[Heathkit] Cabinet repainting

[Paul Kraemer]

Dave
Powder coat can be a very expensive option for one of a kind unless you have 
the correct color powder and one of the small hobby set ups to do it 
yourself. The set up time is what really kills one of any process and 
painting is no exception.
You do not primer under powder coat, just bare metal. Also, you can't use 
any body fillers or putty for cosmetic repairs. If any repairs like that are 
required they must be able to survive the high heat of the cure oven which 
is typically over 350 deg F.
My recommendation for the 610 cabinet would be clean it to bare metal and do 
any "body work" required.
Prime it with a high quality primer that is specifically for aluminum and 
other non ferrous material. Since the SB line has a slight textured finish 
you will need to find something for a base coat that produces the desired 
texture. Our local auto store has a fine wrinkle spray in gray that looks 
like it might be a good choice. I have also seen other texture finishes at 
Hobby Lobby that look close.
Finally, top coat with one of the SB line matching color finishes.  There is 
an ebay store that has some spray cans which seems to produce nice results 
and you get a lot of paint in the can for your purchase.
Last step, bake the whole thing for a couple hours at about 150 deg F. Don't 
let your wife catch you using her oven. The smell of baked paint will not 
come out of the oven immediately either. A radiant heat bulb can handle 
small projects, just takes a bit longer.
Good luck and have fun.
Paul K0UYA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Cook" <wa0ttn at netdave.com>
To: "'Heathkit List Server'" <heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 11:30 PM
Subject: [Heathkit] Cabinet repainting


> I'm sure this is a commonly asked question, but I'm not sure how to search
> the archives. To make a long story short, I've got a very distressed 
> SB-610
> case that I'd like to get repainted. I've heard the term "powder coating"
> and am wondering where I might be able to have this done. I know the 
> cabinet
> has to be sanded down to bare metal, primered, and then painted, but I 
> have
> absolutely no interest in learning how to do that myself. And somewhere in
> the process one of the corners needs to be reshaped back to normal. I'm
> wondering if auto paint shops might be able to do this kind of work? Any
> other recommendations?
>
>
>
> Thanks and 73,
>
> -- Dave WA0TTN
>
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