phosphating ?

[randygrapes218]

or how ever you spell it... how many of you do this or dont do this? and are you a pro at powder coating or just for hobby... i am trying to find out if it needs to be done/ really should be done? thanks randy...

[bzer1]

It's not really necessary. I iron phosphate my steel parts because most are for outside use. The problem with Iron phosphate is the shelf life is relatively short and needs to be replaced fairly often. Another problem is that it needs to be heated, this can be a major pain and take up alot of room. I built a phosphating tank out of a 30 gal barrel, a water heater element and other various parts. It works great for small parts, but is being replace with a spray system.

[randygrapes218]

what i will be doing most of is aluminum dirtbike parts.

[DALE]

Iron phosphate is a conversion coating for steel.It promotes adhesion and is a rust inhibitor.It is basically useless on aluminum.Zinc chromate is preferred for a conversion coating on aluminum. For powder coating aluminum don't waste your money on ether one. Just prep properly and preheat and you should be fine.

[randygrapes218]

thanks for the replies... randy

i spray right over the bare preped metal no problems at all

[Blademan]

you can get ospho at most hardware stores..its cheap and works great on steel..