Powder paint for model engines

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Brian Rupnow said:
Thanks Sparky---Brian
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I will get you a couple pics side by side with brass later this morning. I will also look at the powder bag and see if there is a label on it with the part number. I was very pleased with the results BUT if I do more I would use the recommended base coat. Being translucent the brass powder shade depends heavily on the base.

Never tried it but I think one could fake chrome quite well also.
 
The powder I used was Prismatic Powders #4431 called "top brass" https://www.prismaticpowders.com/search/4431?

Here is the test piece of aluminum bar I did long ago next to a wheel of real brass.
brass.jpg


And here is the 1/4 aluminum plate of faked brass. All the other pieces are real brass. It is not as orange as the pic makes it appear, the florescent light makes the camera show colors a bit off. (the black top on the tripod is welded rectangular tubing powder coated also)
brass1.jpg


One thing with the brass powder, the thickness you apply changes the hue so experiment first on scrap. Also, the powder looks orange in the bag, not to worry, powders in the container look much different than when applied and heat cured.

Also, as you know, real brass tarnishes over time and gets darker. "Fake" brass done with powder coat does not fade. This has to be taken into account
 
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So--Yesterday I spent 12$ at Princess Auto and bought a pair of N95 masks and two pairs of nylon gloves. (I'm allergic to laytex). This brings my total investment to $525 Canadian dollars for my powder paint system. I'm not going to build a spray booth, but if necessary will make one from a large cardboard box. This is a lot of money, but still falls within what I make for two days of engineering work. I received notice yesterday that my powder paint gun and four or five different colors of paint had been shipped out of California by Eastwood. This will be a totally new venture for me, and I will report back on how well it works.---Brian
Ehhkts.jpg
 
It's different than painting, the overspray is dry. Your gun operates at very low pressure, the powder comes out "lazy". I doubt you will need a spray booth or box. The overspray falls straight down. A plastic drop cloth or similar for the floor is all I use. The mess is quite minimal.

Because of the static charge, the powder is attracted right to the part. This is why the minimal mess and very little powder used.
 
Brian Rupnow said:
So--Yesterday I spent 12$ at Princess Auto and bought a pair of N95 masks and two pairs of nylon gloves. (I'm allergic to laytex). This brings my total investment to $525 Canadian dollars for my powder paint system. I'm not going to build a spray booth, but if necessary will make one from a large cardboard box. This is a lot of money, but still falls within what I make for two days of engineering work. I received notice yesterday that my powder paint gun and four or five different colors of paint had been shipped out of California by Eastwood. This will be a totally new venture for me, and I will report back on how well it works.---Brian
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Emerald Coatings in Palmerston, ON has Caswell supplies for powder coating as well though they don't seem to have a large range of colours.
 
I powder-coated my last two engines. Gun and powder from Eastwood, I bought a used double oven cheaply from a couple that were remodeling their house. It's 220V, so I needed to put a plug on the cord so I could plug it into a 220V outlet in my shop. Powder doesn't like moisture so rather than use compressed air, I use a CO2 tank for the air connection. It doesn't need a lot of pressure to spray the powder.
 
Yesterday, my powder paint supplies from Eastwood in California arrived. Everything I ordered is there, very well packed in a cardboard carton.---I purchased a large toaster oven locally, as well as N95 paint masks and vinyl gloves. I dug around in my cabinets and found a good i.r. temperature gun that I had bought and used a few times and then put up on a shelf a few years ago. I plan on setting up a big cardboard box as a spray booth. I don't have anything pre-made to paint, but will probably take a couple of steel flywheels off one of my larger hit and miss engines for a "try out".
UJgUuD.jpg
 
Hint, it’s very important to have a clean surface, especially aluminum. If there was any oil on the part, make sure you degrease it. Sometimes it’s a good idea to prebake the aluminum part to bake off contamination.
I use large packing paper as a backdrop to catch the overspray, and if you keep it clean you can shake the paper back into a container and reuse it.
I have an old toaster oven for small parts, but I spotted a full size oven, with a bad cooktop, heading to the recycling and I grabbed it. It’s even big enough that I did a set of car wheels.
 
Some colors have different temperature and baking time so that may be a consideration. That said, I have mixed colors before, by accident or randomly and come up with different shades.
If you don’t clean the gun well, the first bit of spray will be a mix….
 
Some of the internet items I have read about powder painting suggest that everything to be powder painted should be sandblasted first. The Rupnow fortune won't stand another hit right now, but I have found an interesting video. I already have a large air compressor and a quart size hand held sandblaster gun. It seems to me that there wouldn't be very much cost to build a set up like the one covered in this video.
 
I don't think the parts need to be sandblasted; I don't think all the commercial applications of powder coated objects like light fixtures and light poles are sandblasted.

Just needs a clean surface with no oil or grease.

Would not hurt to sandblast, and you could clean and degrease in one step.

My sandblaster gets condensate in it, so I need a good water separator, or perhaps several, and maybe a dryer, given the humidity is so high in these parts.

.
 
I do not have a sandblaster and everything I have powder coated thus far has come out just fine and held up great.

I suppose you could sand the part with something like 220 grit to give it some tooth to help adhere, same concept as sandblasting. Again, not really necessary.
 
After a grand chase thru the "used stuff for sale" adds, I found a sandblaster cabinet with fold up glass lid and "some of the hoses" for $60 Canadian. This is in a city about two hours from here, but the guy is coming to Barrie on other business in mid August and will deliver it to me. That works!! I'm not in any raging hurry for it, and I don't want to spend very much money, so if it works out I'll post more about it at the time.---Brian
 
For the last three days I have been checking out all of the "home built" spray booths for powder paint. It seems that the simplest to build is based around a 20" square box fan which has four plywood sides to form the box and is open on the front side for access. It has a 20" square furnace filter that fits between the fan and the actual sides of the box, and the filter can be lifted out for cleaning or replacement. Of course they generally include some kind of bright light inside the booth so you can clearly see what you are painting. I have been prowling thru the "buy and sell" adds locally, and have located a box fan for $15. I have to wait until our sons are home from work tonight, because I think we lent one of them a box fan and it was never returned--if so I will try and get it back.
 
Brian Rupnow said:
For the last three days I have been checking out all of the "home built" spray booths for powder paint. It seems that the simplest to build is based around a 20" square box fan which has four plywood sides to form the box and is open on the front side for access. It has a 20" square furnace filter that fits between the fan and the actual sides of the box, and the filter can be lifted out for cleaning or replacement. Of course they generally include some kind of bright light inside the booth so you can clearly see what you are painting. I have been prowling thru the "buy and sell" adds locally, and have located a box fan for $15. I have to wait until our sons are home from work tonight, because I think we lent one of them a box fan and it was never returned--if so I will try and get it back.
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Have you tried your powder setup yet to see what you are dealing with? A booth like you describe will divert the majority of the powder due to its gentle nature and cause far more harm than good. The static charge attracts the powder to the part so there is little "overspray". It is completely different than painting.
 
Sparky--I'm not arguing because I don't know, but there are a hundred posts about people building or buying powder paint booths on the internet.---Brian
 
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