house. What he did was sandblast my repaired frame, wipe it down with denatured alcohol. Immediately coated and baked it. I chose black (goes with any color sheet metal).
At any rate it looked good. Nice gloss, even coat. It's now November 2022, and it still looks as good as when I picked it up. I have not been gentle with the bike, and there are no places where I could find that it been damaged.
I apologise about carrying on for someone else's work, but I suck at painting of any sort. Only thing I'm allowed to paint at home is the mailbox post.

 

[C-Bag]

I’ve always thought of powder coat as the ultimate coating. But always thought it beyond my capabilities. It was also pretty exclusive and the one time I tried to have a local do it one piece was $35! So I gave up on that idea until a guy I worked with told me about a company that did 10,000pcs a week for Peterbilt. So they were doing the same 65% gloss black and since mine were all ready to go it would be $.90ea. What a deal!

But it was 40mi each way so there was time and gas involved. They were in this tin building that had an overhead chain conveyor that snaked through loading, washer, behind the oven, then through the spray booth then ovens and back to the loading/unloading area. The oven and booth were open ended and it being in the Valley it was brutal during the summer as typical temp for the powders I used was 375 to 400f for 10min and often outside temp was 100f+.

While it did get me going their finish is nowhere near mine now. It was never as smooth as even the Eastman with a kind of grainy look. Between the open ovens and booth I think they were also recycling the unused powder and just by it’s very nature I think it attracts airborn dust. No bueno IMHO but that’s just me.