what's the best way to powder coat?

I need to redo my rims and fender on my bike and I am not about ready to pay the bucks to have them cromed so I was thinking about powder coating them. I know you can use the oven to do it, but i also saw a powder coating gun at Sears for $90. Any body got any suggestions on what is the best way to go about it? Keep in mind that my wife is not exactly thrilled with the idea of sticking a rim in her oven so i want to stear clear of that, but if it's the only way then she will just have to deal.:whistle:

I was going to start a powder coating buisness once but decided not to. I did how ever find out a lot about it.
The actual gun that aplies the coating needs to be of good quality for a smooth finish. The cheap guns will leave the finished product like the peel of an orange. Not to mension that the oven itself has to be a circulating oven. Which means that the air inside must circulate so that there are no hot spots.
If the piece is off an engine or in any other contact with silicon or oils you must first bake the piece so that the pores open and bleed off any impurites. Ther are many other things that play a roll in longivity and durability not to mension you dont want it to look like s++t. If you have any questions feel free to ask I will tell you what I know.
My advise is do your homework and shop around, allso ask for a sample, and pay attension to corners and if it is smooth or like an orange peel.
I know of a place that is small around here and does the best powder coating. The price is cheaper than any other place to. Its called Custom Powder Coating he is in Cleveland ,Ohio. Ask for Bill Werman ,and tell him Damian sent you. I worked with him before, and know him personally. He is a down to earth guy who allways knows a good joke.
Hope you will suceed in finishing your peices parts.

It depends on other factors.

I don't like messing with paint & polish and so seldom need anything coated that it's best for me to send it out.

If you are looking for an excuse to get set up and play, well that's the excuse...do it because you want to...

Get an oven off Craigslist, maybe the 'free' section. Unless you wouldn't mind your wife cooking hotdogs on your pipes...


-Duck

thanks for the advice guys. i guess i need to do a little more home work on this subject.

I have the eastwood powder kit and it works great. I've done rims swing arm and lots of stuff for myself and friends. the finish last for ever and is really durable.Go for it and you won't be disappionted. The larger parts like the frame I had done professionaly and I can't tell the difference between what I did and them.Good luck

snake... the 'orange peel' can come from under-curing (not enough time/heat to let the powder flow).. or not enough powder on the part and cant flow together...
you can never clean the part enough....

tweakin... sent u a PM

I have a cheap option, get the 1200 degree paint like a duplicolor or other brand. They even make a 1200 degree primer. I scuffed my chrome fender and rims cleaned them with laquer thinner not paint thinner you can also use rubbing alchohol, primed them, baked them on 150 degrees for around 15 minutes then let them cool for about 3 hours allowing the primer to cure some but not all the way, tack ragged them, painted them with the black 1200 degree paint or whatever color you are wanting, baked them for 15 minutes, then when I took them out I went straight for the water hose outside and cooled them off quick. This hardens high heat paint to stone. I left my rimms all black but if you want the factory KZ look you can sand off the paint on the edge of the rim and the edge of the spokes after the paint has cured for about 2 hours that way it is still easy to remove.

For lots of info on powdercoating read this:

www.caswellplating.com/powder/index.html

And then this:

forum.caswellplating.com/

Powdercoating forum and Oven building forum

I powdercoat all my own stuff but NEVER use your regular oven. You will never get the smell and taste out of whatever food you cook in after doing your parts. If you can't get a junk oven take them to a pro. I did a set of wheels and I had the bearings out and put new ones in. It's worth it.

I do my own coating as well. Very easy to do. Practice on some junk parts first so you learn how much powder to apply. Applying the powder can be messy. I use a large cardboard box lined with some house AS filters. The powder will stick to the filters instead of blowing around the garage. Like others said, DO NOT use your regular over. This stuff stinks when it bakes. We bought a new over and I kept the old one for coating. You can find cheap ones at Goodwill, classifieds and online.

..and dont use a gas oven either.... the fumes can be explosive... and make you dizzy...
If u can find a double oven.. thats even better.. then you can pre-heat the part in one and have the other at the cure temp.
I have a dbl oven and it works great for small parts.. i save the big oven for the big stuff.
Be careful when buying powder.. I only buy UV and fuel resistant stuff.. dont buy surplus off evilbay... i made that mistake.