Quote:
Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry
That powdercoating process was described to me by the shop I went to for some of my larger parts. I can tell you the finish is much more durable than what I did myself with just powder over clean metal.
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being that i do powdercoating, let me add to this...
the pre-baking the parts allows the metal to out gas. any impurities in the metal will move to the surface when the metal is heated. ESPECIALLY with aluminum. i find somewhere around 350-400 degrees for 15-20 min is normally sufficient. if there is any oil residue it will bake off. as for cleaning with alcohol after that's an extra step to ensure cleanliness. any bit of oil, even from your hands will affect the finished product. the primer step adds one more layer of protection. they sell good out gas killer primer powders out there. if you want your powder to go on smooth that's the best way to do it. also powder can be treated like paint afterwards. you can cut and buff it like you would a automotive finish. it all depends on how thick you lay it too.
if your part is steel and you take it straight from the blaster, blow it off and right into the oven, most times you can get away with just using powder directly on it. aluminum if it's sat around for a while outside in the elements i would ALWAYS pre-bake.
i've had some jobs that were nightmares. stripping powder off a part that out gassed is a PITA. like they say do it once do it right.
if you wanna see some of what i've done check out my link in the sig.