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Powder coat

wirejock

wirejock

Well Known Member
Has anyone tried this?
Harbor Freight Powder Coating System
My usual chewed me out over the phone today. He barked about me bringing in single items. Crikey. I apologized and told him all he had to do was politely tell me and I would find other means. Kinda mad me mad. I told him it's kinda late now. I don't have bunches of parts left. Oh bother.
Anyway, I'm considering buying the Harbor Fright and a thrift stire toaster oven.
I may look for another business as well.
 
Another Shop

Larry,

I know Grand Junction isn’t quite local for you but I’ve had very good luck with Pro Powder Coatings. Their prices are reasonable and they’ve never had an issue with small batches. Additionally, they’re fine with shipping.
 
I used this gun for years and coated many parts. It works. It wastes a lot of powder over a good gun, but for doing just a few parts along with an old kitchen oven (don't use the house one you plan to cook in later), it will serve the purpose you want for sure.
 
Larry,

I don't know which shop you've been using. I had Premium Powder Coating in Longmont do my instrument panel a couple weeks ago.

Good service. One week turn-around. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Cheers, Ken
 
wirejock said:
Has anyone tried this?
Harbor Freight Powder Coating System
My usual chewed me out over the phone today. He barked about me bringing in single items. Crikey. I apologized and told him all he had to do was politely tell me and I would find other means. Kinda mad me mad. I told him it's kinda late now. I don't have bunches of parts left. Oh bother.
Anyway, I'm considering buying the Harbor Fright and a thrift stire toaster oven.
I may look for another business as well.
Click to expand...

I have used the HF but no other. It was for some aileron brackets and they turned out pretty good. I did preheat the parts so the dust would have better initial stick. The gun had to be shaken to keep the dust moving - likely the HF brand issue.

A rack was made to easily hang the parts in a small oven, and I had a thermocouple handy to validate the temperature.

Like you say, probably would not select this for a serious volume of parts.
 
Powder coat services

KenB said:
Larry,

I don't know which shop you've been using. I had Premium Powder Coating in Longmont do my instrument panel a couple weeks ago.

Good service. One week turn-around. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Cheers, Ken
Click to expand...

I "was" using Custom Coatings in Berthoud. I will check out Premium. Thx
 
Funny you ask, ... I was just shooting a few parts just now with that very system. Works just fine. As others have said, get a cheap toaster oven, and use it only for that purpose.

I have some scrap wire I use, and hang the parts from the heating elements in the oven. Works great.

Lance
 
Powder Coat Systems

I have done quite a lot of powder coating and used both the HF and Eastwood systems. They will both get the job done, but you probably won't be able to get a 'perfect' part. You are also likely to have difficulty getting powder into tight corners. If you are just doing a few things and can tolerate a few imperfections in finish, they both work. Ultimately, I got myself a Hyper Smooth system, and it is vastly better. I would recommend a Hyper Smooth or Kool Koat system if you are going to do a lot of powder coating. Used systems sometimes come up on e-bay and can be a good deal.

The powder that you use also plays a big role, and I have not found either HF or Eastwood powders to be great. I highly recommend the "Super" series sold by ColumbiaCoatings.com. It shoots better, covers better, and is more durable than HF or Eastwood powders. It is also reasonably priced.

If you are only doing small parts, a toaster oven, or Craigslist/FB-Marketplace range oven will work just fine. For larger parts, an oven build using a PID and oven elements is pretty easy work for guys that can build an aircraft.... if you have the space and desire.
 
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