I've just ordered the Harbor Freight powder coating rig. We have sent out
items to be powder coated where I used to work and the results were always
very good.
A couple of questions:
I had looked in the Eastwood catalog, but find their stuff to be more
expensive. They offer an electric infrared heat lamp to cure items too
large to put in an oven. I'm thinking of using a Propane powered heater that
is supposed to be a good infrared generator. Cost is about 1/3. Any problems
with that?
Eastwood offers silicone hole plugs and fiberglass tape, both of which will
withstand the 400 degree curing temperature. I'm wondering why you need
those - if you put masking tape over what is to be unpainted it will keep
the powder from depositing on the metal. Then you could either remove it
before baking or just let it get crispy in the oven. Powder coating doesn't
run or migrate under the heat, does it? Same for the hole plugs - plug while
applying powder, then leave open when in the oven.
Finally, does anyone have any experience with powder coating a large item
and curing it with the heater? I'm wondering what the result will look like
if you paint a patch of an item (say a rear end housing) and cure that part,
then paint another part and cure it. Anyone tried that? What kind of overlap
marks do you see at the border of the paint patches?
All tips and comments welcome.
Gwyn Reedy
Brandon, Florida
mailto:mgr@mgrcorp.com
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