Powder Coating with Harbor Freight gun PIC HEAVY

7oaks · May 18, 2010

Awhile back I purchased a powder coating outfit from Harbor Freight. Today I used it for the first time. I'd like to share with you all some of the learning experiences I encountered. I should have started with a test piece but being my usual impatient self my first objects were a pair of dogs for one of my Contras. I should know better as I made mistakes that forced me to redo them once. :taped:

I took pictures through the whole process and apologize for the lousy quality of some of them. I was using the point and shooter.

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Using the belt sander.

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The whole setup. Note my high tech paint booth.

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The ground wire attached to the top copper wires which support the dogs.

I did two at a time hoping to save on powder and I think it did but you have to use extreme caution when moving one that you don't touch the other because the powder is indeed only powder until it is baked. You can blow it off with a cough or touch to anything.

Note the plastic bucket on the gun. One comes with the kit. Buy more. The powder at HF comes in three colors. White, black and red and in plastic containers that look like they can be used on the gun. THEY CAN'T!!!!! Don't make the mistake I did and attach it to the gun. In my case it fell off dumping a good portion of the red powder. Get one for every color you want to use regularly so you don't have cross contamination and don't have to clean them up before every use.

pioneerguy600 · May 18, 2010

I wanna see more!!
Pioneerguy600

7oaks · May 18, 2010

Next group of pics

Next group of pics.

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This shows the old toaster oven I am using. This is where I made my first mistakes. I coated the dogs on both sides. When I went to move them from the booth to the oven I knocked off powder in several locations. Then when I got to the oven I had no choice but to lay the dogs down flat on the grill. Wrong thing to do but I couldn't think of another way with this small oven. Big mistake because it knocked off more powder expecially where the grill touched the dog. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr :angry:

Please forgive the glare and dirty glass on the oven. Those marks on the dog are on the glass.

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Here is one of the dogs after coating. I am showing the good side. I will resand the back side and recoat/bake! The red perfectly matches the Contra/Lightning red.

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Please use protective masks. You can see here how much I would have inhaled had I not had the mask on.

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After I was all done I came up with a better way to bake items like this. I screwed a stainless steel screw through the top of the oven and then placed it on its side. Now I can/could hang the dogs from the screw. Live and learn. But the dogs came out quite respectable I think. I really like the HF powder coating system and will be using it alot in the future.

SkippyKtm · May 18, 2010

Thanks for posting that. I've been considering buying one, and this is very helpful.
+1 REP :clap:

Teddy.Scout · May 18, 2010

Oaks! YOUR THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!

I have been talking to another member about this exact thing! THANKS! for the pics and opinion!!!!

I am glad it is working out! I will admit, I didn't think it was even worth it!

What about doing case halves? Do you think it would work?

AGAIN THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tomdcoker · May 18, 2010

Yes, Thanks for posting. I have been looking at one and any knowledge you give is more than I had. Thanks again. Tom

7oaks · May 18, 2010

I'm glad that some of you are finding this helpful. I enjoyed doing it and now wish I had more to do. By the way the spilt powder cleans up easily with compressed air - just don't get it wet before cleanup. I reclaimed the powder on the floor of the booth - don't know if that is a NO NO but thought it couldn't hurt.

Teddy.Scout said:
Oaks! YOUR THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!

I have been talking to another member about this exact thing! THANKS! for the pics and opinion!!!!

I am glad it is working out! I will admit, I didn't think it was even worth it!

What about doing case halves? Do you think it would work?

AGAIN THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything depends on the size of your oven. I can place a case half in this oven - on the rack if it isn't too big. I have a spare Contra one I probably will try on it. I have one more of the plastic reservoirs but will be purchasing more. I bought some gray that looks like it will mimic the old Contra gray. The hard part will be removing the old paint since I don't have a sand blaster setup.

Teddy.Scout · May 18, 2010

I just got the HF sand blast cabinet, had the neighbor do some modifications to the seals and glove attachment points. I still think that when if EVER I get to that point of the cases, I will have to take it to a place that has the high power(psi) and a bit heavier aggregate? will see.

Thanks again OAKS!!!!

And as always! YOUR THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!

whitedogone · May 18, 2010

You just pissed MY wife off when she saw that screw thru the oven.

jimdad07 · May 18, 2010

If you don't mind me asking, how much does this setup run?

7oaks · May 18, 2010

whitedogone said:
You just pissed MY wife off when she saw that screw thru the oven.

Tell her I'm sorry but those things are a dime a dozen in yard sales and Good Will. LOL

jimdad07 said:
If you don't mind me asking, how much does this setup run?

$70 normal, on sale right now for $60 and with 20% off coupon that would come to $48. Not a bad price don't you think!

I'm really not shilling for HF. I'm just happy!

mactodd · May 18, 2010

If you have a spot in the shop, and a 220 outlet, a good investment would be an old electric stove with a working oven. If you wanna use the stove in the house, well, if you think the wife got mad from you using the dishwasher for cleaning saws......

7oaks · May 18, 2010

mactodd said:
If you have a spot in the shop, and a 220 outlet, a good investment would be an old electric stove with a working oven. If you wanna use the stove in the house, well, if you think the wife got mad from you using the dishwasher for cleaning saws......

Yeah, I've thought about that. Actually have an old gas oven in the shack down the hill. The instructions with the kit say don't use a gas oven but another member here who has access to commercial powder coating equip told me that they use large gas ovens. Who's going to try it first? :biggrinbounce2:

Arrowhead · May 18, 2010

Nice job!! I've been thinking of trying a powder coater.

redunshee · May 18, 2010

Great info. I saw that Eastwood carries numerous colors for powdercoating. Might be a source if you need colors other than what's available at HF.

buzz sawyer · May 18, 2010

7oaks said:
Yeah, I've thought about that. Actually have an old gas oven in the shack down the hill. The instructions with the kit say don't use a gas oven but another member here who has access to commercial powder coating equip told me that they use large gas ovens. Who's going to try it first? :biggrinbounce2:

Nice thread Carl! That finish looks great.

Just a thought - if you have an old kitchen oven you can use, why not cut the top out (lose the broiler element) and make a hanging plate that you can use to coat the parts then set it right down into the top of the oven?

7oaks · May 19, 2010

redunshee said:
Great info. I saw that Eastwood carries numerous colors for powdercoating. Might be a source if you need colors other than what's available at HF.

Yes I've seen that also. I did find/purchase some new colors on eBay - ones that match the items I'll likely be powdering. Now I need some more of those plastic cups.

buzz sawyer said:
Nice thread Carl! That finish looks great.

Just a thought - if you have an old kitchen oven you can use, why not cut the top out (lose the broiler element) and make a hanging plate that you can use to coat the parts then set it right down into the top of the oven?

Great idea! Quite doable! I'll have to think about cutting up the old gas range down at the shack - you know the one I mean. :clap:

ross_scott · May 19, 2010

Hey just a little tip that may help hold the powder on the parts when removing from the powder coating booth is to preheat the parts to be coated in the oven first then the heat will help the powder to stick to the parts resulting in less being knocked or blown off when returning to the oven for baking.

buzz sawyer · May 19, 2010

7oaks said:
Great idea! Quite doable! I'll have to think about cutting up the old gas range down at the shack - you know the one I mean.

You mean the servant's quarters?

pioneerguy600 · May 19, 2010

Thanks for putting this together and posting it, got me thinking strongly about going this route on my future rebuilds.
Pioneerguy600

Powder Coating with Harbor Freight gun PIC HEAVY

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