[TheForge] Powder coating

[RIES NIEMI]

Over the years I have had a lot of powder coating done, and my conclusion is
that you shouldnt use it outdoors on steel. Although it holds up better than
paint, it does eventually start to rust at sharp edges, inside holes, and
when scratched. When it does that, the only thing you can do is paint over
it. My old sandblaster in LA used to routinely turn away jobs sandblasting
powdercaoting off- if the powdercoating is done right, it is extremely time
consuming to remove. Big powdercoating shops use an oven to remove it when
they make a mistake, actually more like a forge- running at 2500 degrees or
so, then they have to sandblast.
Powdercoating is great for interior pieces, and I use it quite a bit on
furniture, candlesticks, and small things. If you are doing production work,
you can be competitive in price for some nice looking finishes. Of course,
whether to color the metal or leave it bare is an aesthetic decision we all
must make for ourselves, but some of the new powder colors and texture are
not at all paint looking- some of them are really cool, including some low
gloss clearcoats that are really tough. If you have to use it outside, dont
guarantee it- cause it will rust. Except on aluminum, where it does well
outside. I have had to weld it sometimes, and we sand away the absolute
minimum amount of powdercoat, tig weld it, then mix a touchup paint to match
and touchup. Try to design it so the welds are in back or below. Bolt if at
all possible. My powdercoater can get custom cans of spray paint made to
match many powdercolors, although not textures. You usually have to buy a
minimum of 6 cans of each color.

ries niemi