Any experience with these? Opinions? I've been checking out the ones from caswell and eastwood as a possible far off future purchase. I'm thinking I'd start off small with a toaster oven to see how it will work, then possibly invest in an infrared setup. I figure I'd rather have a infrared lamp then a full sized oven so I could do odd shaped things like a rear end.

Hmm, I wonder how hot those 500w xeon worklights you can get at home depot get. That would be a cheap alternative to an infrared lamp.

Pierre, I suggest the one from Caswell. I have done quite a bit of surfing on the subject and most agree that the gun they sell is just a bit better than the one from Eastwood for a little less money. I don't know about the "pro" gun that Eastwood sells but $700 is a bit steep if all you want to do is coat a few parts on your own car. A toaster oven works great for really small parts. You might want to look around for an old electric oven on garbage day! I got a large infrared light set up from an auto painting supply company for about $700 and it works well for everything else. The only down side of the light (besides the cost) is that you also need a non-contact thermometer, and a lot of time, especially for thick parts. As for the Home Depot lights, I doubt if they get hot enough.
Dan M.

What kind of temperatures are required for powder coating? My wife used to do ceramics and fired the greenware in a small electric kiln. It generated way more heat than this might need, but it is adjustable. Would be great for small parts up to the size of a hubcap in diameter.

Just a thought,
Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

A steady 400 Degrees F.

Only reason I'm a bit weary is I know someone who had experience with a caswell plating kit years ago that didn't go so well.

How long does it need to maintain 400 deg.?

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
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40min-1hour I think, depends on the type of coating used and how thick the metal is but I believe that number is a maximum.

Anyone ever watch the widely-popular "Orange County Choppers" television program on cable? They have a lot of powder coating done on their custom motorcycles. In one episode, the process was shown on coating the bikes custom aluminum wheels. The guys doing it for them have a large room where they spray on the coating and then shut the door and heat it up. That's a little more than my budget would allow.
Really, when you think about it, 400 deg. is not that hot. You could probably build something like a large BBQ grill that's wood-fired and still get the job done.

Hmmmm,
Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

I was thinking bbq but then... it would be too hard to control temperature... too hot can burn powder as well! Also expendables might cost more (electricity vs wood/charcol....) as well as the fumes from whatever your burning could interfere with the coating

I was thinking along the lines of having a "firebox" sealed off from the main heat chamber, so you don't get the smoke in there with the product being coated. Once the temperature is attained, you simply maintain it by occassionally adding small amounts of wood to keep it constant. The same thing as you do when slow cooking a brisket for several hours. I wouldn't suggest trying to operate a business this way, but for a few onesies or twosies, it might work. Build it long enough and you could do your whole drive shaft and rear end.

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

Orange County Choppers is cool. Especially when the old guy spouts off to the son. They make some nice stuff, but I would like to see them make their own frames. Most of the bikes look the same with differant do-dads welded on. And are they really getting $100,000 for some of those bikes!

Unreal, just like the stuff Jessie James builds for $3000. The Bronco that they did a couple of weeks ago had $20,000 worth of donated stuff in it.

The wood burner is probably not such a good idea. Once "flow-out" starts most powders cure in about 15 minuets. The temperature and time must be real close or the powder will start to burn and get a little dark. I have over baked a few small parts by several minuets and the colors didn't quite match. High gloss colors are really touchy. Clear coats require slightly lower temperatures. Here in Pittsburgh we have designated days where you can through out larger items. I always see an oven or two. Just check the want adds, you often see electric ovens really cheap. You could just cut the oven in half horizontally and add a middle section to make it large enough for longer parts. No matter how you cure, I recommend you get a non-contact temperature gun. Just make sure it has a range up to at least 450 deg.
Dan M.

I wanted to mention something about powders. I recommend using Eastwood's over Caswell's stuff. I have better and more consistent results with Eastwood's powders. You can also get powder really cheap on Ebay, but I strongly suggest you resist the temptation. Many companies sell reclaimed powder that usually has a lot of impurities that cause poor adhesion and lots of dimples or orange peel. You also want to do a lot of preparation to the surface before you powder coat. I start by stripping, lightly bead blasting, (especially on really smooth surfaces like chrome) and then an acid bath.
Dan M.