Question about pre-treatment

[kent_in_kc]

I am going to powder coat some mild steel parts. During machining, cutting oil was used on the parts. I have cleaned the parts with Lab Metal solvent and carburetor cleaner and have them in the kiln to preheat at 600F for an hour and a half. Hopefully then they will be clean and ready to coat.

My question is, after I go to the barn and take them out of the kiln I have to hike them back to the shop where my PC equipment is. Will I incur any significant moisture en route (and back) that will screw up my firing? It is not raining (duh) but the humidity is kinda up there.

Thanks for your comments.

[SCOTTRODS]

I am going to powder coat some mild steel parts. During machining, cutting oil was used on the parts. I have cleaned the parts with Lab Metal solvent and carburetor cleaner and have them in the kiln to preheat at 600F for an hour and a half. Hopefully then they will be clean and ready to coat.

My question is, after I go to the barn and take them out of the kiln I have to hike them back to the shop where my PC equipment is. Will I incur any significant moisture en route (and back) that will screw up my firing? It is not raining (duh) but the humidity is kinda up there.

Thanks for your comments.

Kent,... Some days I wish i had a kiln.... Nice tool.

The issue of moisture is not a porblem until you go to shoot the powder, and between that time and getting it in the oven. Just before shooting, you need to blast the surface (or give it a profile using a wire wheel or some sandpaper) and wipe it down with a slovent (or spray it down,... best case,... but who can aford to waste the chemicals?).... then after wipe down, run a propane torch over the part to eliminate any fuzzies, shoot the powder, and get it into the oven for cure.... Whatever the method,.... if it cools down completely, on a humid day, it may develop some moisture on the surface.... the torch will help with that also. The humidity inside the shop can be different than outdoors if your Air conditioned like my garage...

If you're planning on running the parts back out to the klin after shooting powder, you're probably gonna run into some problems.... That's what I think I'm reading, but I'm not going to assume I read that correctly....

The most likely will be something like a bug will decide to smack into the parts or dust or something will compromise the coat.... But that's your call if you're doing it that way.

Fill us in on the basic process, and confirm, or correct me on what I think I'm reading about the trip across the yard to cure....

[kent_in_kc]

Good morning (Scott? Terrell?) and thanks for the advice. I neglected to mention that I had already blasted the parts with #80 garnet.

Yeah, it may be kinda comical watching me hustle my little parts rack across the yard to the barn. Take it easy! Don't step in that! D'oh!

I think I am going to watch how much odor and fumes are an issue when firing both powder and ceramic. If its not a big deal, I may relocate the kiln to the safe room in our house (in the basement). It would be easy because it is on the other side of the wall from the 220V power, unlike my garage/shop. The safe room is also all concrete (even the overhead) and empty so its pretty fireproof.

I don't know how I managed to build this house without 220V in the garage. Grr.

[SCOTTRODS]

Mornin'... somewhere... LOL

Yes, It's Scott Terrell.... funny... I didn't even pay attention to that detail I guess,....

The issues you will likely have shuttling parts around is truly going to be dust being attracted to the already charged part.... statically charged that is.... I have my oven about 4 feet from my psray booth, and still occaisionally find a dust bunny gets on the parts before they make it to the oven. I can't imagine waltzing across the yard to put the parts in the oven.... But definitely give it a shot...

The "fumes" and smeells are pretty light from my curing stuff, but the outgassing can be very smoky.... Some powders smoke like crazy too... some of the blacks are known for it.

Let us know how the trek from coat to cure goes....

[kent_in_kc]

Good morning, Scott. Thanks for getting back to me again.

Well, I did my first perp walk across the yard to the kiln barn. I coated some parts with satin black high temp powder and it came out looking good to me, albeit like black paint. Good enuf!

I have another question. After I fire a part with ceramic (Chromex) can I drill a small hole in it? Will the ceramic be so hard that drilling is difficult? Will it tear up the ceramic, like chip it?

[SCOTTRODS]

Good morning, Scott. Thanks for getting back to me again.

Well, I did my first perp walk across the yard to the kiln barn. I coated some parts with satin black high temp powder and it came out looking good to me, albeit like black paint. Good enuf!

I have another question. After I fire a part with ceramic (Chromex) can I drill a small hole in it? Will the ceramic be so hard that drilling is difficult? Will it tear up the ceramic, like chip it?

I haven't done anything like that.... couldn't say whether it'd do any damage or not,.... But I'd probably drill before coating....