Couple of years ago, I decided to convert one of 6 partitioned outer shops into a powder coating station.
Well...got most everything —- steel tables, media blaster, powder coating booth, PC gun, airlines from one of the compressors, electrical, venting, masks, accessories, plugs, tape, IR temperature gun, and a bunch more stuff.
Also picked up a nearly new electric oven off of CL.
Had been using an old toaster oven —- but it wasn't ideal or powerful enough.
Well, after checking the electrical requirements for the large oven —- turns out I needed 240V, 50 Amp service.
I had 240V already in the shop, and a dedicated breaker —- but it was only 40 Amps. The overhead wire going out to the shop to the sub-panel was not large enough gauge for 50 amp requirements.
So I have been considering changing out the service overhead line to a larger gauge, but everything I computed out was too close on maximums for me to feel comfortable. Then I called PG&E to ask if they would connect a separate meter and service to the shop, since it was only a 30' drop from the transformer supply pole. After messing with them and exploring the expense since everything had to be done by a licensed electrician, permits, inspections, and a lot of red tape —- I put everything on hold for awhile.
Even tried looking at lower power consumption ovens —- but that was not feasible from an economic standpoint.
Then, I finally realized (Doh!) that I was only mainly doing fishing reels —- not large things. Picked up a PC Oven from Eastwood for $100 & free shipping. And imagine this —- it came with a legible, readable, in English, complete owners manual for everything I needed to know about curing PC paint.
Getting closer now.
Should start messing around with it in a few days.
Best, Fred
I know that you started collecting the tools a while ago . Waiting to see your results and durability on fishing reels .
Cool beans. Now I'm wondering what a DQ 330 in fire engine red would look like. ::)
I know u have plenty of reels already, but if I find any missing lots of paint would you want them to practice on. N/C & brands you have parts for of course?
JP
;) That`a sounds like a kind offer "free practice reels" :cf
Close enough for fire engine red ..
Sure, I'd take some if you have some you don't need, JP —
This will be amateur hour for me until I get some practice, and make some mistakes.
Like most new things.
Thanks!
Best, Fred
I have only powder coated jig heads which is a no brainer, heat the unpainted jig head with a match & dip in the jar.
I imagine it will be addictive like rod building.
Quote from: oldmanjoe on September 12, 2024, 01:37:46 AMI know that you started collecting the tools a while ago . Waiting to see your results and durability on fishing reels .
Powder coating with urethanes is very durable on reels. I've tried to blast it off with garnet in a booth and could not get all the paint off without blasting off a bunch of metal too.
Powder coating is more flexible, so it does not chip when applied properly. This flexibility also means that it is not as hard as something like a baked on enamel, so it is not quite as resistant to surface scratching. I think that this is a good tradeoff, as it provides more protection for folk that are tough on their reels, and a better looking product for folk that want a reel that looks good as well.
UV fading can be an issue in some situations, but this can be mitigated by choosing resistant products/colors and/or applying an additional clear coat layer.
Fred: One thing that you might want to check is how accurately the oven sets and maintains the desired temperatures with some reel parts inside. The Eastwood oven is a toaster oven that they found good enough to rebrand for powder coating. I would expect that it is just the same simple thermostat switch that my toaster oven has. Mine was not very accurate. I eventually just replaced the thermostat with an on/off switch, and plug the oven into a PID temp controller that I built for other purposes. Stick the probe in the oven, tune the controller, and it will hold a steady temperature with excellent accuracy. Hopefully not needed in your case, but good to check to remove one possible variable.
Looking forward to seeing your results!
-J
Good idea, Dave —-
Thanks!
Dave (jurelometer) was kind enough to offer powder coating advice a few years ago when I expressed an interest.
Very knowledgeable & helpful.
Eventually I'll get the big oven up and running. But in the meantime —- this should do.
Best, Fred
You have me thinking about the big oven . What is the wattage for each element , assuming it has oven and broiler elements . It might be easy to change a element for a less wattage that fits that oven ,usually 25-30 dollars replacements . Lot cheaper than a new service run .
That might be a good thought Joe —-
I will look into that.
That is likely where the IR thermometer, plus an ON/OFF switch may also come in handy. Ideal temperature should be about 400°.
Best, Fred
Next question for Tom, Dave, Joe, or any other experts —-
What media is the best for removing old paint from reel bodies, rotors, plates, and other parts?
I have a Redline bench top blaster —-
I have garnet. But would walnut shells, ceramic beads, or something else be better?
Also will be using a cartridge tumbler for smaller parts that won't be painted generally.
Appreciate any advice.
Best, Fred
Garnet and aluminum oxide in the cabinet are good mediums . Walnut in the tumbler .
You may want to look into cover shield for inside the cabinet glass ,something like this .
https://www.amazon.com/Abrasive-Polyester-Sandblast-Protector-Replacement/dp/B0BGK4ZQ5C?th=1
Quote from: oldmanjoe on September 12, 2024, 07:13:15 PMYou may want to look into cover shield for inside the cabinet glass ,something like this .
https://www.amazon.com/Abrasive-Polyester-Sandblast-Protector-Replacement/dp/B0BGK4ZQ5C?th=1
Thanks Joe —-
Yes, I have those already. Along with a powerful LED light that goes on the outside of the glass instead of the weenie one on the inside.
Best, Fred
I think you'll want the light inside so you do not get glare from the shield. Those shields are replaceable because they become frosted/opaque fairly quickly.
I have a 120v air fryer that does 400F circulated air and the pan is big enough to accommodate all but the largest frames. But,, it would be easier to hang stuff in a full-size convection oven.
Dave that's a brilliant idea about the probe/thermostat. I have a friend who bakes cheesecakes commercially and we've spent HOURS talking about oven temp cycling and how to dial it in better.
:) Tidbit information . I had the oven temperature change 150 degrees when my wife made bread .
I was told that i was going to buy a new oven . I checked to see if I could change the thermostat first , there was two different styles for that oven . So i opened it to check what style it was .
I noticed that the temperature probe wire was bunched up against the cabinet side , so I pulled it away from the steel side , thinking it was a heatsink . That solved the problem . Another thing I found was that when you pull the knob off , there was a way to calibrate the knob to read the temperature scale to read accurately.
Quote from: foakes on September 12, 2024, 06:25:18 PMNext question for Tom, Dave, Joe, or any other experts —-
What media is the best for removing old paint from reel bodies, rotors, plates, and other parts?
I have a Redline bench top blaster —-
I have garnet. But would walnut shells, ceramic beads, or something else be better?
Also will be using a cartridge tumbler for smaller parts that won't be painted generally.
Appreciate any advice.
Best, Fred
I have only tried garnet. It is very abrasive, but that usually works well for powder coating. Powder coat is relatively thick and very good at self-leveling, so you don't need a very smooth surface. The extra tooth actually helps hold the paint to the part, since the powder melts and flows into all the nooks and crannies.
Surface scratches will show through though.
Blasting with garnet is a fast way to prep the part that will get past scratches, and leave a well prepared surface for coating as long as you don't have any fine details or sharp edges to preserve. Worked well removing factory paint and chrome on old Penn parts that I tried, but I did not do that many.
But when I tried to remove cured powder coat for a second attempt, blasting was a failure on my brass and aluminum parts. The powder was just too tough. There are specific chemical paint removers (usually with aircraft in the product name) that are supposed to work on powder coat, but nearly all of them are extremely toxic and IMHO, not something that should be messed around with outside a proper industrial setting.
-J
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on September 12, 2024, 07:40:43 PMDave that's a brilliant idea about the probe/thermostat. I have a friend who bakes cheesecakes commercially and we've spent HOURS talking about oven temp cycling and how to dial it in better.
PID controllers have a "learning" mode where they fine tune how to ramp up/down the load as it gets closer to the target, so that they don't overshoot it.
You can play with the PID settings to get it super effective, but even right out of the box, the defaults worked pretty well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional%E2%80%93integral%E2%80%93derivative_controller (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional%E2%80%93integral%E2%80%93derivative_controller)
I think I got my design from something that a beer brewer or liquor maker posted on the interwebs. It was well south of USD $100 to build one with a 120v relay, including a couple probes. I use it for all sorts of projects.
These are the main parts- not sure if it was the exact model that I used, but it was at least something similar:
https://inkbird.com/products/pid-temperature-controllers-itc-106 (https://inkbird.com/products/pid-temperature-controllers-itc-106)
-J
I know this was addressed before,but what's the go-to source for plugging screw holes.For regular painting I use donor screws/Superlube & liquid mask.I had a Mitchell 300 powder coated once at an off road shop.It was the guy's 1st reel ,normally he does wheels,Anywho $20 later,it looked pretty good except he missed a few screw holes.Not fun,I had to buy some tiny metric taps to clean the holes for reassembly.
K
Quote from: jgp12000 on September 12, 2024, 09:56:27 PMI know this was addressed before,but what's the go-to source for plugging screw holes.For regular painting I use donor screws/Superlube & liquid mask.I had a Mitchell 300 powder coated once at an off road shop.It was the guy's 1st reel ,normally he does wheels,Anywho $20 later,it looked pretty good except he missed a few screw holes.Not fun,I had to buy some tiny metric taps to clean the holes for reassembly.
I use these silicone rubber Hi-Temp tapered plugs.
Reusable, paint just comes right off after use, cheap.
Here is a bunch like I bought at Amazon or eBay —- can't recall.
Anyway, these are a no-brainer, easy & effective.
$25 for probably all you will ever need.
Best, Fred
Hi Fred. I wired a new 50A circuit for a stove at the cabin a couple of years ago. Not fun dealing with that fat, stiff cable! If your CL oven is a commercial oven+stovetop range (can't tell from the photos), the oven elements likely don't require 50A by themselves. You may be able to remove the stovetop knobs or elements and then use the existing 40A service for an oven-only range. Check the specs for the unit to see what the power draw is for just the oven elements.
That is a very good idea, Rich —-
The stove/oven is nearly new, and the oven has never been used.
Belonged to a young couple doing a full remodel in their older house down in the Tower District. They bought it, then pretty quickly decided gas was the way to cook instead of electric.
So I picked it up for $75, removed the (4) burner elements, and stuck a piece of 5/8" plywood on top, with a sheet of 1/8" Stainless Steel on the plywood.
Then I looked at the spec label under the oven —- and it showed a 50A requirement.
I'll check out just the oven burner draw specs and actual measurements —-
Thanks!
Best, Fred
::) ::) Now you gave a little more information about it being a 4 burner stove . That`s the amp eaters , 4 burners going at once !!! I think all you will use is 15 - 20 amps for the oven element .
Take a picture of the model number plate , it usually has the elements in kw .
Open the oven door ,usually the tag is in the upper right hand corner on the frame .
Love the breadth of knowledge on this site. Way to go Joe. Dominick