The Powdercoating FAQ

[Tunabow]

Well a lot of people ask me about powdercoating either through aim or through pm and I have decided to post a little FAQ so you guys have a basic understanding of how powdercoating works and what you need to know when you bring your parts you want painted in. I have been powdercoating and metal finishing for over a year now and know just about everything there is to know about it so if you have any questions that arent in the FAQ just ask me and ill post them up here. Alrighty here we go

1. What is powdercoating?
Powdercoating is a powder that when melted forms a strong durable finish, it is much stronger than paint as it fuses into the metal better. There are many many colors and can have a textured finish. there are different types of powder that handle sun better (polyester TGIC and hybrids) and others that handle chemicals better (epoxies)

2. How much does it cost?
Well prices vary greatly from place to place but here is a price list from our company that gives you an idea of how much things run (just match what you have with what compares to that list). http://www.wkendall.com/pricing.htm all places have minimum orders as well ours is 45 dollars. If you are looking for your finish to be more scratch resistant then you will have to add an acrylic clear coat on top of that which adds 40% to a price for us. Depending on your location you might have to pay a lot more than this at your local shop. You should use our price guide to try and drop their prices a little.

3. What you should do to your peices before you get to your local shop?
Strip off anything that cant handle being baked at 400 degrees and also make sure to tell your shop were you dont want powder (your threads and any holes that need to be used and have a tight tolerance)

4. What can powder be used on?
you can powdercoat on bare steel, aluminum, anodized aluminum, chrome and nickel plating. In order to do a good job on a powdercoat the metal has to be bare so therefore blasting, scorching, and pressure washing can be involved. When you are dealing with very thin gauge aluminum (what your case uses) its very easy to warp a panel or whatnot so if you already have paint on the aluminum your either out of luck or have to pay a large charge for the costs of very gently stripping it since aluminum cant be scorched, blasted with any type of decent pressure, or pressure washed.

5. Do you have any tips to give me when I go in the my local shop?
A.With case modding I would recommend that you go with an epoxy since your case doesnt get much sunlight on it and if you can afford it always get an acrylic clear coat. The difference in scratch resistance between cleared and noncleared is amazing.

B. If you arent satisfied with the job that your shop did then make then redo it. If there are any spots they missed then make them recoat it. You paid for your part to be completely coated not half ass coated. Some things though you cant really blame the shop for like sometimes there could be a spec of dust or a tiny blemish (not large but tiny ones). this happens and you wont really notice it unless you are really serching for it hard.

6. What about protecting my threads/or any other surfaces that I need free of powder?
When you go into the shop make sure to let them know what holes you want plugged and anything else you need masked off.

Well thats all Ive got for now when I get more questions then there will be more answers

 

[jvinsepa]

Stupid question, but will using a UV cold cathode light inside the case (if you paint the inside) fade the paint? These bulbs only put out UVA, not B or C (the damaging kind)... but still, would it affect the finish?

 

[Impu|se]

nm lol

 

[Tunabow]

Im pretty sure the UV light wont. Especially not on a TGIC polyester which is what most of our in demand colors are. There are only a few epoxy powders we use that people actually get and those are the veins which is textured. The reason that epoxies fade are the harshness of the sun. If you are worried about it the go with a clearcoat with an epoxy. I am a huge supporter of the acrylic clear and recommend that you always put it on no matter what your doing.

 

[e_lectro]

Is there a list of the possible colors? With pics would be best

 

[Tiny]

What do you think of DIY kits? Being a buisness owner I am sure you would rather have us all bring it in somewhere, but in general what do you think.

And would going with the Hotcoat powders that are UV and fuel resistant, be overkill for a case?

 

[Tunabow]

Is there a list of the possible colors? With pics would be best

The colors are basically endless. As of right now we have over 100 colors in stock and ordering a color we dont have can range in cost from 100 to 250 dollars depending on what the minimun order for the powder is. Powdercoating companies have minimum orders ranging from 5 pounds to 55 pounds. Pictures wont give you a very accurate representation for a color but I will have some up this coming week.

 

[Tunabow]

What do you think of DIY kits? Being a buisness owner I am sure you would rather have us all bring it in somewhere, but in general what do you think.

And would going with the Hotcoat powders that are UV and fuel resistant, be overkill for a case?

The do it yourself powdercoating gives you do it yourself results, eastwood has terrible electrostatics as well which means it is very hard to coat the part (this is our own expirences with the powder). You will have to make the part hot first and coat it. The main thing about powdercoating a case is that you have an acrylic clearcoat. The stuff is much more scratch resistant than anything ive come across. Also with DIY kits you would have to make your own oven for parts. If you used your house oven you would have powder infused onto the part since not all of the powder on the part stays on.

 

[Tunabow]

bump for updates

 

[Tunabow]

Here are some pics of our color chart, the colors are kinda beat up from people touching them and us having to pound on them to show people durability.

I would have liked to post bigger pics but the poor 56kers are gonna have a hard time as it is. The pictures dont do most of the tags justice.

 

[cornelious0_0]

To anyone considering getting their case powder coated...I just wanted to stop in and give them my thumbs up. I got my Lian-Li PC60 back awhile ago, and even though it just went through a flat black coat.....this is the sexiest paint job I have ever seen, so nice to have the interior and exterior of the case blend this well...and the powdercoat is simply stunning to see, I'm very impressed....especially when I got the whole chasis and all drive bezels and whatnot done for $65 CDN.

 

[Zero_Distortion]

Im sorry I have to intrude here, having had many powdercoating experiences in the past, having friends in the business and currently getting my hands on powdercoating equipment I think its safe to say I have some knowledge on the subject. I also happen to be writing a powdercoating article and FAQ at the moment (which should be up shortly, when its up I will post a link)

1. What is powdercoating?
Powdercoating is a powder that when melted forms a strong durable finish, it is much stronger than paint as it fuses into the metal better. There are many many colors and can have a textured finish. there are different types of powder that handle sun better (polyester TGIC and hybrids) and others that handle chemicals better (epoxies)

WRONG, Powder coating isn't melted at all, It is electrostatically charged and fused into the metal. The object is electronically charged and thats how the powder fuses itself to the metal, Look at the way static attracts dust to your TV screen, same thing but permanent. When its placed in the oven is is NOT melted, it is CURED, there is a difference. Nearly all powders handle the sun just fine, just take a look at the billion or so cars and motorcycles on the road 90% of the wheels on those cars are powdercoated.

2. How much does it cost?
Well prices vary greatly from place to place but here is a price list from our company that gives you an idea of how much things run (just match what you have with what compares to that list). http://www.wkendall.com/pricing.htm all places have minimum orders as well ours is 45 dollars. If you are looking for your finish to be more scratch resistant then you will have to add an acrylic clear coat on top of that which adds 40% to a price for us. Depending on your location you might have to pay a lot more than this at your local shop. You should use our price guide to try and drop their prices a little.

The extra clear coat will add some more protection, but the standard coat is pretty scratch resistant as is, Please do not claim that items should be clear coated in order to be scratch resistant, that is false.

3. What you should do to your peices before you get to your local shop?
Strip off anything that cant handle being baked at 400 degrees and also make sure to tell your shop were you dont want powder (your threads and any holes that need to be used and have a tight tolerance)

You can also use special powder coating specific tape to mask off areas you do not want coated. Also you shouldnt have to prep anything yourself, the prep work is almost always included in the price in a reputable powder coater.

4. What can powder be used on?
you can powdercoat on bare steel, aluminum, anodized aluminum, chrome and nickel plating. In order to do a good job on a powdercoat the metal has to be bare so therefore blasting, scorching, and pressure washing can be involved. When you are dealing with very thin gauge aluminum (what your case uses) its very easy to warp a panel or whatnot so if you already have paint on the aluminum your either out of luck or have to pay a large charge for the costs of very gently stripping it since aluminum cant be scorched, blasted with any type of decent pressure, or pressure washed.

chrome and nickel plating while technically possible to powder coat will end up flaking away, Anything plated should be sand plasted and have the plating removed. Any pressure will be bad for a case, not just thin aluminum, but thicker steel as well. Stripping aluminum or anything where pressure shouldnt be used should be done chemically, any decent powder coater knows that and has the ability to do so on the premesis. If not go elsewhere.

5. Do you have any tips to give me when I go in the my local shop?
A.With case modding I would recommend that you go with an epoxy since your case doesnt get much sunlight on it and if you can afford it always get an acrylic clear coat. The difference in scratch resistance between cleared and noncleared is amazing.

What do you mean by epoxy? Read above about sunlight, nearly all the wheels on the road ar powdercoated, also read above about my oppinion on clear coating. Here are a few questions to ask however.

Do they use leftover powder?

Most DO but won't tell you, when they see you bring in a computer case they figure they can pull a fast one on you. Leftover powder means its been collected off the floor with a broom and pan. Since its on the floor its now obviously dirty (the 5 second rule doesnt count like with food). Using leftover powder which has been contaminated by dirt, soot, oil, grease and whatever other crap you'll find on the floor of a body or paint shop is bad. The finish might not show right away when you pick up the case but after some time you will notice that the case is starting to chip, fade and crack due to the contaminants in it.

Can you powder coat a small peice of scrap metal so I can see what the finished product looks like?

If they say no go elsewhere, most shops will not mind and will most likely have samples that you can keep and take with you to show your client what color options are available.

B. If you arent satisfied with the job that your shop did then make then redo it. If there are any spots they missed then make them recoat it. You paid for your part to be completely coated not half ass coated. Some things though you cant really blame the shop for like sometimes there could be a spec of dust or a tiny blemish (not large but tiny ones). this happens and you wont really notice it unless you are really serching for it hard.

Specs of dust and tiny blemishes can most definitly be blamed on the powder coater. If using fresh powder, the powder coating process is almost fool proof. If there are specs of dust and blemishes it can be attributed to one thing. A company using used powder IE the extra stuff thats not used the first time around and is collected and reused, this is usually collected from the floor with a pan and broom. The powder will obviously have contaminants in it at this point.

6. What about protecting my threads/or any other surfaces that I need free of powder?
When you go into the shop make sure to let them know what holes you want plugged and anything else you need masked off.

agreed, your powder coater should have plugs for holes and tape to mask off any areas you do not want coated.

Im sorry but I don't think you've spent enough time in this profession to be writing a FAQ, Im not trying to be a hardass but please make sure you know fully what you are talking about before taking it upon yourself to write a faq, please no hard feeling to you.

What do you think of DIY kits? Being a buisness owner I am sure you would rather have us all bring it in somewhere, but in general what do you think.

And would going with the Hotcoat powders that are UV and fuel resistant, be overkill for a case?

I'll tell you what I think, it is pure and utter crap, its fine for small car parts under teh hood where you wont see the parts often and rarely actually examine them closely. I'll tell you why. Im starting to use up sentances from my article here.

"The do it yourself powder coating system. I am NOT a fan of this. Those cheap hobby systems are utter crap. Think about it this way. You can spray paint your car but your not going to like the outcome, a professional body shop will definitly do a better job. Here's why. A professional powder coater's gun charges the case and particles anywhere from 30kv all the way up to 100kv. The cheap ones barely break the 10kv mark. The second stage that the DIY crowd does is use their kitchen oven as a curing oven. Here's the problem with this. That little knob on the oven is not procise enough to finish your case properly, unlike food if its still cold you just leave it in there longer or raise the temp a few degree's, do that with a case thats been powdered and you will NOT be happy with the results. The end result will also not be even on all sides and will not have the same quality and durability as a professional grade job."

 

[Tunabow]

My reply to your post

Your response to question1:WRONG, Powder coating isn't melted at all, It is electrostatically charged and fused into the metal. The object is electronically charged and thats how the powder fuses itself to the metal, Look at the way static attracts dust to your TV screen, same thing but permanent. When its placed in the oven is is NOT melted, it is CURED, there is a difference. Nearly all powders handle the sun just fine, just take a look at the billion or so cars and motorcycles on the road 90% of the wheels on those cars are powdercoated.

My response): Yes it is electostatically charged you are right there, but sometimes the powder will not adhere to a part so in order for it to adhere you must bake the part. Wouldnt that be called melting? The powder is a plastic that is electrostatically charged and then melted on. Yes it does fuse into the metal but it is melted, you know thats what plastic does. Also There are many different types of powders that handle different types of applications TGIC polyesters ( your typical powder) will handle sunlight well and will be somewhat scratch resistant but it will last much longer with an acrylic clear. Epoxies on the other hand chalk up in the sunlight after only a few years and a clear is definitely recommended.

Your Response to question 2:The extra clear coat will add some more protection, but the standard coat is pretty scratch resistant as is, Please do not claim that items should be clear coated in order to be scratch resistant, that is false.

My response: The extra clearcoat adds a ton of protection for someone doing a case because its scratch resistance your looking for here and when you scrape a screw driver against a clear coat it does nothing to your color.

Your response to question 3:You can also use special powder coating specific tape to mask off areas you do not want coated. Also you shouldnt have to prep anything yourself, the prep work is almost always included in the price in a reputable powder coater.

My response: So if you brought your case in you would expect your powdercoater to pull out all of your peices of your case? Your fans, all plastic peices, misc wires, ect? Yes we do all of our prep which means taking off what the owner of the part overlooked, blasting or whatever stripping is needed, and any other surface prep.

Your response to question number 4:chrome and nickel plating while technically possible to powder coat will end up flaking away, Anything plated should be sand plasted and have the plating removed. Any pressure will be bad for a case, not just thin aluminum, but thicker steel as well. Stripping aluminum or anything where pressure shouldnt be used should be done chemically, any decent powder coater knows that and has the ability to do so on the premesis. If not go elsewhere.

My response: Its not technically possible its very possible and we do it almost everyday, You do have to blast the chrome but chrome doesnt really come off when you blast it. It needs to be blasted enough to clean the surface but not hard enough to take the chrome or nickel off. It is then ready for prime and powder.

Your response to querstion 5a:What do you mean by epoxy? Read above about sunlight, nearly all the wheels on the road ar powdercoated, also read above about my oppinion on clear coating. Here are a few questions to ask however.
Do they use leftover powder?
Most DO but won't tell you, when they see you bring in a computer case they figure they can pull a fast one on you. Leftover powder means its been collected off the floor with a broom and pan. Since its on the floor its now obviously dirty (the 5 second rule doesnt count like with food). Using leftover powder which has been contaminated by dirt, soot, oil, grease and whatever other crap you'll find on the floor of a body or paint shop is bad. The finish might not show right away when you pick up the case but after some time you will notice that the case is starting to chip, fade and crack due to the contaminants in it.

Can you powder coat a small peice of scrap metal so I can see what the finished product looks like?

If they say no go elsewhere, most shops will not mind and will most likely have samples that you can keep and take with you to show your client what color options are available.

My response to a: Epoxy is a chemically resistant powder (tgic is more UV resistant)
Using powder off the ground? someone actually does this? We have never not once used anything that has been on the ground or even thought of it. If someone here used powder off the ground they would be fired.

Sometimes its not easy to make someone a test sample because you have to clean out the machine and go into the color and powdercoat the part, the cost of operating an oven for us per each load is about 25 bux and then there is the time it takes. Most places charge a minimum for that kind of thing unless by some chance they are in the color or about to go into it at that time. Its very easy for a place to show you its recent work they have done though.

your response to question 5b:Specs of dust and tiny blemishes can most definitly be blamed on the powder coater. If using fresh powder, the powder coating process is almost fool proof. If there are specs of dust and blemishes it can be attributed to one thing. A company using used powder IE the extra stuff thats not used the first time around and is collected and reused, this is usually collected from the floor with a pan and broom. The powder will obviously have contaminants in it at this point.

My response: If your powdercoater is using a cleanroom then yes it can be blamed on the powdercoater, most places dont have clean rooms. Dust is everywhere and you cant control if a little tiny spec of dust falls onto a part out of the air. To most people a tiny spec of dust is nothing but I have to examine the parts thoroughly before we give the owner of the part a call and i can noticve those tiny little specs. From a distance of more than 2 feet away they arent visible. They also arent that common either since the place is pretty clean and we blow down the room thorughly about once a month plus the constant cleaning thats going on.

I dont really diagree with you on the last 2 except when you said I was not knowledeable in what I do, that to me is an insult because I take pride in what I do and make sure that I do a damn good job of knowing everything that I can. If you wish to go about this in a more civil manner instead of being ignorant you should have used private messages.

 

[X NetJag X]

Tunabow: you said the minimum order is $45. What is the cost (for you to do it) for a standard PC-60 in a orange color? would it be $45? or would it be more?

I'm in Illinois, and I would like to have this done to my case, but I don't want to go to a local shop, where they have probably never seen a computer mod, let alone heard of one.

 

[Zero_Distortion]

Im sorry to say that you sir are an idiot and have no clue what is going on when it comes to powdercoating. I have been around all kinds of parts and all kinds of powder and actually apply the powder so who are you to tell me I dont know what im saying? Instead of just calling you names im just gonna have to tell you how it is.


Your response to question1:WRONG, Powder coating isn't melted at all, It is electrostatically charged and fused into the metal. The object is electronically charged and thats how the powder fuses itself to the metal, Look at the way static attracts dust to your TV screen, same thing but permanent. When its placed in the oven is is NOT melted, it is CURED, there is a difference. Nearly all powders handle the sun just fine, just take a look at the billion or so cars and motorcycles on the road 90% of the wheels on those cars are powdercoated.

Response of someone with actual expirience (me): Yes it is electostatically charged you are right there, but sometimes the powder will not adhere to a part so in order for it to adhere you must bake the part. Wouldnt that be called melting? The powder is a plastic that is electrostatically charged and then melted on. Yes it does fuse into the metal but it is melted, you know thats what plastic does. Also There are many different types of powders that handle different types of applications TGIC polyesters ( your typical powder) will handle sunlight well and will be somewhat scratch resistant but it will last much longer with an acrylic clear. Epoxies on the other hand chalk up in the sunlight after only a few years and a clear is definitely recommended. I thought a person knowledgeable about powdercoating would know this?

Symantics, you say melted when I say cured, melting isn't the proper terminology since anything melting will run, obviously the process won't cause runs so it is cured, either way I think we both agree on that one yes?

Your Response to question 2:The extra clear coat will add some more protection, but the standard coat is pretty scratch resistant as is, Please do not claim that items should be clear coated in order to be scratch resistant, that is false.

My response: The extra clearcoat adds a ton of protection but you wouldnt know this because you havent personally done tests? Or have you?

Yes I have actually, I've taken both sample peices and finished cases (the mods were screwed up anyway) and have done some tests that the average person might encounter, dropping a slightly heavy metallic object on it for example (a wrench) more than once in a few places. Both the coated and uncoated test subjects reacted the same way.

Your response to question 3:You can also use special powder coating specific tape to mask off areas you do not want coated. Also you shouldnt have to prep anything yourself, the prep work is almost always included in the price in a reputable powder coater.

My response: So if you brought your case in you would expect your powdercoater to pull out all of your peices of your case? Your fans, all plastic peices, misc wires, ect? Yes we do all of our prep which means taking off what the owner of the part overlooked, blasting or whatever stripping is needed, and any other surface prep.

now your just being silly, ofcourse the person bringing in the case should remove the parts, the prep work I was reffering to was the sandblasting or chemical removal of teh paint. You obviously realize that is what I meant.

Your response to question number 4:chrome and nickel plating while technically possible to powder coat will end up flaking away, Anything plated should be sand plasted and have the plating removed. Any pressure will be bad for a case, not just thin aluminum, but thicker steel as well. Stripping aluminum or anything where pressure shouldnt be used should be done chemically, any decent powder coater knows that and has the ability to do so on the premesis. If not go elsewhere.

My response: Its not technically possible its very possible and we do it almost everyday, You do have to blast the chrome but chrome doesnt really come off when you blast it. It needs to be blasted enough to clean the surface but not hard enough to take the chrome or nickel off. It is then ready for prime and powder. Im really tired of correcting your incorrect information, I just wish I didnt have to correct you for just about every reply you made.

Your right, it is 100% possible, but why have the powder adher to the plating of an object rather than the object itself? What good is chrome plating if its going to be powdered over? You said yourself its best to strip everything and have the powder adhere DIRECTLY on the object at hand, not the plating OF the object.

Your response to querstion 5a:What do you mean by epoxy? Read above about sunlight, nearly all the wheels on the road ar powdercoated, also read above about my oppinion on clear coating. Here are a few questions to ask however.
Do they use leftover powder?
Most DO but won't tell you, when they see you bring in a computer case they figure they can pull a fast one on you. Leftover powder means its been collected off the floor with a broom and pan. Since its on the floor its now obviously dirty (the 5 second rule doesnt count like with food). Using leftover powder which has been contaminated by dirt, soot, oil, grease and whatever other crap you'll find on the floor of a body or paint shop is bad. The finish might not show right away when you pick up the case but after some time you will notice that the case is starting to chip, fade and crack due to the contaminants in it.

Can you powder coat a small peice of scrap metal so I can see what the finished product looks like?

If they say no go elsewhere, most shops will not mind and will most likely have samples that you can keep and take with you to show your client what color options are available.

My response to a: Epoxy is a chemically resistant powder (tgic is more UV resistant) since you dont know what your talking about anyway whats the point of telling you seeing as how you think you know it all.
Using powder off the ground? someone actually does this? We have never not once used anything that has been on the ground or even thought of it. If someone here used powder off the ground they would be fired.

Sometimes its not easy to make someone a test sample because you have to clean out the machine and go into the color and powdercoat the part, the cost of operating an oven for us per each load is about 25 bux and then there is the time it takes. Most places charge a minimum for that kind of thing unless by some chance they are in the color or about to go into it at that time. Its very easy for a place to show you its recent work they have done though.

Its nice that you do not reuse powder, but there are places that do, you'd be surprised, I wasn't trying to imply that your business conducts itself in such a manner, I was warning others that there are other places that are dishonest and won't do the best job.

I guess your right on that second bit, now that I think of it the test pieces I have always received were extra scrap metal thrown in to something that was being coated anyway.

your response to question 5b:Specs of dust and tiny blemishes can most definitly be blamed on the powder coater. If using fresh powder, the powder coating process is almost fool proof. If there are specs of dust and blemishes it can be attributed to one thing. A company using used powder IE the extra stuff thats not used the first time around and is collected and reused, this is usually collected from the floor with a pan and broom. The powder will obviously have contaminants in it at this point.

My response: If your powdercoater is using a cleanroom then yes it can be blamed on the powdercoater, most places dont have clean rooms. Dust is everywhere and you cant control if a little tiny spec of dust falls onto a part out of the air. To most people a tiny spec of dust is nothing but I have to examine the parts thoroughly before we give the owner of the part a call and i can noticve those tiny little specs. From a distance of more than 2 feet away they arent visible. They also arent that common either since the place is pretty clean and we blow down the room thorughly about once a month plus the constant cleaning thats going on.

I dont really diagree with you on the last 2 except when you said I was not knowledeable in what I do, that to me is an insult because I take pride in what I do and make sure that I do a damn good job of knowing everything that I can. If you wish to go about this in a more civil manner instead of being ignorant you should have used private messages. How are you suppose to be able to make a powdercoating FAQ when you have no accurate knowledge of powdercoating? I will feel sorry for the poor person who reads any of your FAQ.

I was very much trying to be civil, I do agree with most of your replies however. Most of your replies however are pure symantics. We both meant the same thing just used different wording to explain ourselves. I did not mean to critisize you in any way shape or form but merely add some insight. I think this should end are little arguement since we can always find a third powder coater with a third set of oppinions and their own wording to explain the same thing.

BTW my responses were checked over before I submitted them to a few friends involved in powder coating, who are also members of the Powder Coating Institute. They didn't necessarily disagree with you, just provided a different point of view to further elaborate.

P'S' is your business capable of powder coating plastics? It is a very new procedure but it has recently became a possibility to powder coat hard plastics like ABS.

Once again, I did not mean anythign rude by my replies. How about we drop the arguements and let others ask their questions.

 

[Tunabow]

Alrighty, Im just trying to keep it simple so people dont get confused. The reason I say its melted is because powder can run if you put too muchon. The scratch resistance im talking about it actually taking your nail and scratching the part. Every powder will have a scratch mark from doing this and if your doing it on a case your gonna run your screw driver acroos the powder and it will scratch up a lot more without a clear coat. About the chrome thing well chrome is pretty well stuck on there and it has its own corrosion resistance as well if you just give the powder something to adhere to it will stick and will stick for a long time. We dont have the capability to coat plastics because we dont have the right type of oven for the job or the right powder. All of our powders except our thermal melt vinyls and one TGIC cure at 385 or higher for 15 to 20 minutes. Sorry if I came of harsh but I know what im doing and just wanted to help these guys out. Im not doing this to drum up business as we do just fine the way we are now and most people live far away from here.