ok here are my most recent attempts

 

What's your take on powder coating suspension/frame components? More durable/better rust protection than rustoleum? I'm getting ready to replace my radius arm bushings and was going to sand blast them and either powder coat just spray them with rustoleum.

 

If done properly, (surface cleaning, phosphating and coating) powder is much more durable and flexible than paint. I demonstrate this to people by applying powder and paint on two pieces of aluminum foil. The paint will crack and flake off, the powder stays put.

For your radius arms, if you coat them apply and cure a coat of powder primer on them before applying your top coat. The primer will provide better adhesion for the finish coat and do wonders for corrosion resistance.

 

That's some really nice workmanship. How do you all go about doing this yourselves or is this something that's DIY-prohibitive?

 

sure you can do it yourself. It's not unlike most things where you get out what you put in. For less than $200.00 you can buy a hobby gun and pick up and old electric oven. However to properly prep the substrate it should be media blasted or chemically treated. This can add up. Next is the conversion coating, more $$$. Properly applied and cured powder is TOUGH to remove without chemicals, so if the coating isn't acceptable you need to able to deal with that.

Chopped&Dropped has probably discovered that spraying powder creates a mess in the application area...unused powder all over the place. Be careful with this. I've seen training videos where a shop vac was used to clean up and a small explosion occurred.

 

Looks good - but any reason not to continue on one of the previous 2 posts on this?

It would be easier for those of us watching this and asking questions to follow.

 

Since this is the fourth topic on powder coating, i'm linking them for chase. Please dont start another thread, keep posting here.

Powder coating services

First Tries

Altenator




I have been doing this for a few years, but i'm waiting for eastwood's forums to come back live so i can show off a few pictures. I have one pic in a few of the other topics above to show that you can do Multiple colors and layers with a hobby gun.

I will warn, it only cost's a few hundred to get a gun and some powder, but you'll start getting wrapped up in it quick like mentioned above. A couple hundred turned into a couple thousand over a few month's for me.

If you dont have a garage, you might **** off the wife too, , lol

 

Im curious about this, has anybody graduated to the infared lights instead of the oven for larger pieces?

 

I havnt, because i usually do my work as a hobby so i do it at cost plus a little extra for more supplies, but i havnt charged enough to justify one.

They do work though! I talked to a guy that did his WHOLE modified race car frame with one, took him 20 hours non stop, but it still works and for a fraction of the price it cost's to build a big oven. Granted, a huge oven is more ideal if built right, but for a hobbiest, it's unpracticle compared to a IR light with space and cost at mind.

 

Thanks. I am subscribed on all - so I could find them when I wanted, but that makes it faster/easier. I was just wondering why he kept starting new threads. My thought was he was trying to start doing this for $$ and people would bring up how cheap the guns are and how to do it yourself. I would hope that's not the case, but who knows. There seemed to be a new thread started whenever that would happen.

As for the do it yourself deal - I have thought about a kit in the past, but I used to get powdercoat from a shop for cost, so why do the effort myself??? Now that shop is no longer around, so I am lookin into it again.

Dforgy - do you remember what thread that multicolor pic was in? If I have a minute I'll go back and look.

Also - has anyone toyed with different types of powder? If you've been doing this for a while I would hope you know that there are different formulations of powder that do different things. Some are harder and more brittle like plastic. These can crack if the part moves or flexes a bit. There are other powders that are more similar to polyeurethene. They are softer and therefore flex a bit more, but these gouge.

 

lol, chase, i can answer both of those with that one pic.

The anodized red is urethan based if i remember right and the black is wrinkle black, it looks a lot like plastic. I did this valve cover and CAI tube, plus my own mail box the same way with no problems of cracking from either. I wouldnt recomend the wrinkle on suspension parts, but i'd say the urethan based powders should hold up fine.

 

I did see that pic. When you said multi color I was thinking of a fade or blend of similar powders but different colors. It's probably hard to do with the way the guns work, but I'd like to see it or try it later.

As for the plastic vs. urethene - good deal. I was looking at Eastwoods site yesterday and checking all the colors/finishes. I was thinking there were all the same base but I guess not.
Don't get me wrong when I say the more plastic like stuck "cracks". It does - but only as a part flexes a bunch. I wouldn't expect a mailbox, valve cover, cai tube etc. to flex a ton - so no worry there.

You ever buy powder from anyone other than Eastwood?

 

I kinda thought the same thing, that's why i jumped in and kinda opening my fellow FTE members about it. It does get costly, but if you have a garage, it's easy enough to do. I do it for my buddies cheap enough they can justify it, but enough that i can restock supplies and pay for things like shipping from eastwood, powders, and other upgrades. I dont charge them enough to make money from it, because it is just a hobby to me. I have had people from other places like when i was on the neon forum hit me up and i did some work for them, but it was mainly because if i run out of stuff to powder coat around here.... I feel bad for the cat (cuz it's small enough to put in the oven to clearify for you sick minded)

 

Fade's are just as easy as a liquid paint. It can be done, but i havnt done it yet.

I know those items wont flex as much, but that's why i was saying, i wouldnt recomend them on a spring or such item.

Columbia coatings is another good place, and i used to know a PPG supplier, but cant think of who it was. I personally choose Eastwood because of their Buyer club, you can pay $30 and you get free shipping for a year. When you pay $6 for shipping each time you order a powder, you realize it saves you A LOT of money.

 

Good to know! Thanks.