This is an issue that SHOULD be important to preservationists. Because everyone seems to be rushing to this sphere.
Can we have an open discussion of this topic?
Even I will keep an open mind, and I'm opposed to it.
But, what makes this method of paint application the one of choice? Cheap? - no doubt about that, other than you'll probably have to re-think it later. The fact that anyone with an oven can do it?
What about the long-term effects? I've seen chips from dropping a socket that are as big as my knuckle - down to bare metal!
And, why not just paint the pieces? Spare me the environmental crap!
Oh, by the way, the finish sucks on the best of them.
OK, do your duty. If you've done it(p/c'd anything), why did you use this process, rather than conventional paint?
Stirring the pot. I'm really good at it too!
Pat
Full Version: Powdercoating
Well I for one would disagree with the cheap part...it cost way more to have it 'professionally done' and on the 'looks like shit' part as my valve cam and carb covers came out AWSOME!. The other thing I like about it (and I disagree with you on this part too) is that it is much more chip resistant than paint as it is thicker.....all of course when done by a pro.
My $.02 worth $.01
Josh
My $.02 worth $.01
Josh
cons
Adds thickness
any threads would need to be chased
can have runs or globs like paint if not done right
Adds thickness
any threads would need to be chased
can have runs or globs like paint if not done right
they do the prep work for you 
The finish is subjective like most things.
MOST powder coated finishes exhibit some amount of lumpyness just like factory enamel paint (before color sanding or years of wear). I tend to call this orange peel but it is to much less of a degree than when you are talking orange peel with liquid paint.
One down side to powder coating is it is a major PITA to touch up.
Similar to paint, most of what you will get out of powder depends on the prep work. Do it at home in less than ideal conditions and no metal pretreatment and your results will be mediocre at best.
As far as durability, I strongly believe that powder coating is less reactive to automotive chemicals and hold up better than most liquid paints.
As far as chip resistance goes, it depends on the powder and how it was cured. If the curing schedule was adhered to, the powder is quite chip resistant. (and I have seen stone chips on the leading edges of hoods and doors go down to bare metal with liquid paint)
Some pros:
Powder is dirt cheap.
Powder is fast. Usually the part is done and cured in 30 minutes or so.
Once cured and cooled, the paint is done. Ready to put into service.
High temp (ceramic) powders work really well on headers (try that with liquid paint).
In the end, it is up to you. Good luck with it.
I still will continue powder coating exhausts, suspension parts, engine tin, etc. (but then again I am striving for durability, not originality)
MOST powder coated finishes exhibit some amount of lumpyness just like factory enamel paint (before color sanding or years of wear). I tend to call this orange peel but it is to much less of a degree than when you are talking orange peel with liquid paint.
One down side to powder coating is it is a major PITA to touch up.
Similar to paint, most of what you will get out of powder depends on the prep work. Do it at home in less than ideal conditions and no metal pretreatment and your results will be mediocre at best.
As far as durability, I strongly believe that powder coating is less reactive to automotive chemicals and hold up better than most liquid paints.
As far as chip resistance goes, it depends on the powder and how it was cured. If the curing schedule was adhered to, the powder is quite chip resistant. (and I have seen stone chips on the leading edges of hoods and doors go down to bare metal with liquid paint)
Some pros:
Powder is dirt cheap.
Powder is fast. Usually the part is done and cured in 30 minutes or so.
Once cured and cooled, the paint is done. Ready to put into service.
High temp (ceramic) powders work really well on headers (try that with liquid paint).
In the end, it is up to you. Good luck with it.
I still will continue powder coating exhausts, suspension parts, engine tin, etc. (but then again I am striving for durability, not originality)
I love it. I've done it myself and it comes out great every time. It's kind of tedious though with a normal size oven. My six parts are going to be done professionally.
My dad was a partner in a mountain biking company. They powercoated the frames, stems, and some other parts. They had it done professionally and of course prepped well.
The results they got were WAY tougher than paint!
Some really cool finishes available, including some faux metal-plates, wrinkles, color changing (one of my favorites was dark purple to bright blue depending on the angle in the sun), etc.
The only con they ever ran across was, rust could start on the inside of a tube and work it's way through, and the thick & tough powdercoating wouldn't show any signs on the outside. Where paint would have cracked, bubbled, or otherwise revealed the trouble, the powdercoat looked great and there would be no warning of the damage extent underneath..... Which led them to discovering the problem the hard way - breaking a frame while riding hard. Fortunately it only happened once.
It depends on the application. Sometimes paint is more appropriate.
On parts, I love the stuff. But it's like anything. It has to be prepped right and done right. Don't bother cheaping out with it.
The results they got were WAY tougher than paint!
Some really cool finishes available, including some faux metal-plates, wrinkles, color changing (one of my favorites was dark purple to bright blue depending on the angle in the sun), etc.
The only con they ever ran across was, rust could start on the inside of a tube and work it's way through, and the thick & tough powdercoating wouldn't show any signs on the outside. Where paint would have cracked, bubbled, or otherwise revealed the trouble, the powdercoat looked great and there would be no warning of the damage extent underneath..... Which led them to discovering the problem the hard way - breaking a frame while riding hard. Fortunately it only happened once.
It depends on the application. Sometimes paint is more appropriate.
On parts, I love the stuff. But it's like anything. It has to be prepped right and done right. Don't bother cheaping out with it.
Not to hijack, but is there any difference in prep for paint vs. PC?
Best of all, carburetor cleaner, gas, oil, and most other things have no effect on PC.
I blacked out my trim pieces with an epoxy finish in the past and it chipped something fierce. This time around I powder coated them. I am much happier with the results, and they will be more durable. I do believe that the shop can screw up the work. So, buyer beware.
QUOTE(biosurfer1 @ Mar 18 2008, 08:06 PM) 
Not to hijack, but is there any difference in prep for paint vs. PC?
Not the expert here but have had a lot of my MG parts powder coated with very good results.
Most good powder coaters have the metal blasted with an abbrasive that roughs up the metal, some will apply a primer specifically designed for powder coating. The guy doing my heat exchanger set up here in Germany applies a special primer.
The guy that did my MG parts used a special cleaning solution to soak and wash the parts after he blasted them then he applied the powder directly to the metal.
The biggest difference between PC and standard paint is that you don't have to use a primer when doing PC. You can apply the powder directly to the metal. Do that with regular paint and see how long it lasts.
Again, I am not the expert just an observer of the process; guys who know way more than me will have to chime in more on this.
I've seen some real nice finishes in PC (solid, metalic, etc...) It isn't any cheaper than liquid paint and the only drawback is when you eventually want to redo a powder coated part, it takes a bit more effort to either strip or sandblast the old PC off...more so than regular paint. I just dropped off my 996TT wheels today to be powder coated.
Pat remind me and I'll bring some of my dads suspension parts I coated.
A: It is tougher, the only time I have seen it chip easily was when it was poorly prepped. As I said before, the shop I was at did Horse stalls, Electric lamp poles for the city, HAd a contract with the U.S. Navy to do some generator carriages, electrical boxes. All sorts of items that are exposed to the wether DAILY.
B: It looks ( when done well) as good as most of your factory paint jobs on new cars. No it isn't SLICK like one of my paint jobs
But it is what it is.
C: bite me C.W.
D: wrinkle black is just flat out bad ass for engine details. Much like the O.E. Ferrari and Maserati valve cover finish.
A: It is tougher, the only time I have seen it chip easily was when it was poorly prepped. As I said before, the shop I was at did Horse stalls, Electric lamp poles for the city, HAd a contract with the U.S. Navy to do some generator carriages, electrical boxes. All sorts of items that are exposed to the wether DAILY.
B: It looks ( when done well) as good as most of your factory paint jobs on new cars. No it isn't SLICK like one of my paint jobs
But it is what it is.C: bite me C.W.
D: wrinkle black is just flat out bad ass for engine details. Much like the O.E. Ferrari and Maserati valve cover finish.
disregard...
QUOTE(Jeff Bowlsby @ Mar 19 2008, 07:01 PM)
There are at least two other factors to consider that I know of:
1. The process involves creating an electrical charge through the part to attract the powder. On parts where there is already a hole such as say a valve cover, they can pass a wire through the hole and hang the part from a spray rack...the electrical circuit is complete because they charge the rack. On parts where there is no hole already...they make one for you at no extra cost! This can be a problem if you don't want new holes in your parts...even if they are free! Sometimes they can set the part on crumpled aluminum foil to complete the circuit, but this is not always feasible.
2. The process involves heat...something like 400F. Thats why plastic parts cannot be powder coated. If the part itself cannot be heated to 400F in their ovens, then it cannot be powder coated. I once had some smallish 1/2" plate steel parts specified to be powder coated, and the shop could not get the parts hot enough for the powder to flow much less cure and adhere, even with their largest oven. So if you have parts with a lot of mass that will not heat up it will be hard if not impossible to powdercoat.
The parts are grounded (only the powder is charged). One can simply hang the part through an existing hole or one could use a grounding clip. DORKS would put a new hole in a part just to powder coat it. There are literally millions of ways to hang parts without inserting new holes. Every factory I have been in have dedicated racking for their parts. Some hang through holes, some simply clip onto parts, some do both.
Different powder formulations have been created to allow lower temp cure schedules. Plastics and even WOOD can be powder coated.
Obviously you went to the wrong place.
I have been inside ovens that cure powder on HUGE 1" thick steel plate weldments weighing in excess of 20,000 lbs.
Thanks for the skinny, John! The 2 shops I had experience were both here in the bay area, one was a commercial coater, the other was a well-regarded shop for Porsche restorers...I wish I could delete my post to keep from spreading misleading info...
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.