I know just enough to be dangerous about powder coating -- so you've been officially warned :-)

That said, I've been officially hooked on powder coating after I had my engine mount powder coated over 10 years ago. It has held up amazingly well despite screwdriver slips, clamp abuse, heat and so on.

As an aside, I know there are plenty of powder coating shops around most folks, however, I personally like to get my hands dirty and do it myself when possible. There is also something to be said for being in your workshop, hangar, or whatever and being able to finish up your parts that day without having to wait for the powder coating shop or make a special trip. 

Here are some pics of my latest powder coating project -- the spring gear for a 601HDS. 

Spring Gear Powder Coating Pics

I'll add more in the next couple of weeks assuming there is any interest. I'll also include some tips/tricks I've learned along the way ... 

Thanks!
Don Honabach

N601DX

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I haven't noticed this problem on my polished airplane. :)  

Jerry

Not trying to be a spoiler because the powder coat looks great. However just to add a note to the thread - there is a concern with powder coating structural components like engine mounts, etc. Especially in humid areas, corrosion can occur underneath the powder coat without being visible. For this reason some say these type of components should not be powder coated.

Got my under the seat access panels powder coated today ... Here are some pics if anyone is interested:

Eastwood has their powders on sale right now, so I ordered a few common ones that I might need - gloss white, machine gray, and "Kawasaki Green" which is pretty much the same as the "Gecko Green" that my airplane is painted with.

Harbor Freight only has 4 colors - matte black, white, yellow and red - but they are very inexpensive relative to most other vendors. I got some of their matte black and tried it out on a billet aluminum oil sump cover for my '82 911SC:

I was pleased with the results and think the HF powder is definitely a bargain at $5.99 a pound!

John

This thread inspired me to give powder coating a try...we have so many parts that could use it.  I followed the advice in this thread and also watched a couple of youtube videos.  I bought the Eastwood setup: http://www.eastwood.com/hotcoat-powdercoating-diy-system.html

Followed the directions in the manual.  I used the box my Oster Oven cam in as my spray booth...the parts came out perfect and I think these landing gear brackets are probably the most intricate parts we have for nooks and corners.  I used navy blue (gloss)...kinda hard to tell in the pic...

A couple of things:

1.  My oven crapped the bed after the second LG bracket...I had it set up as others in this thread, on its side with the controls on top...it appears the controls didn't like the heat...I would advise, not getting an Oster (I got this one because it was marginally bigger than the Hamilton Beach units) as there is zero insulation in it.  Set your oven up with the controls on the bottom, I think it'll be cooler.

2.  Get the heat resistant tape sold by Eastwood for masking, I use regular painters tape and it baked itself onto the threads...it'll come off but it's an unnecessary chore.

3.  I quickly got frustrated with the trigger switch, especially with the LG Brackets...as they are hanging and you're spraying the powder, you need to use your other hand to move the piece around so you can get in all the nooks and crannies.  So holding the trigger in your left hand and also moving the piece with your left hand at the same time is a recipe for frustration.  I snipped the trigger device off and taped the wires together and that problem was solved.

My oven crapped the bed after the second LG bracket...I had it set up as others in this thread, on its side with the controls on top...it appears the controls didn't like the heat...I would advise, not getting an Oster (I got this one because it was marginally bigger than the Hamilton Beach units) as there is zero insulation in it.  Set your oven up with the controls on the bottom, I think it'll be cooler.

You're right, Don - I set up my oven with the controls on the bottom.  It is a convection oven, so the fan circulates the heat and I've had no problems with overheating. I was afraid that with the controls at the top, the thermostat would kick off prematurely and/or the controls would burn-out.  I've had no problems whatsoever with the controls on the bottom:

Since this is a modification of the oven from its intended use, I think it would be wise to watch it carefully the first few runs to be sure there are no overheating/meltdown problems! 

John

Yup...Live and learn...I noticed that Eastwood has their small oven on sale at the moment for $80:

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-bench-top-powder-coating-oven.html

 ...says it's insulated and looks very similar to your B&D.  Do you know if yours has insulation?  Looks like the B&D could be had for $43!! https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-TO3210SSD-Convection-Countertop...

Thanks...

The B&D is not insulated, but I left  in the drip pan and sealed the opening with high temp RTV, in effect making the drip pan a double-wall on that side.  Since it is a convection, it distributes the heat fairly evenly despite no insulation and seems to have no difficulty curing the powder coat.  I think 40+ is what I paid for mine - works great!  Looks like you can get it on a "warehouse deal" for $33!  I've had good luck with "warehouse deals" from Amazon - you can always send it back at their expense if it is defective.

John

P.S. to my earlier reply ... a little tip I just remembered:

Since the oven door is under spring-tension to close, I took a length of piano hinge pin and bent a 90 degree on one end and drilled a hole in the side of the opening for the door.  I can use it to prop the door open and hold it while I load/unload the oven.  I also drilled a hole in the upper door handle bracket and drop the pin through that for storage of the pin.

John

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