how do you plan on baking it?

Chopped wrote on 03/28/11 at 10:54:16:


The electric oven in the kitchen will work good I hope.
DW didn't like the idea, but I convinced her she won't even know it

Russ130 wrote on 03/28/11 at 17:15:30:


ROUTY..... HEad his advice! Get a dedicated oven... in fact you can strip it down and add some more insulation to the inside to get better and more heating out of it. you only need one setting... AFRICA HOT!

I got a chance to try my skill at powder coating some test pcs today,  I learned a lot, and answered some of my own questions at the same time.
The crafsman airless gun worked flawlessly,.....had to give it a shake now and then when the powder flow would slow, just like the crafsman hand book says. Kind of amazing how the electrical field from the single wire attached attracts the powder.

I was skeptical of the cheap Harbor Frieght matt black powder because someone somewhere left it a bad review, but admitted it may have just been damp or a bad batch. For me, no powder could have worked any better. It covered very well, and I saw very little waste that wasn't adhereing to the parts.

Cooking was simple, except my little oven could be a little bigger, seemed hard to not bump the sides w/ the powdered parts.
The powder started to flow at 350, and I held it at 375-400 for another 15 minutes, then shutter down. The finished ended up just as good as anything I've ever gotten from the commercials 3 mi from here.

One of the parts was 1/4" hot roll plate 4"x8"
One side I sanded down to bare steel, the other side I hard wire brushed (on grinder) it clean, but leaving the hot roll scale on it,.....which is just as solid as the steel its stuck onto. Then wiped it w/ Laquer thinner. Both sides coated just fine, except the surface imperfections can be seen on the scale side.

Dedicated oven ? Ok, but I could see no evidence that anything had been in it,.......and while cooking, I couldn't smell any fumes at the oven vent. The cooking can for sure be done inside my shop.
I tried to spray outside, but the wind didn't permit that, so I did everything inside my shop. I can't see any powder anywhere, even tho I know there is some.
Spraying this powder inside is much better (cleaner) than spraying an aresol paint can inside for sure.
I would rate the home Crafsman gun and the HF powder, a #10
I would have posted a pic, but was afraid I'd be accused of spray painting it

If anyone has any question from "hands on" home powder coating, I'd be glad to answer.

Good review, Routy. Thannks..
Now, hide the Krylon cans & post a few pics.

I have powder coated many of my own parts for my race quad.  I race motocross with it and it takes a beating!  I used the flat black HB powders also and they are holding up just fine.  And for the dollar, nothing even comes close!   Planning to prep the parts for the bike this weekend and bust out all the stuff again.