Home powder coating!!! SWEET!!!

astro209 · Soul Rider Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 279 City: Nor*Cal

Ok, I know this is not exactly boat related, but has anyone tried those home powder coating kits like you can get from...

http://www.eastwoodco.com/department.asp?dep_key1=pwct&SKW=FHCOAT

It looks like you can get a pretty decent setup for a couple of hundred bucks. I just wonder how it compairs to paying the big bucks. Any experiences....?

Latez

vette74 · Posted: Nov 05, 2003 2:55 pm Post subject:

I have a friend with a kit. It is the same quality as paying someone else. You just need a separate oven to bake the parts in. Look on ebay it is actually cheaper there. The preparation is key though the parts really need to be sand blasted or it will not look good at all.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

cptnboom · Criminal Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 54 City: Fort Collins

Nor*Cal, is right...raw material needs to be THOUGHROULY degreased...I was an engineer for a manufacturing company for awhile and we powder coated a lot of aluminum and steel. Powercoating is an awesome and attractive finishing procedure.

vette74, is right in the regard of an oven. The coat we used was by a company called Hot Coat, by the eastwood company you linked above. We had an enormous oven to cure our composite parts, and the powder coat had to be cured at 350 F for 1 hour. You had to let it cool for another 15 minutes before touching it. I would recommend the kit on that website, but would not recommend starting on your tower...try some smaller parts to get the hang of thickness, flow of the gun, how to hang the parts by wire, etc. Also, you need compressed air to run that gun...a cheap air compressor is fine.

Sorry I am long winded, hope I helped. Laughing

astro209 · Soul Rider Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 279 City: Nor*Cal

No, that is great. I already have a good air compressor. Although, I think I need to get a moisture removal filter. I think I am going to get the gun off their website. But I am definitly not getting a huge oven. Does anyone have any experiences with those UV lamps that are supposed to cure parts??? I think that will definitly be the way I go...

Thanks

cptnboom · Criminal Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 54 City: Fort Collins

I would be careful with the UV Lamps...they are designed to cure surface coats over small areas. We had one at the shop I worked at and used it to quickly cure primer coats on small patched areas. ie...an area that is 2 dimensional...when powder coating, you are coating a 3d part...dont know if it would cure the entire part correctly. You cannot cure the powder coated part more than once, or you get orangepeel developed in the coat.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

Also make sure you get a powder that is right for the purpose. Some powders will are not intended for outdoor purposes.