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View Full Version : A couple of questions about powder coating.



Darth Biff
01-22-2010, 08:23 AM
Greetings all,

My buddy Ecko and and I are anxiously awaiting our shipment of parts to assemble our first of (hopefully) many items from Tim, and even now we're planning out future mods and designs. One of the things I have always loved is the brass metalwork some of you use in your designs. Now, I'm not going to start messing with it until I get more comfortable with building the saber au complet as it were, but we both work for a company that gets lots of metalwork powder coated. That means that we may have to opportunity to get some parts metallic powder coated. Before I even consider this, I was wondering:

1) How durable is the powder coating on the saber? I know how well the metalwork we use holds up, but it's on chassis, not something that gets handled nearly as much as a saber hilt will.

2) How durable is a metallic powder coat? We ony use flat and wet black powder coats, and occasionally a flat white. I read that there was a concern with the metallic powder coats having the aluminium flakes oxidize and/or change colour if the coating wasn't sealed with a clear coat.

3) Is a clear coat necessary? Irrespective of the colour, will it affect the appearance/durability if it isn't used?

4) Are the threads on the MHS components also powder coated? I know this sounds like a bit of a stupid question; I assume they're not, but in Tim's images in the forum thread, you can't really tell. Will the MHS components still thread together if the threads are also powder coated?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Rhyen Skytracker
01-22-2010, 08:55 AM
The powder coating is more durable than paint but it can still chip if you hit it on something or drop it. The transparent metals PC is durable too but is a real pain to apply evenly, Fender is a pro at applying it so you may want to ask him if you have any questions. As far as clear coating, I have not clear coated any of mine and have not had any problems. I do however clear coat my brass and copper parts that are not powdercoated, this is just to keep them shiny. What ever you do, DO NOT PC the threads, they will not fit together if you do. I hope this helped some.

JamoUp
01-22-2010, 09:13 AM
wouldn't THIS (http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/forumdisplay.php?f=30) be a better place for this?

Darth Biff
01-22-2010, 07:53 PM
Greetings,

First, thanks Rhyen for the feedback. We're still waiting for the parts, so I won't proceed any further until we have them in hand. At least I now have a sense of what to expect.

Second, sorry JamoUp. I wasn't sure if this was strictly a powder coat paint issue, or an overall hilt assembly issue.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

Lord Maul
01-22-2010, 10:52 PM
Thread moved... No biggie

Rhyen answered all of your questions pretty well. I don't have anything to add.