will powder coating hold up?

[Black wing]

so im in the process of restoring my 86 venture and am doing a full paint job on it. i want to get all the old chrome and aluminum parts to match colours but i dont know if the powder coat will really hold up well in areas like the saddle bag latches where it will be constant contact and movement. anyone got ideas on what would work good there?

[Prairiehammer]

so im in the process of restoring my 86 venture and am doing a full paint job on it. i want to get all the old chrome and aluminum parts to match colours but i dont know if the powder coat will really hold up well in areas like the saddle bag latches where it will be constant contact and movement. anyone got ideas on what would work good there?

 

I have very little experience with powder coating, although there is a coater just a couple miles from me and he has allowed me to watch how it is done and to see some of their work (mostly wheels). He emphasized that (like so MANY other things) prep was one of the most important steps, followed by proper cure. It seems to me that a well applied powder coat should stand up to the rigors of the latches. Dingy has powder coated some items on his bikes, he may have a better insight, but meanwhile, I found this thread where the folks actually clobber some PCed items with a pick hammer, without degradation:

http://forum.eastwood.com/showthread.php?635-Powder-Coat-Durability

[dna9656]

I powder coat at work. The oven we used is kept WAY hotter than required, I don't know why; that's above my pay grade. We powder coat stuff that lives in a marine environment, is handled by people that don't care about the beating they give equipment, in other words they are operators, not maintainers. I read that powder coat is the MOST scratch resistant coating available. Now this means that if you laid a sample object (coated with powder coat) down (secured) on a ocean beach (with wave action) with other like samples with the other available coating(s) applied to them the powder coat would be the LEAST scratched up after X time has passed. It does NOT mean that powder coat can't be scratched. Powder coat comes in epoxy based and polyester based. Like anything else you would paint or anodize the more pristine the surface the better the adherence, cleaning with soap and water, a degreaser (like synthetic alcohol) a media blast (if possible) and handling with CLEAN rubber gloves will assure there's no skin oil on your object. Hand sanding will work, but you'll have to degrease it if you use your bare hands. Now lot of people will tell you gloves and degreasing is overkill, well this is how I do it and my jobs NEVER come back because the powder coat flaked off.. You can powder coat at home, I wouldn't do it in the house though. You need a oven that will heat up to 225 or 250d F. Check your product data sheet for temps and conditions. Applying it is messy, wear a respirator. there is nothing in powder coat you want in your body.. It's like spraying baking flour. You can heat up the object first, apply the coating or apply it cold and THEN heat it up. usually the larger objects get pre heated and cooked again. Powder coat can go on (dry) like sprayed paint does if you're too far away from the surface, it can run if too thick as well. Get some scrap and learn how to apply it by doing. It will media blast off, it just takes longer than paint. Powder coat is a little like the plastic dip you put on tool handles; maybe softer than paint, that's what makes it tough I suppose. The neat thing about it is it really sinks into the "profile" (scratches from sanding or pits and valleys left by media blasting) of the object, it levels out very nicely so it doesn't show sand scratches like paint can, it doesn't have issues like paint can. I wouldn't put it over any kind of under coat, even over powder coat, I mean what's the point? Blast off the undercoat and start "anew". That's the BEST surface to powder coat. You CAN P/C over existing P/C though. It's liable to be too thick...

Edited April 19, 2015 by dna9656

[Brenner]

I powder coat at work. The oven we used is kept WAY hotter than required, I don't know why; that's above my pay grade. We powder coat stuff that lives in a marine environment, is handled by people that don't care about the beating they give equipment, in other words they are operators, not maintainers. I read that powder coat is the MOST scratch resistant coating available. Now this means that if you laid a sample object (coated with powder coat) down (secured) on a ocean beach (with wave action) with other like samples with the other available coating(s) applied to them the powder coat would be the LEAST scratched up after X time has passed. It does NOT mean that powder coat can't be scratched. Powder coat comes in epoxy based and polyester based. Like anything else you would paint or anodize the more pristine the surface the better the adherence, cleaning with soap and water, a degreaser (like synthetic alcohol) a media blast (if possible) and handling with CLEAN rubber gloves will assure there's no skin oil on your object. Hand sanding will work, but you'll have to degrease it if you use your bare hands. Now lot of people will tell you gloves and degreasing is overkill, well this is how I do it and my jobs NEVER come back because the powder coat flaked off.. You can powder coat at home, I wouldn't do it in the house though. You need a oven that will heat up to 225 or 250d F. Check your product data sheet for temps and conditions. Applying it is messy, wear a respirator. there is nothing in powder coat you want in your body.. It's like spraying baking flour. You can heat up the object first, apply the coating or apply it cold and THEN heat it up. usually the larger objects get pre heated and cooked again. Powder coat can go on (dry) like sprayed paint does if you're too far away from the surface, it can run if too thick as well. Get some scrap and learn how to apply it by doing. It will media blast off, it just takes longer than paint. Powder coat is a little like the plastic dip you put on tool handles; maybe softer than paint, that's what makes it tough I suppose. The neat thing about it is it really sinks into the "profile" (scratches from sanding or pits and valleys left by media blasting) of the object, it levels out very nicely so it doesn't show sand scratches like paint can, it doesn't have issues like paint can. I wouldn't put it over any kind of under coat, even over powder coat, it'll peel off...

 

 

Late to the party but I have to make one small recommendation. If you are considering using plastidip as mentioned by Doug, use it in a place where there is very little to no abrasion or heat. The can says one thing the product does another even with proper prep. I did plastidip where the bags latch and with one fitting the plastidip was damaged. It cut through. Great product for other locations.