# powder coating



## porthos (Jan 29, 2014)

i'm reading about the stripping and painting procedures you guys are doing (even writing  paint types down) maybe a dumb question, but how about powder coating???


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## dave2176 (Jan 29, 2014)

Requires heat. Small pieces are easy enough in a toaster oven in the shop. Large piece might lead to being single. To powder coat a bed you would have to get a job at pizza hut and stay late one night to get her done. :roflmao:

Dave


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## Walltoddj (Jan 29, 2014)

Go to http://www.eastwood.com/ look at what they got for paints they carry all types. power coat uses electrostatic charge to make the paint adhere to the part then you bake it at 400 deg till it flows out. For bigger parts they have a lamp that heats a section at a time but seem a little slow because the lamp is only about 12" x 12". Power coat is more explosive than fire a spark sets it off or a flame that's why you need an electric oven no open flames. I've got an old double oven that works great for valve cover, timing covers, and small parts. They also have a book on power coating that may help you to see if that's what your looking for.

Todd


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## Inflight (Jan 29, 2014)

I've powder coated many components on my lathe such as the cross-slide, compound, steady rests, etc.  Anything that has a tendency to get scratched up either in normal use or while in storage.

If my toaster oven was any larger, I'd probably PC the entire lathe.  Very durable finish.



Matt


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## Ian Bee (Jan 29, 2014)

I spend roughly AU$15,000.00 @ year on powder coating, so it must be good... but... I wouldn't send in my machine castings, ever.

Flash heat is between 180 - 210 celsius, which I know, is not hot, but the boys are in a hurry, and ramp it up quickly, too quick, and distortion may occur.

Also, with castings, it is best to whip blast them, THEN bake them raw, to de-gas them, THEN powder prime, THEN powder top coat.

Three oven hits ain't my cup of tea for very delicate close tolerance parts.  I have enough trouble now, designing jobs that are powder coated, and making allowances for heat differential in differing thicknesses of material, it's a pain!

Now, before others shoot me down, let me get this in as well...

Powder coating DOES NOT, offer better protection than wet coat paint.  I've thirty years in this game, and have seen my jobs, and others, deteriorate over time.  Wet coat actually has a chemical bond to the steel, powder coating just covers it, without having an appreciable etch factor.

If it needs to keep its shape, to VERY tight tolerances, paint it.

Cheers


Ian


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## xalky (Jan 29, 2014)

Ian Bee said:


> Now, before others shoot me down, let me get this in as well...
> 
> Powder coating DOES NOT, offer better protection than wet coat paint.  I've thirty years in this game, and have seen my jobs, and others, deteriorate over time.  Wet coat actually has a chemical bond to the steel, powder coating just covers it, without having an appreciable etch factor.
> 
> ...


I agree. If you want a superb tough finish, go with epoxy primer and and epoxy paint. It's some nasty stuff to use and apply though. I powder coat small stuff occasionally. For ease of use and application and a good tough finish, you can't beat oil based paint. Sherwin Williams makes a nice Equipment paint. A lot of guys use it for heavy equipment and machinery around here.


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## RandyM (Jan 30, 2014)

porthos said:


> i'm reading about the stripping and painting procedures you guys are doing (even writing  paint types down) maybe a dumb question, but how about powder coating???



What exactly is your powder coating question? I powder coat all I can. Here is a thread to show you a little about it.

Powder Coating


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## RandyM (Feb 3, 2014)

Ian Bee said:


> Wet coat actually has a chemical bond to the steel, powder coating just covers it, without having an appreciable etch factor.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Ian



I am struggling with this statement. To my knowledge the only wet coat painting that creates a chemical bond is self etching primers. And then, there is no real chemical bonding of the substrait and the paint. It etches the substrait for a mechanical bond on a microscopic level. All painting is a mechanical attachement, powder and wet.

As far as durability, I find that there is none tougher than the proper powder coating. It will take tons of abuse. But, bear in mind that there are literally hunders of powder formulas out there for the various applications.

On the tape question, I threw away the stranded tape that Eastwood sells. I now use tape from Powder Buy the Pound. You'll get far better results with it. I also buy my powders from them as I feel they have better quality and a much wider selection.


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