Powder Coating

Wntrmute2

Wntrmute2

Not So Mediocre Member
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After my usual PC guy wanted $400 to powder coat my two aluminum chassis, I've decided I'll try it myself. I've been reading up on the PC forums and watching a few videos. Eastwood has a customer satisfaction guarantee so I've ordered their oven that my pieces will fit into and shipping was free. The chassis guys are shipping me a bunch of scraps for experimentation.

I'm pulling the trigger so to speak.
Oven
Gun - Ordered
Powder
Tape/plugs
Degreaser
 
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Interesting. Can you share some links to the actual oven you are looking at?

Btw, that’s stupid expensive for powder coating. The place here I think charged me $80 for several items in 2 different colors when I did my JE Labs Simple 2A3.
 
I don't actually use plugs for anything. A little powder in the screw holes just doesn't matter for what I'm up to.

If you have threaded holes, just chase them out when you're done. IMO the plugs are good for tight tolerance items, which our DIY creations usually are not.
 
It is way harder and tends to look better IMHO. The melting process brings a nice look different than paint in most cases.
 
I prefer it in most cases too. Downside being that not everything can be powder coated because of the heat.
 
marantzfan said:
Interesting. Can you share some links to the actual oven you are looking at?

Btw, that’s stupid expensive for powder coating. The place here I think charged me $80 for several items in 2 different colors when I did my JE Labs Simple 2A3.
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I know it is too expensive but I think he didn't want the job. The other guy that was willing was very inconvenient to get to during a work week. This way, I'll be able to do other stuff if I want.
 
He he, I discovered that the Amazon Firestick remote has a microphone in it. I can say out loud the name of some kind of product I would never buy around that remote and ads will pop up within a few hours while I'm browsing the web. This is very powerful information, and I'll certainly be having some choice conversations with other people's Firestick remotes when I have the opportunity!

Back to advantages vs. disadvantages. If you want to use enamel paint on a metal chassis, the enamel will take a few weeks to properly harden. This is pretty painful to wait for! Powder is ready and super hard as soon as the panel cools after you pull it out of the oven.

On the other hand, there are some sprays that don't have that kind of drying time (2K 2 part paint) and you can touch them up far more easily.
 
paulbottlehead said:
He he, I discovered that the Amazon Firestick remote has a microphone in it. I can say out loud the name of some kind of product I would never buy around that remote and ads will pop up within a few hours while I'm browsing the web. This is very powerful information, and I'll certainly be having some choice conversations with other people's Firestick remotes when I have the opportunity!

Back to advantages vs. disadvantages. If you want to use enamel paint on a metal chassis, the enamel will take a few weeks to properly harden. This is pretty painful to wait for! Powder is ready and super hard as soon as the panel cools after you pull it out of the oven.

On the other hand, there are some sprays that don't have that kind of drying time (2K 2 part paint) and you can touch them up far more easily.
Click to expand...

Messing with my friends' alexa, etc. is a favorite past time of mine.

Curious what sort of temperature is needed for baking powder coat?
 
When you get the powder, usually there's a sticker on the bag with the recommended cooking time. You'll have to keep an eye on the part as it's cooking, as the powder will darken a little bit, then flow out into a liquid, then you cook as directed. The part size and the temperature of the part will make the time it takes for the powder to flow out change.
 
I have had one since about 2003. I still have the original eastwood hotcoat gun setup. Don't try to powder over un-prepped substrate, you'll at least need to sand everything well. I powdercoated a new hammond enclosure years ago without any prep and the powder wanted to peel off in some areas due to lack of adhesion. As was mentioned above, curing starts when the part reaches curing temp, not when the oven reaches curing temps.
 
Digging this one up.

I'm revisiting the idea of setting up an area in the garage to do powder coating. What I'm mostly looking at are things like aluminum sheet, transform covers, etc. My understanding is most of this needs to be hung (not set on a shelf), which would suggest I'd need a pretty large oven.
I know a few guys here are powder coating. What are you all using now and what tips do you have for someone starting out?
 
I did all the parts for my phono stage 14 x 11 on the wire racks without problem. I sprayed them in a large cardboard box close to where I had the oven warmed and waiting. I set them up on a few spacers and just picked them up from the unsprayed backs with my fingers. Stuff like my side pieces that had bolt holes I just threaded a bolt into that and used that as a handle. Don't thread a nut or allow make threads to get coated as it is a real bear to get the nut off or back the coated threads out of a screw hole. I placed the parts gently on the pulled out wire racks and gently pushed the racks and parts into the oven. I did just one or two pieces each run. Make sure you start timing when the piece hits it's cure temperature not when the powder starts to flow.

I bought the Eastwood dual voltage gun and their oven. Worked a treat after a few experiments.
 
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A friend does home powder coating. He uses the Harbor Freight stuff. I asked him what he uses for the oven. He said that he used the kitchen oven. He is going through a divorce right now. I wonder if there is a connection.

There are quite a few diy ovens that folks have made to allow them to cure larger parts. They seem to mostly be car guys trying to coat car parts. Something that might work on the cheap for smaller jobs is to look on Craigslist for a cheap/free electric range that came from a kitchen remodel. Use the oven for your jobs. Keep the oven or recycle it after your jobs. There will be virtually an endless supply of used ovens as time goes by.
 
I have a regular home oven slightly modified for garage use. I welded on wheels for one, and added some baffles over the heating elements for more consistent heating. Honestly it works fine, and has served me well for years. Something fancier would be nice but its hard to argue with cheap.
 
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