DIY powder coat

[gordonv]

Has anyone done their own DIY powder coating?

Have you tried Harbour Frieghts powder?
http://www.harborfreight.com/10-30-psi-powder-coating-system-94244.html

I would think with the basic system, you can go out and buy anyones powder and use it with their system. If so, who has a good deal, HF only has 3 colors?

The powder coater whats $200 a rim to paint a single color. To pay $100 for the whole kit and DIY is worth the effort, as long as I don't tell my wife I'm using the home oven to bake it.

[alph]

i had a friend that use to own a powder coating company.  i helped him once with hanging some parts for a local company, and was amazed at how easy it all was!! 

you can bake the parts in your own oven, that is  if the wife doesn't mind.....   the most important thing is to have the parts CLEAN and oil free, so, wear gloves if you're going to handle them after sand blasting. 

i think the temp needs to be up to 400*.  it's been a long time since i did anything with the stuff....  but to answere your question, yes, you can powdercoat stuff yourself at home.....

[MarkT]

Yeah I have the HF kit and powdercoat some of my production parts with it.  It's easy to do a good job with it.  I'd guess you could use anyone's powder as long as it's milled the same.  Basically it's an electrostatic spray gun.  Or puffer if you prefer.  It doesn't come out really like spray paint, more like a puff of smoke which is electrically charged, and there's a wire to give your part the opposite charge.  Obviously, it has to be metal. The powder is then attracted and sticks to the part. Just prep the part well, sand it nice and smooth, make sure it's clean, and hang it from a wire.  clip on your wire and you're ready to puff the powder on it.  You need to set up a way to handle the part without touching the coated parts.  I usually use bolts and make a jig to hold the bolts in the oven.  400° for about 20 minutes or so is typical.  Depending on the make of the powder (check the instructions) you leave it in the oven for say 15 minutes after the dull appearance glosses over.  I took the old kitchen oven when we remodeled the kitchen, and assigned it to the shop, already wired for 240.  Works fine.  Only problem is the size - can't do really big parts or anything that won't fit in it.  I can't imagine a kitchen oven big enough for a motorcycle wheel.

Oh I suppose I should mention you need a compressor and pressure regulator, sold separately.


You can find powders on ebay.  I'm planning on powdercoating my wheels clear, next time I polish them.  I'll probably just have a shop do it, my oven's too small.  There's a powdercoater I know of in Co Springs, on the north side.  No doubt there are some in Denver too, haven't looked.  Here's an interesting powder: http://cgi.ebay.com/1LB-Mirror-Chrome-Full-Gloss-Powder-Coat-Paint-/360326144004?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e51ca004

[Trynt]

I have been told that a oven, once used for powder coating, should not be used to prepared food. I don't know if this a fact, but it might be worth checking into.

[PhredValk]

Check used restaurant appliance/supply places. A pizza oven would easily be big enough to do rims. I remember getting one for under $100 when I worked in a restaurant.

One set of rims at $200 would pay for the whole thing.
Fred.

[olddog1946]

 Don't use the wife's oven !!!!! If you plan on doing more than 1 or 2 parts, it may be worth while to hit up a used appliance store or even the local classifieds for an old oven (usually about a 100 bucks)..might save your marriage..

[PAVALKER]

Don't use the wife's oven !!!!! If you plan on doing more than 1 or 2 parts, it may be worth while to hit up a used appliance store or even the local classifieds for an old oven (usually about a 100 bucks)..might save your marriage..

Is this the voice of personal experience speaking here.....   

[gordonv]

Don't use the wife's oven !!!!! If you plan on doing more than 1 or 2 parts, it may be worth while to hit up a used appliance store or even the local classifieds for an old oven (usually about a 100 bucks)..might save your marriage..

OK, makes sense, I was hoping to just us the house oven since I have no way of getting a dedicated one, I live in a townhouse. May talk with one of my bro's about it. The local CL has free ovens all the time, just need to pick it up.

I would think the rear valk rim I have would fit in a regular oven, with room to spare.

If you hang a part so it's surface is verticl, will the power coat "run" when it's heated to a flow point?

I've seen that "chrome" powder coat, more of a good silver with a clear on top, still looks realy nice. Would be great for the rims if you want them looking stock. I want mine black, or the match color of the bike.

How about 2 colors on one part, how would you do that? The rim was going to be painted black, and where the spocks transition from one side to the other, I was going to paint red to match my IS.

[olddog1946]

Don't use the wife's oven !!!!! If you plan on doing more than 1 or 2 parts, it may be worth while to hit up a used appliance store or even the local classifieds for an old oven (usually about a 100 bucks)..might save your marriage..

Is this the voice of personal experience speaking here.....   

Almost...know a customer who did that and 3 years later is still hearing about it..me I've only been married 43 years...

[MarkT]

Don't use the wife's oven !!!!! If you plan on doing more than 1 or 2 parts, it may be worth while to hit up a used appliance store or even the local classifieds for an old oven (usually about a 100 bucks)..might save your marriage..

OK, makes sense, I was hoping to just us the house oven since I have no way of getting a dedicated one, I live in a townhouse. May talk with one of my bro's about it. The local CL has free ovens all the time, just need to pick it up.

I would think the rear valk rim I have would fit in a regular oven, with room to spare.

If you hang a part so it's surface is verticl, will the power coat "run" when it's heated to a flow point?

I've seen that "chrome" powder coat, more of a good silver with a clear on top, still looks realy nice. Would be great for the rims if you want them looking stock. I want mine black, or the match color of the bike.

How about 2 colors on one part, how would you do that? The rim was going to be painted black, and where the spocks transition from one side to the other, I was going to paint red to match my IS.

I've seen advice not to use a cooking oven - I think it may have been in the docs with the HF puffer.  Of course they pack every possible disclaimer in all of their instruction sheets.  Look it over - most all of that falls into what most would call "common sense" - a phrase I'm touchy about, particularly as the gun-grabbers like to use it.  A subject for another thread...  Anyway, I've not seen any lasting effect from using my shop oven for powdercoating - no smells, etc.  YMMV.

In a town house, you might have an issue of getting 240 out in the garage.  Or running a gas line.  I don't know if it would be OK to use a gas oven.  I suppose so, without info to the contrary.

I've never seen the powdercoat run from gravity.  Or any other cause.  It doesn't build up thicker once the electrically charged surface is covered - tends to be very even.

I don't know about 2 colors. Haven't tried it.  Might be possible.  I would think masking to keep the powder off the second color area when doing the first color.  Might be then, the first color would stop the powder from sticking to that area when applying the 2nd, as the electrically charged surface would be covered.  Or not - have to try that.

[gordonv]

So if I understand correctly, the static charge allows the powder to coat the piece to a uniform thickness bases on the "power" of the charge.

So I would not be able to put a second coat on top of a baked powder coat. I would need to have a patch of bare metal, which would take a static charge again, and then bake again, hopfully it would not leave a gap between the 2 coatings. Something I would need to try to do on a flat piece of metal, tape off an area, coat, remove tape, and apply a different coat and bake, see what happens.

Right now, the oven will be the hardest thing. I wonder if I could use a propane bar-b-que?

[Misfit]

I have seen two tone powder coat. Not a problem.

[MarkT]

I would think you should bake right after applying the powder the first time. Then mess with the mask. Any handling at all, before it's baked & it's easy to bump the powder and knock it off, messing up the finish when it's baked.  I don't know if you can apply a second coat.  I don't think so, but I've never tried it.

[Madmike]

Right now, the oven will be the hardest thing. I wonder if I could use a propane bar-b-que?

Would the humidity from the propane be a problem?????

[John U.]

The Ebay link Mark T posted said electric oven. Water vapor isn't the only thing given off by burning propane or natural gas. That would also be the likely problem with a pizza oven. Maybe they make electric models but the ones I've seen are gas.

[gordonv]

I found a video on eastwoods site about the basics of it. They say NOT to use anything else but an electric oven.

This might be a nice option for me.
http://www.eastwood.com/infrared-powder-curing-system.html

A 115VAC 15 AMP heating lamp, does a 10"x10" area at a time. A little time consuming, but the parts I might be doing may be small anyways, so it might work. I'm thinking of small parts, like calipers, and rims.

Isn't a 15 A electrical outlet a standard modern house plug?

[Bobbo]

The Ebay link Mark T posted said electric oven. Water vapor isn't the only thing given off by burning propane or natural gas. That would also be the likely problem with a pizza oven. Maybe they make electric models but the ones I've seen are gas.

The pizza ovens I'm familiar with use heat exchangers similar to a home furnace.  The exhaust gasses don't go into the baking area.