The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Powder Coating - How to Powder Coat at Eastwood

Everyone Randy here in the East will be working in the garage and today we are going to explain the basics of

powder

coat

ing to help you understand the process, show you how it is done and give you some tips that will help you get professional results and in In any case, remember it. time you want to visit

eastwood

.com to learn more when the tools we are using, all you have to do is click or tap the button in the top corner of the video to start applying the

powder

coat

ing, you will need a powder coating gun. powder coating and air compressor which can be a small pancake compressor and an air pressure regulator and an air filter to keep the air dry and a dedicated electric oven for powder coating and a part you want to coat, that That's it, we'll show you how we transformed this old ski.

Doo snowmobile engine head cover, from dull gray aluminum to a shiny metallic blue that will look great for years to come, plus we'll show you some tips and tricks using other parts and even show you how to give it the cover of the engine head has a fresh two-tone look now, before we show you how we revive this old part, let's explain the process and show you what you need in the simplest terms, the powder coating steps are: powder, connect compressed air place the ground clamp and spray when the part is coated with powder, cure in an electric oven, but don't worry, we will learn a lot more details in this video.

Powder coating is typically done on conductive metal parts, but there are many items that can resist the A curing temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit can also be powder coated like glass, which is done through a process called flocking. hot coating which will be demonstrated later, but for this video we will focus on the most common use of powder coating, which is for metal parts. Coating is a process that involves applying an extremely durable plastic coating using an electrical charge and compressed air before permanently baking it with heat, usually in an oven, but heat lamps can also be used using the large 240-volt household oven.

It has many benefits when no powder coating is applied. Large parts such as wheels and home ovens can only be fitted, but they also recover much faster, allowing the oven to return to curing temperature faster and giving you the best results. Its durability is what makes it so popular for parts on the underside of a car. They are commonly hit with stones, cut, it is also ideal for hood hinges or suspension components such as springs and elements that move and stretch because it is more flexible than paint. Powder coating is much safer for the environment than paint because it does not contain solvents that produce dangerous emissions or VOCs, which also means that cleanup is quick and easy and leaves you with no dangerous solvents to dispose of - simply sweep the floor. and blow out the gun and everything will be clean, which is also much easier than cleaning a paint gun.

Let's look at the process and an emitter rod. electrically charges the air in front of the gun, the compressed air draws the powder out of the gun where it passes through this charged air and picks up a high voltage electrical charge as these charged particles travel through the air, they are attracted to metal parts that have been grounded by being connected to the ground wire of the powder coating gun, electrical attraction is the way the powder particles can get great coverage and reach the parts inside and around the edges, unlike paint that travels in a straight line out of the gun, this is Also, why do you need a good primer to attract dust for the best coverage?

It is impossible to apply the foundation directly to the part you are spraying. Another advantage of powder is that if you make a mistake you can simply remove the part and start over which is a big advantage of our mistakes that are made during the painting process now once the part is coated it will place it in the oven to cure during this process, the first thing you will see is the flow or melting of the powder particles. You will be able to see this happen as the powder becomes a smooth, uniform surface. If it is a glow, it will begin to glow at this point.

A good rule of thumb is to let the powder flow and then continue curing it in the oven for an additional 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but remember to check the instructions for the powder you are using. A great tip that is more accurate is to use an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the piece rather than the temperature of the air in the oven. When the piece reaches 400 degrees, dry it for 20 minutes. Additionally, heavier castings will absorb more heat and may take longer to reach full cure temperature, which is another reason why it is beneficial to use an infrared thermometer and remember an extra five to ten minutes. curing should not harm the powder let's talk about safety when spraying the powder you will want to wear safety glasses and a dust mask cure the powder in an electric oven dedicated to powder coating do not cook in the oven after you have used it for powder coating and never use a gas oven to cure the powder when cleaning, never use a vacuum cleaner that may emit a spark and ignite the powder, always sweep the powder with a soft brush and dustpan, and never smoke near the powder when filling the gun. .

When applying powder or cleaning, never touch the emitter rod to rule out the possibility of electric shock. Touch the end of the ground clamp to the emitter rod and remember to never handle or touch while applying the powder because you could get an electric shock. Start with powder coating, be sure to remove anything that could be damaged by the 400 degree temperature needed to cure the part, such as eyelets, bushings, seals, or other plastic components. The piece should then be prepared as you would for painting, removing all dirt, dust, grease and oils with a product such as Eastwood, pre-preparing the paint and then wiping with a quality tack cloth.

You will also need to remove any old coatings, such as paint, as many paints will not withstand the curing temperature. The paints will also not conduct a charge, which means that the dust won. Does not adhere properly. A great way to remove paint and prepare the piece for dusting is to do it in a cabinet or with a pressure blaster. We placed the head cover in Eastwood's blast cabinet and used glass beads to thoroughly clean the part we used. cabinet, but if you're just making small pieces, Eastwood offers other sizes of cabinets, including a tabletop version that's great for small pieces or even crafts, if sandblasted, it's a good idea to put the piece in the kiln and heat it until it reaches 100 degrees, this will eliminate a charge you created during blasting that could affect your coverage.

You can also use a chemical stripper like Eastwood on the metal to remove these coatings, which we have done with other projects, such as when restoring an old set. of wheels and covered them in East with bright white and cosmic transparent. If powder coating a casting, it is also a good idea to place the parts in a 450 degree oven for one hour to remove impurities and the IR thermometer is useful in determining the temperature of the part, whether it is preheated or hot, a IR thermometer will tell you the exact temperature of the part you are coating, while the oven thermometer will read the air temperature and there could be a difference between the two, especially if it is a thick casting part and here are a few more things what you should look for, many body fillers will not stay at hearing temperature and the fillers that will withstand the temperatures are not electrically conductive so they will not accept the charge dust and we will leave it. with bare spots wherever there is body filler, so be sure to remove all the body filler as well.

You should also avoid touching the pieces with bare hands because you will introduce oils into the piece, which will also affect the adhesion of the powder. Pieces can be hung to be powder coated or placed directly on the rack, hanging pieces from the oven rack is a great method if you need to coat all sides of the piece. If you use a larger home oven, you can support the oven rack with two sawhorses, this is easier than trying to apply a coat of powder to the rack. part and then hang it on a rack that is already inside the oven here is a tip when powder coating a part that has threaded holes use bolts to not only protect the threads but also to give you an anchor point to hang the part when Hang the pieces make sure you are using wire that does not have an anti-rust coating that could prevent proper grounding.

Stainless steel wire is great for hanging pieces when applying powder. If a piece gets bumped or touched before reaching the kiln, you can dust it off and get started. Also, this is a big advantage over painting, where you would be forced to use a chemical stripper to remove the paint before respraying. If you need to mask areas, be sure to use a quality high-temperature polyester or fiberglass powder-coated tape. Polyester tape is much thinner than fiberglass tape and provides a sharper or cleaner edge, but fiberglass tape is more flexible and conforms better to irregular shapes to protect this engine head cover of a ski-doo snowmobile.

We are using high temperature polyester tape to get a nice edge. the cover use the narrow tape on the edge and then use the wide tape to cover the entire bottom with a flipped cover use a utility knife to cut along the edge also tape any other surfaces you don't want dust coated and cut them out With a razor, if you need to cover a large area with tape, you can use aluminum foil along with high temperature tape, this way you can protect your parts while using less tape. High temperature silicone plugs can be used to cover and fill the holes to begin powder coating. select the powder you will use and pour it into the cup for this project, we are using Eastwood metallic blue powder which will really make it pop when using the Eastwood dual voltage system and for best results it is recommended that the cup is not over the Half of the full serum powder is made of my new particles, so you can't mix different colors like paint to create a new color.

Here's a tip: Make sure you use virgin powder so you know it's pure and free of dirt and contaminants. The powder can be swept, sifted and reused, but for best results use virgin powder like what we offer at Eastwood. Now it's time to connect the ground clamp and start spraying the powder. Hold the gun about 8 to 16 inches from the part and apply in a smooth, steady sweep. movements while moving around the entire piece, the gun we are using only requires 5 to 10 psi at just 2 CFM, so you can use a small pancake compressor to apply powder until the piece is evenly coated and cannot see through it.

A dual voltage gun like this one from Eastwood is great because you can change the voltage to get the best coverage on large flat areas, as well as tight corners where you can get poor coverage due to the Faraday cage effect, which means the powder will be repelled. from those areas, unless you are using a gun that allows you to adjust the voltage. The Faraday cage effect occurs most often in areas where the angles are approximately 90 degrees or more. To avoid this effect, first set the powder gun to the lowest voltage setting for limiting. charge or buildup on the part, be sure to have the deflector on the gun and increase the air pressure to allow more powder to exit the gun.

Also spray these areas first because by spraying them first you won't have built up as much. Lots of charge that will repel dust. Begin spraying the area with a gun parallel to the part and the deflector will direct the powder to the side and toward the part. Once you spray the tight areas, you can remove the deflector and change the gun. Return to the highest voltage setting to spray the remaining larger areas once the powder is applied, place the piece in the oven and cure, we suggest curing the powder at 400 degrees Fahrenheit once the powder flows and appears smooth, continue healing for an additional time. 20 minutes, always remember to check the instructions for the powder you are using for the proper temperature and curing time.

When fully cured, remove from the oven and you will have a very durable piece that will look great for years, as you can see. Eastwood's metallic blueIt really made this old snowmobile cover look better than when it was new and the best part is that it didn't take my investment or time to get these results. If you want to add a cool effect you can sand across the lettering to give it a two tone look, start with 120 grit and then move on to 600 grit, 800 grit and finally 1200 grit to remove all the dust as well as scratches from the grits. of previous sandpaper.

Once the dust is removed from the letters, the cover looks uniform. better and only added a few extra minutes of work, as you can see the metallic blue looks amazing against the aluminum letters giving it a two tone effect. Plus, we now have a very durable coating that will look great for years to clean. The gun simply turns off with the blow nozzle, there are no harmful chemicals or solvents to dispose of, like when mixing and spraying paint, not only is the powder coating easy to apply, but it is also easy to clean even from the floor In fact, all you need to do is sweep away the overspray, which is why when you buy powder you should make sure you buy virgin powder.

Many companies that sell powder sell reclaimed powder, so it may cost a little less, but you may not get the best powder and it may show up on your finished work now that you've seen how easy powder coating is. Let's go over some other options. Chrome powders can mimic the appearance of chrome, but generally must have a clear coat for durability. There is a trade. for added durability because you will lose some of the chrome appearance. Additives, such as metal flake, can also provide a great appearance to your powder coated items. Translucent powders can provide a great look and dramatically change your look whether sprinkled over chrome or a white base.

These were first sprayed with white powder and then coated with a translucent, as you can see there is a big difference in appearance whether the base is chrome or white, you can even cook powdered glass using a process called hot flocking, which It means that the piece is preheated before the powder is applied. This is done because the glass will not conduct a charge so it will also not attract dust when the piece is removed from the kiln, the powder is applied quickly before the piece cools and that is because it sticks through the piece because it is hot, not because it is attracted due to static electricity.

You can actually see the dust start to flow because the glass is so Hot flocking can also be done on metal objects to help with coverage, especially in a second layer, the ground clamp is still connected to the metal, but you are getting the benefits of both electrical attraction and dust adhesion due to The heat and remember powder coating is not only great for auto parts, but also for motorcycle frames and components, as well as knobs. doors, lawn ornaments, fishing lures, stainless steel mugs and even crafts. I hope this has helped you understand powder coating and how easy it can be to manufacture your parts. looks great, be sure to subscribe to be notified when we post more troubleshooting videos and East Wheel Garage projects.

We have many exciting projects coming up for powder coating over the next few months and if you want to visit Eastwood.com for more powder coating guns and supplies, all you have to do is click or tap the button on the top corner of the video or follow the link that appears on the screen.