Home Powder Coating, worth it getting equipment?

[mikedealer]

got a 20% off coupon for harborfreight, was wondering if its worth getting:
System $65: http://www.harborfreight.com/10-30-psi-powder-coating-system-94244.html
Oven $499: http://www.harborfreight.com/powder-coat-oven-46300.html
Powder $4: http://www.harborfreight.com/16-oz-powder-coat-paint-matte-black-93306.html

Was wondering if anybody has used this system, and if it works/worth the money. The Oven would be $399 with 20% off, and the gun like $50... Want to do some chassis's, tamiya pot metal parts, other misc metal stuff, i know the oven is small but for RC stuff it should work with most stuff i think...

looking for any input from anyone that has done powdering etc. want to try the system out, and off coating for people in batches of single colors from time to time.

[LTO_Dave]

I've never used that gun, but it seems to be a better deal than the HotCoat setup from Eastwood. Plus, it's adjustable and has a foot pedal. The HotCoat gun is not adjustable and has a button that you have to press while coating, which is a pain.

We use a HotCoat gun for small stuff, but it doesn't have enough voltage to do multiple coats like for translucents or larger parts. We have a larger, adjustable gun for those situations.

Save yourself the money and get a cheap used electric household oven and/or toaster oven. We've never done parts in a toaster oven, but there are videos online of people who have success with using one. We started out using an electric household oven we got for free from a friend until we got a larger oven to do larger parts. We still use the same small oven 12-13 years later for smaller parts because the big oven takes too long to heat up and uses a lot of electricity.

We actually use the Harbor Freight matte black and red powder quite often. It's 1/3 of the price of most other powders and is available at the store so you save on shipping. The yellow is ok, but it's more of a darker orange-yellow.

[mikedealer]

good to know thanks bud! i can probably get a oven on craigslist for $50 bucks.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

The only problem I see with owning the equipment is that it would become like Duct tape. A million uses.

"Huh? Damn key won't fit in the ignition. Oh yeah, I powder coated it."

Actually, for that money I think you could make it back quick. Just think how much custom color powder coated cages would go for!

[mikedealer]

thats all part of it too lol

wanting a sandblaster too, but seems i need a POWERFUL compressor, starting at 450 or so..

[Jedi Master]

I'm sure there's plenty of people who would be happy to pay you for powder-coating items for them, and not just from this forum.

Bet you would cover your costs quite quickly!

[vintage AE]

I'm sure it will pay off in the end. Fortunately for me there is a company near by where I can get a couple chassis/motor & nose plates done for $35

[LTO_Dave]

Using plain, cheap colors will definitely make you your money back. But once you start doing more expensive translucents, chromes, fluorescents, textures, etc., the cost will add up quickly.

That's why we try to do parts, especially smaller ones, for customers in colors that we currently have in stock. It's not worth it to spend $20-40 on powders and the cost of electricity for the oven just to do a small part for $10-20 and never use the powder again.

It's nice to be able to powder things for yourself on a whim. I do it all the time.

[vintage AE]

It's nice to be able to powder things for yourself on a whim. I do it all the time.

That's the key! If I want a chassis done I wait until they are doing a batch of the colour I want, other wise I don't bother asking.

[Momo5]

Stupid question...but do you use that gun to spray the powder on, and then just put it in the oven?

[scr8p]

i was going to pick up an oven a couple years ago to do some P.C. up at our shop. but, there's not enough room in the panel for another 220 line.

[LTO_Dave]

Stupid question...but do you use that gun to spray the powder on, and then just put it in the oven?

Basically. You have to make sure the parts are absolutely spotless or the powder doesn't like to stick. I usually give everything a good wash with dish soap, then put it in the oven at ~450 for 10 minutes.

Then after it cools, use the gun connected to compressed air to spray on the powder...an aligator clip attached to the powder gun unit is connected to the part to create a charge. Keep fingers away from tip of gun while holding button or foot pedal or ZAP!

After the powder is sprayed on and the oven is pre-heated to ~450, put the parts in until the powder flows out (turns to a liquid), which usually takes a few minutes depending on the size and material. Then turn the heat down to ~375-400 for ~10-20 minutes, depending on what the powder requires. Let cool. Repeat.

A hint to using translucents is to apply the topcoat over the chrome base or polished part while it's still warm. I honestly hate doing certain parts in translucents because the topcoat is hard to keep even, especially on tubes and in nooks and crannies.