New powder coater. Hi.

[Stytooner]

Hi and Merry Christmas to all. I have just purchased a powder coating kit and some primer and powders. I have a few questions.
I make aftermarket table saw parts out of aluminum. I was looking into anodizing these parts first. This is how I located this site. Great site, BTW.
I started butting a brushed finish on these parts, then I progressed into a polished mirror finish. Each technique leaves raw aluminum and gets fingerprinted and scratched easily. I just wasn't satisfied with this.
I looked into anodizing and it didn't look as if it was going to save any time. I would still need to brush or polish the parts first.
After more research, I decided that powder coating is easier and more versatile of a technique.

Questions. Will the manual come with tips and such describing how you get the parts from the spray booths to the oven? How to handle the parts? How to remove parts from the oven incase I want to fire multiple items without letting the oven cool?
I have a compressor but it doesn't have an actual regulator on it. It will kind of regulate down to maybe 40 psi for a nail gun or something, just not very acurate. I have a tankless compressor too that could be used for an airbrush. Would something like this operate the gun? Do you have any links for a specific regulator that you have used for this process?

I make a part that rides behind a saw blade. Its called a splitter or riving knife. It is cut from flat sheet aluminum. I want to powder coat this also. Since it is mainly the upper 3/4 that would need coating, could I cure the part with it clamped vertically in an oven without the coating running down? I would expect a little flow, but it wouldn't all run off, would it?

Has anyone had any luck powder coating bright finish aluminum tread plate?
I think this is enough for now. I will try to post a pic of what I am talking about. Thanks in advance for your input.

Lee

[non-stick]

Let's do the ol "cut and paste" of which I've become so fond of lately

""Hi and Merry Christmas to all. I have just purchased a powder coating kit and some primer and powders. I have a few questions."" .... welcome to our little family and happy holidays to you as well. Glad you're here.

"" Will the manual come with tips and such describing how you get the parts from the spray booths to the oven? How to handle the parts? How to remove parts from the oven incase I want to fire multiple items without letting the oven cool?""..... there are many posts concerning this process in these very threads. There will also be a book coming out VERY shortly for all of your hobbyists available on this site. Look through the threads and the Tips and Tricks section for help in that answer.... I have no doubt it's here.

""I have a compressor but it doesn't have an actual regulator on it. It will kind of regulate down to maybe 40 psi for a nail gun or something, just not very acurate. I have a tankless compressor too that could be used for an airbrush. Would something like this operate the gun? Do you have any links for a specific regulator that you have used for this process?"" ..... I personally reccomend getting a compressor worthy of your new hobby. Maybe it's me but I find that sufficient air with a capable regulator is a joy to seal with especially seeing as how you'll want to now sandblast (a big user if air) as well as powder coat parts. Put a regulator on a seperate line for the first compressor you mentioned and I don't think you'll have any problems with it. Leave the tankless and air brush compressors for thier intended purposes.

""I make a part that rides behind a saw blade. Its called a splitter or riving knife. It is cut from flat sheet aluminum. I want to powder coat this also. Since it is mainly the upper 3/4 that would need coating, could I cure the part with it clamped vertically in an oven without the coating running down? I would expect a little flow, but it wouldn't all run off, would it?"" ..... powder coating of the epoxy/poly/hybrid nature is a thermoset plastic. Which is to say simply... it melts and after a certain amount of time, it hardens. Very little if any "flow" is in this powder and you shouldn't have a problem with anything you purchase here. I suppose you could get ultra-ultra heavy with the coating and you'd get a fair amount of flow that way.... but you'd have other problems if you did that (flow would be the last thing you'd be crying about, trust me). It's basically a non-issue.

""Has anyone had any luck powder coating bright finish aluminum tread plate?"" I havn't personally done any myself but I'm sure somebody on here has done something along those lines and will no doubt chime in when they log on next (or when thier memory is jogged,etc). I don't see it as any different that any other type of metal, personally. It's just that yours has a slight "pattern" on it, so not much to worry about there.

Thanks for joining our little "family" Lee..... I have no doubt you'll have great success with the Caswell line of products and even more success with us as fellow "hobbyists"..... Russ[/b]

[Stytooner]

Thanks for the welcome and the answers. My supplies are due in on the 2nd of Jan. so I hope to be posting a few pics shortly afterward.
I may want to get into sandblasting at some point. Most of the aluminum that will be cooking is new and would only need cleaning. I am sure that I will have other things that need doing. Sandblasting seems to be a good way to prep some rough surfaces and strip paint, like for a car wheel.
I am still reading through as many posts as I can and gaining lots of valuable info. Thanks for having such a great forum to go along with such cool products for finishing stuff.


Oh. If you will notice the pop rivets in the pics above, I would like these to be coated the same finish as the tail on the guards. Has anyone ever done up a batch of rivets?
The ones in the aluminum portion will get done when its coated, but the ones through the polycarbonate should be the same flavor. Opinions or ideas on this?
Thanks.

[non-stick]

I can't say as I've ever had the pleasure of coating pop rivets before... but see very little in the way of problems for you with them. I'd certainly suggest not doing bolt heads for the reason that they will be under a tremendous amount of stress during your application. As for the sandblasting.... if you have an option to use one for surface modification (adhesion) it always best. Did you order any chromate then? Just curious. Seems to me to be a part that's going to see a few bumps and bruises, so you might want to go that extra step to assure a good grip of the powder. Good luck with your new "toys" on the 2nd and by all means... we LOVE pictures! Oh.... by the way, thank you soooo much for reading the posts before you ask, it's a good thing ..... Russ

[Stytooner]

I only ordered the iron phosphate as a cleaner. This is what was recommended for aluminum as well as steel on this site. The chromate was listed as a finish that could be applied to aluminum, if I read this right. I do notice in some of the threads, that chromate is the suggested prep by the experienced guys. If I don't get good results initially, I will order this next time.
I mill these aluminum parts with holes and cut the parts to the size I need with a bandsaw. Prior to polishing, I had always sanded these completely to 400 grit with a random orbital sander. Would this surface, along with the phosphate bath give me enough adhesion? Should I only sand to 220?
Just curious as to your recommendations. The sale of these parts are what will afford me a blasting rig, but I need a method that will get me at least good adhesion other than sandblasting initially.

I purchased some of the "Lab Metal" to use at the rear corner of the guard tails where there is a bend. I want to use this to seal this crack. It won't be but maybe a 1/16" bead tops. Do I P/C with this stuff freshly applied (read wet) and hope that enough powder will stick to it? Do I cure the lab metal first and hope that it will hold enough powder to be coated? Anyone technically savvy or have experience with this Lab Metal and P/Cing?
Thanks a lot Guys.

[non-stick]

your adhesion should be ok with your current process. I always try to do some sort of mechanical adhesion prep as opposed to just the chemical. 200 might be a bit to agressive a profile, so stick with the 400 for now. Once you get your sandblaster, you can skip that one alltogether. As for the lab-metal, make sure it is dry and fully set before powder coating. Just remember that this stuff is very tough to sand, so don't go putting a big glob of it down hoping to take it down like you would bondo. Other than that... I don't see any major issues flying your way. Have fun and of course.... we wanna see some pictures of finished parts