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Documentation and Results
I know this isn't a subject that we really havn't gone over that much, but I just wanted to key you all in on the importance of documenting "how" you do things around your coating shop. Everybody has thier own unique way of application of powder,sandblasting,masking,cure times and temps. This is all YOUR process. You know what works best for you. If you're anything like me and have 9 million other things going on in life, a notepad and pen are your best tools in coating to help you remember those important factoids that may be easily forgotten about when you come up against something that you've done before but are very tricky. Quite often I revisit old notes and papers of things that I've done in the past to gaurantee my results for the future. Let's face it.... we're all only human and human's don't have as good a memory as we'd like to believe. As some might attest on here, I like to know the whole process on paper as I'm doing it so I can reproduce results easily enough if they are successful. Also... if something went wrong, I can look at the paperwork to see where my errors are and not make the same mistake twice ( hopefully
). It only takes a minute to do and it's REALLY worth it's weight in gold in the future. A widget example if I may.....
I have a widget that I'd like to coat. The customer wants it blasted,cleaned,phosphated and coated with a base of bright red and a top coat of clear. The widget is made of stainless steel though. AHA! There's always a catch,right? Assuming I've done this before, I'll go back to my notes and follow the results that I've had success with and then repeat them knowing I have money in the bank. If not, I'll get out a scrap of paper and it will look something like this.
1) Mask widget with silicone plugs ( threaded holes ) and sandblast.
2) Sandblast black oxide at 90 PSI
3) remove masking and solvent wash in isopropyl alcohol with stiff brush
4) Hang and air dry for 45 minutes. Blow off with clean air @ 90 PSI.
5) Phosphate wash. 20 min in full solution ( Caswell p/n SSB370 )
6) Mask for coating. Silicone plugs and green tape ( Caswell p/n Prod #### and p/n pctape1)
7) Basecoat with red ( Caswell p/n PCP56022 ) cure 410F @ 16 minutes. Remove from oven and let "air quench" for 5 minutes.
8 ) Top coat with clear ( Caswell p/n PCP4444 ) cure 410F @ 16 minutes. Shut off oven and open door. Remove when cooled to room temp.
9) Unmask and trim.
10) end process.
That's basically what it looks like. This list tells me how I did it, where to get the materials to acheive the same results if need be and what my cure schedule was. Assuming you put this paper in a folder somewhere.... it doesn't matter if you need to go back to this "recipe" a week from now or 10 years from now. It's all the same and the results are still there. It also serves the purpose that if you missed a step you can see clearly against other results where you went wrong. We'll omit step number 3 for example's sake. You take the part out of the oven and there are bubbles all over it. Oops, what went wrong? Ahhhh... I can see we didn't degrease properly with a solvent to get the oils off and that's where I went wrong. Now I know better. See how that helps now?
Invest 3-4 dollars in some paper and pencils. Get yourself a nice 3-ringed binder or a student type "trapper keeper". Don't be afraid to scribble down ANYTHING that might pertain to what you are doing. If you have a digital camera, take pictures and print them out and staple the whole thing together if you wish. It's all in the name of consistant success. The more knowledge you have, even if it's on paper, the better you will be a coater in the long run. I gaurantee it. Hope that helps somebody out there.... Russ
I know this isn't a subject that we really havn't gone over that much, but I just wanted to key you all in on the importance of documenting "how" you do things around your coating shop. Everybody has thier own unique way of application of powder,sandblasting,masking,cure times and temps. This is all YOUR process. You know what works best for you. If you're anything like me and have 9 million other things going on in life, a notepad and pen are your best tools in coating to help you remember those important factoids that may be easily forgotten about when you come up against something that you've done before but are very tricky. Quite often I revisit old notes and papers of things that I've done in the past to gaurantee my results for the future. Let's face it.... we're all only human and human's don't have as good a memory as we'd like to believe. As some might attest on here, I like to know the whole process on paper as I'm doing it so I can reproduce results easily enough if they are successful. Also... if something went wrong, I can look at the paperwork to see where my errors are and not make the same mistake twice ( hopefully
). It only takes a minute to do and it's REALLY worth it's weight in gold in the future. A widget example if I may.....I have a widget that I'd like to coat. The customer wants it blasted,cleaned,phosphated and coated with a base of bright red and a top coat of clear. The widget is made of stainless steel though. AHA! There's always a catch,right? Assuming I've done this before, I'll go back to my notes and follow the results that I've had success with and then repeat them knowing I have money in the bank. If not, I'll get out a scrap of paper and it will look something like this.
1) Mask widget with silicone plugs ( threaded holes ) and sandblast.
2) Sandblast black oxide at 90 PSI
3) remove masking and solvent wash in isopropyl alcohol with stiff brush
4) Hang and air dry for 45 minutes. Blow off with clean air @ 90 PSI.
5) Phosphate wash. 20 min in full solution ( Caswell p/n SSB370 )
6) Mask for coating. Silicone plugs and green tape ( Caswell p/n Prod #### and p/n pctape1)
7) Basecoat with red ( Caswell p/n PCP56022 ) cure 410F @ 16 minutes. Remove from oven and let "air quench" for 5 minutes.
8 ) Top coat with clear ( Caswell p/n PCP4444 ) cure 410F @ 16 minutes. Shut off oven and open door. Remove when cooled to room temp.
9) Unmask and trim.
10) end process.
That's basically what it looks like. This list tells me how I did it, where to get the materials to acheive the same results if need be and what my cure schedule was. Assuming you put this paper in a folder somewhere.... it doesn't matter if you need to go back to this "recipe" a week from now or 10 years from now. It's all the same and the results are still there. It also serves the purpose that if you missed a step you can see clearly against other results where you went wrong. We'll omit step number 3 for example's sake. You take the part out of the oven and there are bubbles all over it. Oops, what went wrong? Ahhhh... I can see we didn't degrease properly with a solvent to get the oils off and that's where I went wrong. Now I know better. See how that helps now?
Invest 3-4 dollars in some paper and pencils. Get yourself a nice 3-ringed binder or a student type "trapper keeper". Don't be afraid to scribble down ANYTHING that might pertain to what you are doing. If you have a digital camera, take pictures and print them out and staple the whole thing together if you wish. It's all in the name of consistant success. The more knowledge you have, even if it's on paper, the better you will be a coater in the long run. I gaurantee it. Hope that helps somebody out there.... Russ
- Got sick of siphon, pot & cup blasters.. so mixed parts from them all and made my own.., Stumbled upon a way to blast that is like no other!, So stupid its FUNNY, But if you cant calibrate it correctly and know what to look for it doesnt work right..
, A nice little 4'x 8' trailer that will be mobile.., Just got the fans for it today, But steel will need to wait until after Christmas (3-kids), CANT WAIT !
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