An interesting concept from a car guy's perspective

[B18c_tuner]

Coming from the Honda scene the thought of having our ratchets dipped hit me. What if we had our tools dipped or even powder coated? It would prolong the life of a tool (ratchets came to mind) by a considerable amount of years. Has anyone ever thought of it? The possiblities of colors are endless. Personally I would love to see a set of S/O wrenches in a black chrome dipped finish and also a nickel plated finish as well. Any and all thoughts are welcomed.

 

[larry_g]

Not being of the Honda scene, can you explain what dipping process you refer to?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[The Frisco Kid]

Like a matte industrial finish, or plasti-dip 'd?

 

[willhollin]

Chrome seems to hold up pretty well, can't see a need for powder coating.

 

[The Frisco Kid]

Powdercoat would be cool, but harder to clean oil/grease off of, IMO.

 

[B18c_tuner]

@ Larry: Its a plating process that is used to achieve that super high gloss finish we have on many of our tools. I'm not sure exactly what the steps are but I do know that the tools are dipped in about 3-4 tanks of chemicals and then polished to that high gloss.

We typically take steel and aluminum parts specifically nuts and bots etc., alswell as wheels and have them dipped for a more peronalized look. The dipping/ plating is purely cosmetic. But the power coat is more of a protective finished that is baked on.

@ Frisco: I was thinking a fully polished finish for the playing/ dip. And for the powder coat I was thinking more of the smooth stuff, not so much the matte finish.

@ Will: I agree with you on the factory finish hold up just fine. But over time the finish just dulls/ disapears due to its very thin layer of plating. The dipper can put a thicker coating making it last longer. Also powder coating is just another option. I believe they can even powder cost a clear on to the factory finish but I have seen it dull a high polished finish.

 

[jrherald420]

It would be a cool idea but powder coating and dipping adds material making the machined area for the nut or bolt smaller that what it needs to be. That would be alot of work masking the machined area to keep the new material off of it. Plating on chrome would work better due to the lesser amount of material used to get the desired finish.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

It would be a cool idea but powder coating and dipping adds material making the machined area for the nut or bolt smaller that what it needs to be. That would be alot of work masking the machined area to keep the new material off of it. Plating on chrome would work better due to the lesser amount of material used to get the desired finish.

First thing I thought about.

Plus, no matter how well-prepped a powder coat it, it'll chip off eventually on something like a tool that sees a lot of use.

Hard chrome seems to be the best mix of durability and ease of cleaning for tools.

 

[farmall400]

I'm looking for some v-tech stickers for my wrenches...

 

[mrpowderkeg]

I'm using some tools from the 1950s so I don't know of tool longevity issues, if your tools are not abused. BUT I did powder coat some proto tools that are often taken to the track with me, they are a pink/purple color, I can distinguish it a mile away, people when they borrow, are more likely to bring them back.

 

[magova1104]

I'm using some tools from the 1950s so I don't know of tool longevity issues, if your tools are not abused. BUT I did powder coat some proto tools that are often taken to the track with me, they are a pink/purple color, I can distinguish it a mile away, people when they borrow, are more likely to bring them back.

Pretty cool! I will like to see that. Any pics?

 

[hammlm]

I'm looking for some v-tech stickers for my wrenches...

Or maybe a Type-R badge to replace the US General badge on my toolbox?

 

[B18c_tuner]

@ Farnall: it's "V-tec". I believe "vtech" is the home phone manufacture..

@ Mrpowderkeg: I have a ratchet the is dull from normal use. I was thinking maybe if the factory had applied a thicker coat of chrome plate it would have still that shine to it. And I would love to see a pic of the powder cost wrench. Pretty cool idea, I'm thinking of powder coating a set of used and abused wrenches and possibly ratchets for junk yard used.

@ Hammim: now that's funny lol

 

[JKady]

The problem is that the EPA has taken away all the really good chemicals for plating in the US. New chrome, *****. It's soft, thin, and wears way easier than "old chrome". Still tougher than powdercoat, but I've got some tools that are rubbed to the raw steel from use, with no real negative effects.

Tools are, well, tools, they get used. If you want them shiny, don't use them, or polish them on a regular basis.

 

[bcradio]

@B18c_tuner is this Twitter now?

You can use the multi-quote option instead of Twitterizing this.

As for powder coating, my thinking would be easily scratched and chipped as stated above. The upside is that you get to customize color more. I prefer chrome though for durability.

 

[sometoyotaguy]

Even the cheap tools have enough chrome on them to last a long time if you wipe them off, and don't leave them outside. Unless you want to personalize them, it seems like a non-issue to me.

 

[balane]

I've been amassing and using tools for several decades now and I've never had an issue with the chrome finish on any quality tool holding up. With a little bit of cleaning I can get them to look like new again. So this hasn't been any kind of problem for me even in the PNW where it's wet a lot.

Now impact sockets/extensions on the other hand are a different story. The ones I use a lot don't keep their finishes for long and I need to keep them oiled which can be a pain and I often neglect to do it which results in eventual surface rust.

I don't believe I would like any type of surface paint/coating because I think they would chip and wear from use and chemicals and look like **** in short order. That stuff just doesn't hold up well. The same thing applies to firearms, none of those miracle finishes that aren't plating based or bluing hold up over time. At least none that I've found.

 

[gsmornot]

Might be nice sometimes to have a coating of the plasti dip on the outside of a socket. Not practical but it would help when trying to pull it off the ratchet with oily hands. Unless you have quick release. (wonders if that's how that came about)

 

[carnegie03]

Coming from the Honda scene the thought of having our ratchets dipped hit me. What if we had our tools dipped or even powder coated? It would prolong the life of a tool (ratchets came to mind) by a considerable amount of years. Has anyone ever thought of it? The possiblities of colors are endless. Personally I would love to see a set of S/O wrenches in a black chrome dipped finish and also a nickel plated finish as well. Any and all thoughts are welcomed.

Since noone had any pics up- here's one. Badly rusted Cornwell Ratchet, powder coated 'Cast Iron' from Eastwood. Reverse and exposed back pieces coated with Eastwood 'Diamond Clear.' Brass looking color showing through is from a brass bristle brush prior to powder/spray- interesting effect imo. Not really worth it unless you hate chrome or it's badly flaked. On the other hand, makes for a 'cool' looking ratchet that is useful again.
Cheers!

 

[billymade]

One member here; powder coated one of his ratchets... I wonder how well it held up under use?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127389

I also; remember someone here; painting a snap-on pear head ratchet body yellow... but I can't seem to find the thread... anyone remember that thread?

 

[JerseyBoatBuilder]

JH Williams has Black and High Visibility red and yellow supercombo wrenches

It doesnt say what process they use on the wrenches though

 

[87FoRunner]

Another thing that amazes the **** outta me and these honda-tech kids nowadays.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

i have seen green and black snappy pliers on here, maybe they are powder coated

 

[B18c_tuner]

Thanks for the comments guys. And I will be using the "multi-quote" feature next time. Didn't really think it would matter...

And Im also sure you'd be amazed when a honda pulls on a "chevy, ford, mopar". Just FYI, I'm not a "honda-tech kid"

 

[87FoRunner]

Thanks for the comments guys. And I will be using the "multi-quote" feature next time. Didn't really think it would matter...

And Im also sure you'd be amazed when a honda pulls on a "chevy, ford, mopar". Just FYI, I'm not a "honda-tech kid"

I am a honda fan, it's just the stupid stuff going on now in the scene...

 

[B18c_tuner]

I don't see how putting personal touches in the engine bay in a tasteful way is stupid. Now if your talking about the super wide low offset wheels on a honda then I can agree with you on how stupid that is.

 

[JerseyBoatBuilder]

Another thing that amazes the **** outta me and these honda-tech kids nowadays.

You mean you wouldn't want spinners on the casters on your tool box?

 

[B18c_tuner]

Haha, that's funny. Anyways I see that most prefer the factory chrome on the tools. This was just a thought I had to put out there. Keep all the comments flowing good or bad.

 

[JerseyBoatBuilder]

Haha, that's funny. Anyways I see that most prefer the factory chrome on the tools. This was just a thought I had to put out there. Keep all the comments flowing good or bad.

I think people would buy them
The way that I see it, it is no different than peoples preferences to pink, orange, green, blue, black and what ever other colors there are for tool handles

 

[87FoRunner]

I don't see how putting personal touches in the engine bay in a tasteful way is stupid. Now if your talking about the super wide low offset wheels on a honda then I can agree with you on how stupid that is.

This.

And the Skittles wheels BS.

 

[Major Ramifications]

Snap-On has been having their tools powder coated for many years. When the government buys tools from Snap-On, they have each set powder coated, different colors for different "ranks" if you will, of users.
Then, the Snap-On rep would bring it over to us and we would LASER etch a different code on each person's set of tools.

The powder coat finish was NOT as good as chrome.

 

[B18c_tuner]

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing