Powder vs. paint

[jimmijim8]

I have never used powder coat services as I'm a cheap scate and to me I consider it to be overkill. I prefer painting over good clean well prepped frames and components. I use SEM RUST SHIELD. Sprayable and renders a tough semi gloss black finish. It'll be there when I'm long gone. MOO. I won't be upset by any one choosing the cheapscate or high end method. I ain't Lion. jimmijim

[COMMANDERPINK1]

I have a complete 66 Daytona chassis and suspension here ready for paint or powder coat. Havnt made the call on either way. A friend has had his chevelle parts powder coated and they look great and he said it wasnt terribly expensive. I can do the work of sandblasting and painting but if I can get the powder coating done for near the same cost of my time and material I may be leaning towards the powder coating while making a buck at some paying work in my garage.
Tom

[farmhawk]

I had the frame powder coated on my 61 Hawk. On the next one I think I will treat it with POR15 and then top coat.

[railway]

I haven't been sold on powder coat yet, but I live in a moist area of the country, and have seen metal rust away under the powder coat. And have saw lots of powder coated parts that the coating didn't ahear (sp) to the metal, and just flake off.

[jimmijim8]

clean derust and clean metal before a top coat of anything

It will make for a durable finish you will be happy with. Your efforts will be worth $$$$ as opposed to a refinish over crappola rust. Rust will continue to grow if not taken seriously and just covered over. I prefer to eliminate it in favor of those miracle paints. No offense to any body but my opinion from at least a long time in the hobby.Oil will stop rust dead in it's tracks but it doesn't look very pretty as a top coat but it is a stop gap measure before attending to a rust problem.It will buy you a considerable amount of time before you address any rust issues. jimmijimQUOTE=railway;550242]I haven't been sold on powder coat yet, but I live in a moist area of the country, and have seen metal rust away under the powder coat. And have saw lots of powder coated parts that the coating didn't ahear (sp) to the metal, and just flake off.[/QUOTE]

[jclary]

Before you get too carried away with the idea that powder coating is the ultimate in coatings...do a little research. Study up on how powder coating works in an electrostatic process and the role geometry of the parts plays in success or failure. Look up "Faraday cage effect" and the problems it causes.

Some parts are well suited for powder coating and others are not. Parts that have rubber and plastic components will not survive the temperatures encountered in the curing oven.

[starliner62]

I do quite a bit of powder coating. Prep is just as important with powder coating as it is with paint. Powder will chip and once it chips, rust will form in the bare spots. There is a primer for powder and I use it on show pieces. Personally, I like powder coating, it's kind of like therapy, watching it cure and the finished product is really nice. I do a lot of experimenting, blending colors and textures. I did a 6-71 blower last year in a wrinkle black and saw it last week. It still looks like it was still freshly coated. I've also had a Stude front cover sitting out in the weather for at least two years, showing no signs of fading. Powder coating has it's benefits but so does paint.

[Colgate Studebaker]

I used powder coating on numerous parts on my brothers 63 Avanti, after 2 years it still looks new. In talking with others, I found out that powder will cover fine cracks, where paint will show them. Which leads to possible issues as the crack grows larger or fails. My next project will get painted, and either way, preparation is key.

[gordr]

I, too, have seen powder coating flake off in sheets, especially on stuff left out in the weather.

One thing to consider: powder-coated chassis parts, when they become stone-chipped, and they will, are harder to fix than painted parts with similar damage.

[maxpower1954]

I used powder coating on numerous parts on my brothers 63 Avanti, after 2 years it still looks new. In talking with others, I found out that powder will cover fine cracks, where paint will show them. Which leads to possible issues as the crack grows larger or fails. My next project will get painted, and either way, preparation is key.

And this is why powder-coating is discouraged in the aviation industry - it hides cracks that need to be detected on say, an aircraft engine mount. Russ Farris