My son recently got into powder coating and wanted to try his newfound hobby out on something. He said he had a little bit of chrome powder coat paint and did I have anything he could try it out on. I said I had quite a few reel spools that weren't of any use so I gave him an old pitted 6/0 Senator spool to try it on. Wow! It came out really nice! Now I'm sure it wouldn't hold up to use nor would I ever want to use it on a quality piece, but for a display piece on a wall or shelf it might be an option.
Looks really good. Maybe it could extend the life of some hard to finds parts?
Loos great thanks for posting, cheers Don.
That looks really nice! - john
Looks good Randy !!!! John
This powder coating is next on my list to work with ...
Does it still fit in the rings?
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on March 23, 2025, 01:27:24 PMDoes it still fit in the rings?
The coating is only on the spool itself and didn't affect the diameter. This was his first attempt and didn't come out perfect. Had a couple of bubbles in it which apparently is caused by not cleaning/degreasing it thoroughly. But as it was just a test run, I thought it looked pretty good.
Quote from: oldmanjoe on March 23, 2025, 12:09:35 PMThis powder coating is next on my list to work with ...
It's surprisingly easy to do. Just getting the equipment is the cost. The application process is relatively straightforward.
Powder coating is definitely fun. You need a dedicated oven that will fit your parts in addition to the powder gun and a makeshift booth. Ideally also a media blaster if you want to get a good mechanical bond for the paint to stick. If you want to paint old chromed Penn parts, the best option is to blast it down to the brass with garnet.
Each coat of cured powder will add from 2 to 5 thousandths of an inch. I have had to do a bit of strategic sanding on the lip to get an old senator spool not to rub with two coats.
Some of the chromes look pretty good, but they are not UV safe. Applying a clear topcoat will add UV protection, but makes the finish much less chrome like. At least that is how it worked about five or six years ago when I last played with what was available.
There are several threads here on powder coating reel parts. Worth a look for anyone interested.
-J