Powder Coat DIY ?

[Muggzy]

Hey All, I'm thinking of powder coating a couple of small parts (maybe with the Harbor Freight kit). Has anyone got any advice? Some of the how to videos say "don't do it in your kitchen stove" but I don't really want to take up space in my garage with an oven for this (probably) one time project. Has anyone tried it in the kitchen and regretted it? I would think you could just run the oven up to self-clean temp to get rid of any residual smell.

Thoughts?

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[toms73novass]

How big are the parts? Most of the stuff I do if I can I do in a dedicated toaster oven in the garage. If it was summer and you had the windows open I would say maybe, but not during the winter.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I recently bought a microwave that has elements for baking. It cost under $60. I haven't tried it for powder, only food, but it is slightly bigger than a toaster oven. plus the rotating tray may help? its 120 volt.

 

[EdT]

I bought a big toaster oven at goodwill for < $15. it's a good way to start. I did find that the temperature calibration was off, so that's a good thing to check. I'd stay out of the kitchen with the stuff. It can be very messy especially if you drop an uncured part. The powder will go every where. IMHO theres' not much risk of poisoning yourself, but you can make a big mess in a hurry and if you get powder in the oven it'll stink for ever. BTW, I've found the HF system to be adequate for the smallish parts I've been doing. I'm sure it's not the best powder coating system in the world, but it works and it's cheap.

 

[bsaint]

I have a harbor freight powder coat gun and oven for sale locally. Probably not worth the drive but its all you need to get going.

http://toledo.craigslist.org/tls/4872064980.html

 

[Showkey]

The EASTWOOD guns and powder are a better product all the way around. The electrostatic part of the guns is a critical part of the process.

Powder coat just like paint the quality of the job is in the prep. The best prep is a glass bead blaster for most parts. The prep does vary BUT the parts must be absolutely clean.......no paint, no dirt, no oil, uniform surface texture !!!!

DO NOT use your house oven.

A toaster oven can be modified with sheet metal to enlarge the box.

 

[Muggzy]

Thanks all!

I'm doing some of the smaller parts off an ATV that I'm building; wheel hubs, brake lever and calipers. I thought a toaster oven would be too tight for the hubs and Brake lever, but I looked on CL after reading your feedback and I can probably find a big one with temp controls that'll do the job.

Thanks Again,
Muggzy

 

[Ben Buck]

Hey Mug, are you married? Better not try your oven in the house!

Nothing says lovin like something from the OVEN !!!

Should have been Nothing says NO lovin like something from the OVEN !!

 

[Muggzy]

The EASTWOOD guns and powder are a better product all the way around. The electrostatic part of the guns is a critical part of the process.

Powder coat just like paint the quality of the job is in the prep. The best prep is a glass bead blaster for most parts. The prep does vary BUT the parts must be absolutely clean.......no paint, no dirt, no oil, uniform surface texture !!!!

DO NOT use your house oven.

A toaster oven can be modified with sheet metal to enlarge the box.

I intend to blast the alum. parts but the brake lever is steel and still has the factory rust preventative coating (it's more like anodizing than paint). I was hoping to wash it with Trisodium phosphate to keep the coating and minimize future rust. Do you think that'll work?

I suppose I could always try it and see since I'll have the equip to redo it, but if it definitely wont work then I'll just blast it and be done with it.

Edit: Oh yeah, I've been looking at the Eastwood kits too. I'm thinking about the "Hot Coat" and "Dual Voltage" Starter kits. There are some deep recesses on the hubs and (what I consider) minor recesses on the calipers. How necessary is the dual voltage for this?

Thanks in Advance

 

[Muggzy]

Hey Mug, are you married? Better not try your oven in the house!

Nothing says lovin like something from the OVEN !!!

Should have been Nothing says NO lovin like something from the OVEN !!

Yeah that's a big factor too

 

[Showkey]

Sometimes you never know how the powder will flow out until you try it.
The powder coat when done right has superior rust prevention so the stock coating may not be important.
A smooth surface no rust can be prepped witha scotch bright pad.
Do over look clear powder coat on many surfaces can work well too.

NOTE.....Fully cured powder coat can be a ***** to remove. It sometimes takes the nastiest strippers, permatex spray gasket remover works well. (They may have changed permatex formula.)

I upgraded to the duel voltage EASTWOOD gun after years of use with their original gun. The duel voltage does help and is important on larger items.

 

[tcianci]

I have the Eastwood Hot Coat gun kit. It works really well. Read up on powder coating in general, especially about pre baking cast parts to get impurities to off-gas before coating. As far as your already coated steel stuff goes, you're going to at least need a bare spot on each piece to connect the ground to. You may be better off just stripping those parts as well and doing it right the first time. The powder coating will be plenty of rust protection for your steel parts. Grab an old electric oven from the trash, do your project and then trash it yourself. No problems

 

[abk241]

For a one time project with just a few parts I'd farm the job out.

 

[Ilikeike]

For a one time project with just a few parts I'd farm the job out.

I agree,
If the OP only has some ATV hubs/wheels and some miscellaneous brackets I would think it's only about $50~75 job blasted and coated.
At least based on my experience thats what I would expect to pay.
I have parts at the coaters every month it seems. My Camaro subframe cost me around $100, and I had some smaller pieces done a month ago, heater core /blower box and 5 other small parts for $80. It obviously takes a bit more time preparing the smaller parts.

 

[Demkog]

Do not glass bead aluminum glass bead is bad in general for powder coat. It will get in beaded in the aluminum and cause fish eyes because the powder coat will not stick to the glass. Also glass bead peens the surface closing the metal making a less desirable mechanical adhesion. Aluminium oxide all the way just play with the air pressure. I agree with the conciseness on the this page the smell set up cost is not worth the one time project but if you are thinking about doing it more it is a grate simple process to do and is worth the investment of the diy gun and toaster oven that is how I started.

 

[Muggzy]

Despite what comes up when I Google powder coaters in my area, I really don't have much to choose from:
Extreme Powder Coating sandblasted my VIN off my frame after he said he'd chemical strip it and mask it b4 he blasted the rest. I then had to do the legwork to fix his mistake (several days and $80 later I got a stamped number plate for him to weld onto the frame). He also PC'd the seating surfaces on the rear hubs, leaving me to chem strip 'em myself. Really, it would have been no biggie if he'd have fixed his mistakes (we all make 'em) instead of shrugging his shoulders. Mistakes on the brake calipers and front hubs could be costly and my experience with this guy says just don't chance it.

Speedy Carts and Coatings - They now have weekend hours so I'm gonna talk to them when I get a w.e. off in 2 or 3 weeks. If they seem competent and will do a small tedious job like this (two ATV hubs, 3 brake calipers and a brake lever), I'll probably let them do it.

In the mean time, while it'll be time consuming and probably double the cost, I'm starting to like the idea of just doing it myself. If I could've gotten away with using the kitchen oven, and I could glass bead the parts outside right now (it's winter), I'd have already purchased the Eastwood PC Kit.

I really value all of this input, It's helping me think through something I have little experience with. Thanks!



I've done my homework wrt professionals in my area. Here's run down on the Google list that I went through when looking to get my frame coated...
Extreme PC shows up 2x (see above)
Orange County powder coat shows up 5x on that list. I drove there once (nobody home), called them twice (didn't return my 1st call) and got through once, said come on in and guess what? No one home again.
Anthony Bros. - 9-5 M - F (can't take off of work to get this done)
Newburg and Hudson Valley - commercial work only
Dase's Custom PC - Just over an hour away - not making that trip twice (4hrs total). I'd send it through the mail if I could find guy who's experienced with these parts. If I have to wait 'til they get a bigger job of the same color (Black) to run mine with, that's just fine but they need to know what they're doing so I don't have to be there to explain all of the masking.

 

[Muggzy]

Do not glass bead aluminum glass bead is bad in general for powder coat. It will get in beaded in the aluminum and cause fish eyes because the powder coat will not stick to the glass. Also glass bead peens the surface closing the metal making a less desirable mechanical adhesion. Aluminium oxide all the way just play with the air pressure. I agree with the conciseness on the this page the smell set up cost is not worth the one time project but if you are thinking about doing it more it is a grate simple process to do and is worth the investment of the diy gun and toaster oven that is how I started.

I'll keep the alum oxide in mind. Have you ever tried coal slag? It's only $8 for 50lbs so I can do it outside and don't have to worry about recovering it.

 

[Showkey]

Once you start with PC........you will find dozens of other projects and it's to coat. It's addictive.

As far blasting media and blasting in general. It is an art form and the variables are the material, media both type and grit, distance from item and air pressure. Wrong pressure wrong grit or wrong distance can be very very distructive very quick.

I have used the slag and it is pretty rough so it is aggressive. Not the best for soft metals. Much better for rust removal. This will vary with brand and technique used.

As for glass beads, they come in multiple grades and grits. Some of the best coating I have done is aluminum with glass beads with clear powder coat. Mat or polished surface.

Glass beads also make for a good prep of oxidized aluminum or stripping factory clear of engine cases or side cases. After cleaning and blasting this prior to polishing to a mirror finish. Then PC the polished surface.

 

[Toxicscrew]

I intend to blast the alum. parts but the brake lever is steel and still has the factory rust preventative coating (it's more like anodizing than paint). I was hoping to wash it with Trisodium phosphate to keep the coating and minimize future rust. Do you think that'll work?
?

Aluminum parts that are anodized you can shoot right over the top of the anodizing, if it's in good shape. You are going to want to test that piece since it's steel though. That coating might not play well with the powder once heat is introduced.

Dual or adjustable voltage is great for getting into the faraday areas (tight corners & such). It takes practice to get it right no matter what (starter) gun you have.

As said before DO NOT cure in your household oven.

The toaster oven is great to have even if you get a large oven. I have one for doing color checks and small parts. Heck of a lot cheaper and faster to heat up than the beast oven.

Coal slag/black beauty is great for fast rust removal, but it degrades very quickly turning into worthless dust. I use a mix of aluminum oxide & glass bead. Works quickly and leaves a nice smooth surface.

For loads of information join the Eastwood, Powder 365 & Caswell plating forums. That's your best bet for information.

 

[Muggzy]

For loads of information join the Eastwood, Powder 365 & Caswell plating forums. That's your best bet for information.

Of course it is Thanks!
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