COATING CALIPERS

[fabman]

I'm sure it'll be ok but I better ask anyway. I'd like to powder coat the front calipers on my T Bucket. Will coating stand up the the heat generated? I can't imagine the calipers getting that hot. Also, I know it should be prolly in another post but how do you remove anodizing from aluminum. I've head oven cleaner works ok. Thanks

[Hemi-T]

Hey Fabman! Good to see you. Yes, you can powder coat your calipers. Just be sure to mask off the cylinder, and put caps or plugs in any other fittings that should not be coated, such as bleeder screws. Someday I'll switch from my small Wilwoods to bigger intermediate GM brakes, and I'll be powder coating mine too. Did you buy a kit, or will you be having someone else coat your calipers?

Hemi-T

[fabman]

Hello Hemi-T!! I'm new to this sight and I was glad to see a fellow Buckethead here. I bought a powder coating kit and I'm wanting to try my hand at it. I'm building an oven out of stainless steel and getting heating elements at McMaster Carr. I'm making it big enough so I can eventually do my front axle and rear housing after I've mastered all this. Right now I'm sticking with the small stuff. I have Wilwood calipers that are black anodized and I want to get rid of that look. I was going to take them apart anyway to polish them but got caught up in this powder coating stuff. In the week I've been here at this sight I've learned alot! I love it!!

[Hemi-T]

It's pretty easy. I'm really enjoying my kit. With a big oven, I think I would be dangerous! I just practiced on a few pieces of scrap metal, and was up to speed in a couple of days. It is a pretty forgiving process from what I've experienced. If you mess up the powder when applying it, you can just blow it off and start over. After you cure, if you find a spot that didn't get covered, you just put on a second coat. Outgassing aluminum parts takes a little extra time, but not much. Powder is cheap ($8.50 a pound), and a pound covers quite a few parts. I haven't played with translucents, prismatics, or glitter additives yet, but it sounds cool.

Hemi-T

[warchild]

You can do anything with powder like you can do with paint. my cuz has a truck that change colors when you walk around it. and he ask me to powder coat all his chrome in a Translucent Gold with custom prism effects in it. and boy it looks good. i got so much work now because of people seeing that truck......I think translucents look better over chrome or nickel...but thats me..

[Hemi-T]

Do you think the prism additive would look good inside a high gloss clear over an existing color like bright yellow? I'm about ready to start experimenting with it. Right now I have the Caswell clear powder, which I think is a 80% gloss. The only concern I have is that several people have said that putting clear over existing colors actually dulls them. I saw some 110% gloss on another site that I might try. I have the basics down pretty good, and want to start doing some trick stuff.

Hemi-T

[warchild]

I think it will look good. i never used it in a clear yet. but the prism effects need a clear coat on it. and the only color that dulled on me was the chrome powder. but not to bad with a super gloss clear. that was only 90% gloss

[mcaswell]

To answer Fabman's earlier question, oven cleaner does work to remove anodize, but it's slow and messy. You'll get much better results with our Anodize Stripper. http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/aluminum.htm

[Ayrton]

Once the caliper has been powder coated, what is the best method for reapplying the logo?

I have this kit and needed to change the color of the calipers?

[drfjr1976]

Once the caliper has been powder coated, what is the best method for reapplying the logo?

I have this kit and needed to change the color of the calipers?
--------------------------------

For something like that, I usually shoot the color that I want the raised letters done in first than cure that. After that I use High temp tape and mask off the lettering than shoot the color I want the caliber done with. After that Is coated I remove the tape and apply a clear coat over the whole part to smooth the whole thing out. I use this same technique when I polish the lettering. I just polish the lettering than mask the lettering off, coat the part, remove the tape than coat the whole thing with a clear to keep the letters from oxidizing. Thats the way I did the valve cover below.
Hope this helps.

[Ayrton]

Thanks for the tip?

What I ended up doing is after the calipers came back from the powder coater I taped of most of the caliper except for the general area around the recessed logo. I then painted the area with some high temp black paint and once the black paint had dried to tacky, I then took a paper towel with some paint remover wrapped around a paint stick and simply removed the black paint from everywhere but the recessed logo.

Worked perfectly.

[drfjr1976]

Sounds good. I personally would have been afraid that the paint remover would have messed up the powdercoating, maybe dulled it or something. But it sounds like it worked.
Glade to hear it.
Got any fresh pics of them?