Powder Coating Fixture?

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Very simple I believe I just showed this to someone else recently

What I do is take a piece of metal stud which you can get in Home Depot, in fact I use a couple of them if I am doing alot of tubes. I used threaded rod cut up in pieces but you could use anything. You could use bolts, metal drywall screws or the like as long as it is metal. I screw them into the metal stud and stagger them back and forth so that when spraying I can get around each one with no problem. I slide the tube over the bolt and then take small piece of tin foil and wrap around the extended bolt and it slips into the top of the tube ever so slightly just to block the tube from overspray. Do not want that inside the tube. I use tin foil on the bottom also. You can reuse these as many times as you would like. Have been using mine for a few years now when I was using them. I use to do all my bullet casings this way when I made the cartridge pens at one time. I sprayed them with clear.

I did not use a nut and washer at the top because it will become part of the tube and be hard to get off especially if the threads were sprayed. Plus it may crack the coating. Very easy to take the thin tin foil off without problems. You can also use silicon corks for the tops too.

I then spray away and take metal stud and put in my oven that I bought on clearance at Walmart for practically nothing. It was dented and returned. Set timer and good to go. Works very well. You can set this up to do as many as you can fit in oven. By doing this no shaking where the product falls off the tube before baked. Just a warning, if doing 2 part kits keep some kind of record to identify tubes later. Belive me you will not regret it.:):):)

I should specify, the jig on the left is for tubes and the one on the right was for bullet pens when I was clear coating thus the need for poprivets which were thin to go into the bullet easier.
Copy of pls91682.jpg
cartridge pen good one.JPG
 
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For powder coating rifle cartridges, I use jigs similar to what JT showed. For spray painting or powder coating brass tubes, I typically just bend a loop of steel wire such that it holds the tube on the inside by spring force. I slip the tube on the wire, spray or flock it, and then (if baking) hang the wire in the oven.

I hope that helps,
Eric
 
jttheclockman said:
Very simple I believe I just showed this to someone else recently

What I do is take a piece of metal stud which you can get in Home Depot, in fact I use a couple of them if I am doing alot of tubes. I used threaded rod cut up in pieces but you could use anything. You could use bolts, metal drywall screws or the like as long as it is metal. I screw them into the metal stud and stagger them back and forth so that when spraying I can get around each one with no problem. I slide the tube over the bolt and then take small piece of tin foil and wrap around the extended bolt and it slips into the top of the tube ever so slightly just to block the tube from overspray. Do not want that inside the tube. I use tin foil on the bottom also. You can reuse these as many times as you would like. Have been using mine for a few years now when I was using them. I use to do all my bullet casings this way when I made the cartridge pens at one time. I sprayed them with clear.

I did not use a nut and washer at the top because it will become part of the tube and be hard to get off especially if the threads were sprayed. Plus it may crack the coating. Very easy to take the thin tin foil off without problems. You can also use silicon corks for the tops too.

I then spray away and take metal stud and put in my oven that I bought on clearance at Walmart for practically nothing. It was dented and returned. Set timer and good to go. Works very well. You can set this up to do as many as you can fit in oven. By doing this no shaking where the product falls off the tube before baked. Just a warning, if doing 2 part kits keep some kind of record to identify tubes later. Belive me you will not regret it.:):):)

I should specify, the jig on the left is for tubes and the one on the right was for bullet pens when I was clear coating thus the need for poprivets which were thin to go into the bullet easier.
View attachment 288946View attachment 288947
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Nice, thanks. So the tin foil provides enough contact?

Gary


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app
 
vtgaryw said:
Nice, thanks. So the tin foil provides enough contact?

Gary


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Notice I used a angle strap on the stud to anchor to the pan. I then attach ground wire to the pan and it is out of the way. Makes easier to now carry and place in my oven without banging and knocking off the powder. Tin foil on bottom is just to keep pan clean. I believe I got this idea from CaptG many years ago. I could be wrong and if someone recognizes the photo forgive me for not remembering. It has been many years ago that I started this. It may have even been Eric because he was doing bullet pens way back when and believe he started the whole thing. Memory is not what it use to be. But here is a photo with silicon plugs used for the tops. As I said it is imperative you do not get powder in the tube or you will have a bear of a time to clean it out. Powdercoating is tough stuff.
pc set up 006.jpg
 
Thanks again. You know, I was going to order some silicone plugs, but now that I see what you did, I have a bunch of those plugs from when I used to use a lot of silicone molds... simple solutions... always the best. My powder should be here today, hope to try it out!
 
Now not sure if you have done any powdercoating before but will tell you it is dusty so plan on a p[lace where you do not rack it around and prep the area for easy clean up. Nice to take a large box and use it like a photo tent to control spray. Good luck.
 
jttheclockman said:
Have no idea but I use it on brass cartridges for true bullet pens and holds up real well and keeps brass from tarnishing.
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Thanks John.
How thick is the coating. If I was coating a finished cap rings say, would it be neglegably proud of the the finished body. Or would I have to make the ring slightly undersized.
 
darrin1200 said:
Thanks John.
How thick is the coating. If I was coating a finished cap rings say, would it be neglegably proud of the the finished body. Or would I have to make the ring slightly undersized.
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Depends on how thick you apply the powder. I like to just cover the object I am coating without seeing any visable signs of open spots. Never measured. I am sure there are numbers on a powdercoating vendor site.
 
So I got my HF powder coating gun, and bought some different colors. First batch was a matte black (one of only two colors HF had.) I probably sprayed a little light. I got my shipment in, and tried a batch of royal blue gloss, came out great! Then a batch of candy red, but apparently didn't clean the gun as thoroughly as I should have, got a few spots of blue.

I just tried clear coating a couple of 30-06 cartridges. Kind of mottled, couldn't really tell if I overs prayed or under
sprayed, Any tips on clear? It was a lot harder to tell how much coverage I had.

Gary
 
You can overspray to a point. If you overspray unevenly you can have areas that are larger and you will feel the difference. Also it can run and sag if oversprayed. Clearcoat is a different color than brass so you should be able to see any missed spots easily. HF is a cheap gun to begin with. I do use them but you must make sure you thoroughly clean them. You need to watch if the gun starts spitting and you will get orange peel like feel. I suggest never use water to clean gun or bottles. Always blow out with compressed air.I never use HF powders. I always buy my powders and equipment from Columbia Coatings. Professional equipment and supplies. They have every color, texture and type powder you can imagine.
You need to make sure that your project is grounded and can not interrupt that when spraying or again you will get gun to spit.
 
Thanks again. I think if anything I under sprayed the clear coat. 2nd batch came out better. I agree about the HF powders, first I tried was matte black, didn't come out so well. Then my shipment from the Powder Coating Store came in, I had much better luck with them.

One more question: are there any cups you can buy that are compatible with the HF gun? I've read that the Eastwood ones don't fit. Funny, even the container that the matte black from HF came in didn't screw onto the threads on the HF gun. I saw a .STL file for an adapter, but I don't (yet) have a 3D printer.

Gary
 
vtgaryw said:
Thanks again. I think if anything I under sprayed the clear coat. 2nd batch came out better. I agree about the HF powders, first I tried was matte black, didn't come out so well. Then my shipment from the Powder Coating Store came in, I had much better luck with them.

One more question: are there any cups you can buy that are compatible with the HF gun? I've read that the Eastwood ones don't fit. Funny, even the container that the matte black from HF came in didn't screw onto the threads on the HF gun. I saw a .STL file for an adapter, but I don't (yet) have a 3D printer.

Gary
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Gary unfortunately HF is a poor source for tools and in this case they change manufactures all the time and you can wind up with different sizes. They basically use a lid from their bottles as the cap and that is why they screw on. Not all bottles have the same lid. You can save the empty bottles or you can try here. https://caswellplating.com/paints-and-coatings.html Years past their bottles worked on the HF gun. Maybe at one time they got them from that company. But it is worth a try. This is why I mentioned if you are really going to get into this you may want to buy from a reputable company as the one I just linked or the one I buy from. Columbia Coatings.
 
jttheclockman said:
You can overspray to a point. If you overspray unevenly you can have areas that are larger and you will feel the difference. Also it can run and sag if oversprayed. Clearcoat is a different color than brass so you should be able to see any missed spots easily. HF is a cheap gun to begin with. I do use them but you must make sure you thoroughly clean them. You need to watch if the gun starts spitting and you will get orange peel like feel. I suggest never use water to clean gun or bottles. Always blow out with compressed air.I never use HF powders. I always buy my powders and equipment from Columbia Coatings. Professional equipment and supplies. They have every color, texture and type powder you can imagine.
You need to make sure that your project is grounded and can not interrupt that when spraying or again you will get gun to spit.
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John makes several excellent points here.

For example, don't wash the the gun. When changing powders, blow it out thoroughly with compressed air.

Also, I too have found the Harbor Freight powders to be low quality. I've had problems with the colors fading. I have never used the Harbor Freight gun so I don't have an opinion on it. I started with a kit from Eastwood and was happy enough with the gun that I bought another when it eventually died.

The gun should NEVER spit, nor blow. You need to regulate the pressure carefully (I put an inline regulator right at the gun air inlet) so that it produces a cloud of charged paint particles around the item you are flocking. They adhere to the part by static cling. It is usually pretty easy to see when you have good coverage. Clear powder goes on white. Don't get the gun too close to the part. That can produce irregularities (particularly tiny spikes) in coverage.

The part must be clean of dirt and oil (including fingerprints) or the powder may not adhere. I wash parts in acetone and handle them only with clean latex gloves until they are dry, flocked, and baked.

Spray in an area with good ventilation, as it is never good to breathe dust particles. I typically work just inside an exterior doorway with a shop fan behind me - creating a light air current that carries excess powder outside.

Some people catch the overspray and reuse it (I did at first to try to save money), but that is usually a false economy. It's an opportunity to contaminate the powder.

Regulate your oven temperatures carefully and follow the flow-out / cure schedule for whatever powder you use. Excessive heat can discolor the paint or the part. "Orange peel" (texture in the finish) can be the result of uneven powder application, but is also caused by incorrect (usually too low) flow-out temperature. Many people use toaster ovens, but they are notorious for producing uneven heat with poor regulation. I have a dedicated Harbor Freight powder coat oven that I am generally satisfied with.

Bright copper bullets WILL change color when clear-coating. Brass also darkens slightly (but typically not a perceptible amount). When clear-coating rifle cartridges or clear coating over reflective chrome powder paint, I use Eastwood Low-temp, full-gloss clear powder. It flows out and cures at 320 degrees (rather than the typical 425/400). Baking at the lower temperature causes the bullets to discolor less.

I hope that helps,
Eric
 
Thank you Eric and now I need to reciprocate because you too brought up some more very good points. The one about making sure the parts are clean and no fingerprints is very important because the oils from your hands will have an ill effect on outcome of product and if doing clear it can actually show through. I too started catching overspray and found it more of a hassle to than what it was worth so stopped that and just clean up. I use newspaper and just wrap it up and discard. I will also agree that brass can turn color but copper will turn even more such as in the bullet pen I shown you can see the copper bullet is darker than original but to me I like the look. As far as toaster ovens go not sure if that is a factor but he is more apt to be correct than I because he started this long before I did. I will say this and I do this when I warm my resin before casting, that I preheat the oven to get control of heat better than if I just stick something in and turn the heat on. The oven will always put out more heat at beginning to compensate so I noticed my plastic cups would melt before it gets warm. Learned that one quickly.:) What a mess that leaves. Finally think of pwdercoating like spray painting, do not hold gun too close to object and to keep gun moving past the object when spraying. One of these days I am going to get back into doing more tube coating because it is a great way to paint tubes for cast on watch parts and other things. The film is not thick and it is durable. Good luck all.
 
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