First Attempt At Home Powder Coating

[xl97]

many (many) of the bigger smiths use that exact same gun... although cheap in price.. I wouldnt call it a 'cheap gun' (per se`)


I'll throw in a few more tips as well...

1). your BASE is the most important..
meaning the condition your part is in will dictate your results (more or less).. this is not as MUCH true for black or dark/solid colors.. but lighter colors, chromes and trans colors will all reveal those nasty little defects!

2.) do not OVER SPRAY.. or be too close.. this will give you that 'orange peel' look

3.) invest in some PC dissolver from Eastwood.. or a couple cans of aircraft stripper.. (to remove PC that has been FUBAR'd).. dropping, bumping, bad misting, bare spots..etc..etc... it happens to everyone

4.) nice resource (for me) are: lots of high temp tape (different thickness).. lots of aluminum foil.. is conductive 'and' helps cover large area for masking.

5.) sand, polish, BABY any part that is getting a trans color.. you may even want to attempt hot flocking or double coating trans parts.. as I found some times it 'peels/bleed' away form sharper edges..leaving a lighter color.

6.) Buy multiple empty jars/bottles for your gun.. this make not only store by switching colors much easier.

7.) If your guns permit differnt voltage levels.. (I dont think the craftsmans do).. if your part has many intricate details and grooves..etc..etc.. turn DOWN the voltage. having it up to high can create or add to what is called the faraday (cage) effect (sp?).. meaning there is so much voltage/electrostatic charge going on.. that it is pulled away from those detailed places.. (cant adhere as much as its pulled to over, bigger surfaces..etc)

sometimes different tips, lower voltage (and other things) can help eliminate that so its not a problem.

[Kevin Starwaster]

Hoping this section is okay for this...

I picked up a Craftsman Powder Coating kit last week and finally got some powder in today! The powder coating gun is a simple fan-driven plastic thing, but seems like it will work well for the little bit of coating I need for small parts. No way I can approach Tim's level of quality but I think it's better than spray paint, if I say so myself.
Tryp

Tim certainly does some good work and I'm very impressed with his shop, but there's two pet peeves I have. People selling other people short and people selling themselves short.

Don't do yourself that kind of disservice. Practice practice practice! You can do good work and even failures will contribute to your eventual success.

While I'm ranting, sometimes you have to stop worrying about how to begin and just BEGIN. Once you take that first step, the next steps fall into place, almost by themselves. That's what you did here when you bought that kit and started using it, so good work!

[Picky]

Congratulations for your results!
I was thinking to buy this exact Powder Coating kit!!! I have only a doubt... I searched everywhere but I didn't find any answer: I read that the metal to powder coat and the tip of the gun will be charged with a very high voltage (15000 Volts?!). But what happens if I accidentally touch the metal part or the tip of the gun during the usage? A high voltage can be very dangerous...

[xl97]

you get a shock.

[Kaide]

Lol. Yep, you get a good shock that will make you jump. I have done it twice. But it's just like a really really bad static shock like when somone scoots around on carpet the touches you while you're holding an appliance :P

[Picky]

Lol. Yep, you get a good shock that will make you jump. I have done it twice. But it's just like a really really bad static shock like when somone scoots around on carpet the touches you while you're holding an appliance :P

Ok, I have a lot of experience of those situations...

When I read that the voltage would go up to 15000 Volts I thought immediately to a very serious danger. Luckily the safety standards are well studied

[Silver Serpent]

Voltage doesn't do damage. Amperage is what does the damage.