6 generals, most should know.

[Guest]

im new to this coating thing. any help would be great. i have been building engines for years and got tired of hand cleaning. so i bought a nice sand blaster. well one thing led to another and next thing you know, i have a powder machine. see how this all goes together.

anyways, how do you know when something needs a base coat? when after you put the first coat on, do you put a clear? and how? can headers withstand high-temp powder? why cant you glass beed ceramic? last but not least, whats the diffrence between the $100 gun and the $2000 gun?

newbie needs help, and any is better that none

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

First welcome aboard!

1. Basecoat, Ill let some of the more seasoned guys answer that.

2. On all metallics, if you are looking for extra mar protection, if you just want that "clear shine"

3. Hight temp powder will not stand up to car header heat. Possibly for a short while, but not for long.

4. Glass beads on ceramics, a good question I dont have the answer for

5. The diff between all of the guns are the bells and whistles. Adjustable KV's, tip cleaning air adjustments, powder hoppers, ability to adjust air to gun and air to hopper and air to tip sprayer. Basically, to me, its like a car, the more option the more your gonna like it. Thats the way I see it anyhow.

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

Sweet. Keep em coming!! Thanks a lot as well!!

ok then, if you clear metalics for that xtra shine, does it help on basic colors, or am i wasting my time?

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

no-no metallics must be cleared! If they are not they will tarnish.

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

Again, it is used as an added mar protection for some powders (this is all my opinion by the way) if you use some mirror colors, they are easy enough to scratch up (like swirl marks) so I clear them. If your putting a color on something that will see high traffic or debris (like a wheel) then I would for sure clear it.

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

got-cha!!! thanks again!!


now i jus need to find out why you cant glass beed ceramics. Ohh, i was also told, a base is used to help aid the "smoothing" of a surface...? i guess the only way to find out is to jus do it!!

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

I've asked about glass beads before and received the same answer a couple of times. Glass beads leave "something" in the pores that reacts poorly with the ceramic coating. Easy enough to fix though, just use aluminum oxide.

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

Welcome
We use base coats for transparent / candy powder. We also use the KL Primer for "smoothing the surface" when the customer wants to pay the $$$. We always clear the metallics... customers don`t get a choice in that one We use the acrylic clear, fully cure the first coat & once it has cooled down completely we shoot the clear.
As for guns, just like "Gong" said.. the more "bells & whistles" the more $$$.
More will post with some great responses just like "Gong". We are a fun... sometimes dysfunctional... but fun family . You will learn a lot very quickly

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

DANG you guys are jus as nice as you can be!! thanks everyone. I feel like i am a pro already!!

It seams to me powder coating is jus like painting. you gotta use the right stuff for the right metals!! ima hang in their and jus keep practicing.

[tedsfab]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

DANG you guys are jus as nice as you can be!! thanks everyone. I feel like i am a pro already!!

It seams to me powder coating is jus like painting. you gotta use the right stuff for the right metals!! ima hang in their and jus keep practicing.

it is just like painting . the base metal needs to be perfect . if not it may and will show threw or eventually flake off . nothing worse than seeing a really nice paint job thats flat as glass and then you look closely and see sand paper marks .... ok thats painting ... powder coat you can get away with that . lol

good luck to you its not as hard as most guys think it is

[Guest]

Re: 6 generals, most should know.

Glass bead will not leave a rough enough profile for the ceramic coating to bond with. If you use glass bead it will effect the longevity of the coating and you will have a unhappy customer back at your shop in a month or so. I use 120 grit Aluminum oxide for all my ceramic coatings. To be honest I use 120 grit aluminum oxide for almost everything and just adjust the pressure depending on the substrate i'm blasting at the time.