Hot powder application?

[Hemi-T Amateur Metal Finisher Find all posts View Profile Close Hemi-T]

I've seen a couple of units around (one is on eBay right now) that use a fuel such as propane, and apply powder to parts in what sounds like a pre-melted state. Are there advantages or disadvantages to this method? The guns I've seen were in the $500 range, which is still in the high end hobby price range, and seemingly less than professional price range. One gun says it will use propane, MAPP gas, acetylene, and a couple of others. It is a hand held gravity feed gun similar to Caswell's. I'm just curious of how this method works, and it's pros and cons. Thanks!

Hemi-T

[non-stick Experienced Metal Finisher Find all posts View Profile Close non-stick]

for the hobbyist there are very few if any pro's. These are guns used mainly in the field of "non-aesthetic" thermoplastics. Usually set aside for chemically resistive polymers and the like. A good application is an oil vessel or the inside of a vat or some such. Use them on your valve cover and I gaurantee you'll be scraping off some massive amounts of powder. I've only had to use systems like these possibly twice in a decade and a half of coating and I wasn't too happy about it. Messy, smelly, non-user friendly, we;ll say to be kind. Nope... the direction that you want to be in is the electrostatic method for sure. POSSIBLY... and this is only if you don't care what the finished product looks like.... you can use it to do the frame of the car.... but it's gonna look like one of those spray-on bedliners. All chunky and lumpy. You see these systems more and more when they re-paint bridges and such. Thick gloppy "fight against the lements" type of coating. The only similarity between that and what we do is that it starts out as a polymer... but it's not even the same formulation. Different technique, different powder, different results. Hope that helps..... Russ

[Hemi-T Amateur Metal Finisher Find all posts View Profile Close Hemi-T]

Thanks! I saw them and was curious

Hemi-T