First attempt powder coating at home.

[Catamount]

I'm restoring an old motorcycle and getting tired of paying someone else to do my powder coating! After doing a little research, I found that it's fairly simple to powder coat at home with very little invested.

On Friday, I picked up the last thing I needed to give this a go... a sandblast cabinet (Craigslist find). This antique is homemade but it works amazingly well and can fit semi-large items, unlike many of the bench top models.

Turned these...

Into...

Bare metal very quickly!

Now into the cardboard box for application of high voltage powder with $60 Eastwood powder coating gun. It looks gray, but it's semi-gloss black. There are zillions of colors available.

Into the free Craigslist oven (cracked glass top) for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Brackets ready for another 20 years of dirt roads.

Nice curves!

Honestly, this was about $150 invested in tools including the sandblaster, free oven and Eastwood Hot Coat powder coating gun from eBay.

The process is also pretty stupid-proof. I highly recommend it if you have the need and the space!

 

[Bolster]

Excellent job my good man. And good use of CL.

 

[Hiball]

Nice Job.. Its amazing what people can do with a little work and motivation.

 

[tweety652]

hell, i have a spare over....i need to figure out how to make my own sandblasting cabinet....powder coat here i come.

 

[HotRodKush]

VERY cool, might have to look into trying that myself too.

 

[bchee]

Looks good. I want to be able to do something like that too

 

[drsifu]

i hear powdercoating is like crack, once you start, you'll never be able to stop.

tell your wife to hide anything that it is metal and that can fit in that oven.

 

[Fubar]

I have the better Eastwood powder coat system and I've used it a bunch. Works good. I also have their electroplate system and after buying a variable power supply I've used it a ton....

 

[arkangel06]

Those tuned out great!

 

[cegreen]

FWIW, TP Tools sells plans for making your own blast cabinet ($9.95), and they also sell all of the miscellaneous components you'll need.

I have never done this, so I cannot comment on the quality of the plans or parts.

http://www.tptools.com/p/337,18_Build-Your-Own-Cabinet-Plans.html

-Chris

Here's an everything-you-need kit from TP Tools:

http://www.tptools.com/p/336,18_Build-Your-Own-Cabinet-Trigger-Operated-System.html

 

[Stick Figure]

I had the HF powder coat system, and it worked well (never had another set up to compare too though). I just no longer have a place with enough room for an extra oven. Otherwise i would be doing this as well. I used to use it far more than any spray paint. I found for a small bracket i could actually powder it, and install it quicker than painting and waiting for the paint to fully dry.

 

[Catamount]

I found for a small bracket i could actually powder it, and install it quicker than painting and waiting for the paint to fully dry.

Oh yeah, that is the best part! I can put a rusted part back in service in under an hour.

Compare that with waiting for several coats of primer, top coat and clear coat to dry and there is no comparison.

I'm loving it so far.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Catamount,
Excellent in process thru completion pics, thanks. Some stupid questions: what cfm rating compressor are you using? I bought a big used blast cab off CL and haven't refurbed it yet.

Gas or electric oven? Can you physcally handle the powdered unbaked parts w/o it coming off? What about hanging them in the oven? When the powder melts doesn't it mar the finish if they're sittng on a surface lie you had them?

 

[Catamount]

Some stupid questions: what cfm rating compressor are you using? I bought a big used blast cab off CL and haven't refurbed it yet.

I'm using a Craftsman 2HP. 6.3 @ 40, 4.9 @ 90. It is pretty much running full time when I'm blasting unfortunately, but it gets the job done!

The good news is that applying the powder coat takes a measly 8 psi!

Gas or electric oven?

Electric only. The vapors can ignite so you can't use a gas oven.

Can you physcally handle the powdered unbaked parts w/o it coming off? What about hanging them in the oven?

Picture something covered in baby powder. It comes off easily when touched, so you just gently handle the wire you're hanging it with. If you bump the part on the way into the oven, some powder might fall off and mar your final finish.

When the powder melts doesn't it mar the finish if they're sitting on a surface lie you had them?

The powder melts in the oven. Then after 20 minutes I just turn the oven off and let the parts cool.

Once they're cool, the coating is as hard as it'll ever be and the part is ready to use.

By the time I set them down on the wood for a photo, the coating was rock hard.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks.
Your compressor gives me hope mine will keep up. Mine's about the size of yours, maybe a touch bigger.

Only electric? ****! I don't have 220 in my garage but DO have natural gas on my patio. I was thinking I could get a CL oven, mount it to a mover's flat dolly and with a T on the BBQ line, use it when I need it then roll it away when I'm done.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Oh and PS, I'm definitely going looking for a powder coat gun at Eastwood or eBay but there is an outlet near me that sometimes has Craftsman powder coat stuff. Wonder f anyone has any experience with C- man powder coat stuff?

I'm thinkng to buy gloss & semi gloss black, a blasted metal looking gray and possibly red. Is cleaning the eguipment for a color change a big deal or just blow I clean with compressed air?

 

[mrholeshot]

Man that looks really nice, what kind of bike are you restoring, I can't make out the type of parts you did.

I bought a Powdercoating system from Summit Racing just to do some parts on Mustang I was building. I bought an oven for 25 dollars on CL and was really shocked how easy it was to do and how nice it came out (to be such a cheap kit). I ended up with some lime green powder coated Craftsman wrenches we used at the track. It's addictive for sure. I would like to get the Eastwood kit to do some motorcycle stuff I'm working on now. I've been taking it to the powder coater thats about a mile from my house. The only thing about doing it at home is when it comes down to the large stuff (like a motorcycle frame) you are SOL.

 

[Catamount]

Oh and PS, I'm definitely going looking for a powder coat gun at Eastwood or eBay but there is an outlet near me that sometimes has Craftsman powder coat stuff. Wonder f anyone has any experience with C- man powder coat stuff?

Check out the forums over on garagejournal.com or eastwood.com. I think some guys have had good luck with C-man guns.

My logic though, was that the guns are so cheap that I might as well go with one of the known good ones.

I'm thinkng to buy gloss & semi gloss black, a blasted metal looking gray and possibly red. Is cleaning the eguipment for a color change a big deal or just blow I clean with compressed air?

Cleaning is SO simple. Takes me about 3 minutes. Air compressor at 30 psi and blow air into all the nooks and crannies on the gun and container. Done!

 

[Catamount]

Thanks.
Your compressor gives me hope mine will keep up. Mine's about the size of yours, maybe a touch bigger.

One thing to keep in mind when you're blasting with a small compressor is that it will be generating moisture as it works hard. Put a water separator or dryer in line somewhere.

 

[Catamount]

Man that looks really nice, what kind of bike are you restoring, I can't make out the type of parts you did.

It's actually just a little old Yamaha TW 200 that I'm doing a Japanese-style custom build with. Those brackets are for the passenger footpegs.

They were my first real test.

The only thing about doing it at home is when it comes down to the large stuff (like a motorcycle frame) you are SOL.

Yeah, but I don't really want an enormous oven in my place anyway. I don't mind paying for the large, once-in-a-while things (like the frame for this bike, which cost me $125 to have done).

 

[mrholeshot]

It's actually just a little old Yamaha TW 200 that I'm doing a Japanese-style custom build with. Those brackets are for the passenger footpegs.

Isn't that one of the ones that have those fat azz tires on it? I'm restoring a Honda V65 Sabre right now. I bought it off of ebay about a year ago. Just something to mess with and cheaper than a Race car.

 

[Catamount]

Exactly! Bikes are so fun to work on because they have fewer parts and fit on a bench.

Here it was when I bought it in the spring:

Here it is currently:

 

[cowboy73]

Nice powder coating. That looks pretty simple to do.

 

[superautobacs]

Wow, that bike looks 10x better!!

 

[JamieK]

Would a toaster oven work? Obviously, it would be limited to small parts, but they can be bought cheap at the Goodwill. And you would only need 110 volts and just a little benchtop space.

 

[Catamount]

Wow, that bike looks 10x better!!

Thank you! I'm really changing a lot so it's taking longer than expected. But it'll be worth it. These are really fun bikes despite their size.

Would a toaster oven work? Obviously, it would be limited to small parts, but they can be bought cheap at the Goodwill. And you would only need 110 volts and just a little benchtop space.

Yep! Actually I was thinking of using one until I realized that my parts wouldn't fit. Lots of guys use toaster ovens and I've even heard about people using heat guns, although I wonder how long that must take!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

One thing to keep in mind when you're blasting with a small compressor is that it will be generating moisture as it works hard. Put a water separator or dryer in line somewhere.

I wonder if a HF water separator works good enough?

 

[ratdoggy]

It's actually just a little old Yamaha TW 200 that I'm doing a Japanese-style custom build with. Those brackets are for the passenger footpegs.

Isn't that one of the ones that have those fat azz tires on it? I'm restoring a Honda V65 Sabre right now. I bought it off of ebay about a year ago. Just something to mess with and cheaper than a Race car.

V65 Sabres were the **** at one time. They were THE muscle bike. I had a
V45 that would scare the pee out of me after I put a pipe on it ( and other things)

 

[Teken]

Outstanding job . . . Great write up on the whole process. Now you're going to tip the balance of me getting into another hobby!

 

[mrb]

does baking the paint make fumes or obnoxious smells?

 

[Greg-nwo]

No bad fumes or smells but you do want to make sure you have proper ventilation when you bake the powder.

 

[gsport]

nice write up from someone just doing it as a hobby.... i like DIY hobbies.

 

[malodin]

Exactly! Bikes are so fun to work on because they have fewer parts and fit on a bench.

Here it was when I bought it in the spring:

Here it is currently:

in-case you havnt come across it yet or didnt think about it, make sure you grind the powder coat down where the engine bolts to the frame and any grounding point...when i was 15 i tore down an xr250 and had a friend powder coat it factory red and it turned out wonderful, got the bike all back together and couldnt get it to start no matter what i did, then the friend and i were bs'ing and he said did you grind the motor mount frame down to bare metal....long story short grind your ground points lol

 

[Stick Figure]

One other thing i will throw out that i learned. If you have a part that has been extremely dirty especially with oil or grease, it is sometimes a good idea to blast, bake, blast then powder it. I have had a couple things (especially with lighter colors) get contaminated by oil that was basically soaked into the metal. Once i heated it to coat it, the powder got a "nice" tint to it.

 

[Catamount]

bump for the guy just asking about this.

 

[buildmyown]

Few things i wanted to touch on in here. You start the timer once the part reaches temp not the oven. For this you need an IR temp gun. For example put the part in the oven hot or cold doesnt matter, set the oven for the cure temp 400 or whatever the powder calls for. Now monitor the part with the temp gun once the part reaches the cure temp most common is 400 thats when you start the timer for 10mins or whatever the powder calls for.

You can use gas ovens most industrial curing ovens are gas. It is not the fumes from curing that is flamable but the powder itself. Think old grain mill explosions or saw dust explosions. Conditions need to be right for this to happen lots of fine powder in the air then a strong spark or open flame.

 

[TxPowderCoater]

i hear powdercoating is like crack, once you start, you'll never be able to stop.

tell your wife to hide anything that it is metal and that can fit in that oven.

hahahahhahaha yes, when I started 8 yrs ago, I damn near had everything in the garage that could be baked was coated. Have to learn somehow Great job to the OP they look nice!

 

[luvmyhondas]

nice results. I have the free oven already sitting in my shop..just need to buy the Powdercoating stuff. oh, and a blast cabinet.

 

[drmarkr]

There's an oven in our guesthouse.....how bad does it stink it up when you bake the pieces?? I can open the windows to air it out if it's not bad....

 

[ford guy]

There's an oven in our guesthouse.....how bad does it stink it up when you bake the pieces?? I can open the windows to air it out if it's not bad....

You will need a dedicated oven for powder coating. I've smoked out my shop while coating used engine parts! No matter how clean you THINK it is, the residual oil will smoke pretty bad. Also, the powder manufacturers also state to use a dedicated oven. For additional info, check out the forum http://forum.eastwood.com/forum.php

Bob