paint or powder coat for aluminum?

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I thought my mower was powdercoated by a painter's shop I took it to. At first I just took it to be bead blasted to get the old paint off and he asked if I wanted him to seal it too. is sealing the same as powder coating? he did a real good job on the steel parts not so great on the aluminum. Most what I saw in his shop was old rusty bed frames and a few finished plows. I wish I hadn't taken the nuts and bolts in the box too. its hard to get my wrench to fit now. Dad was out so he picked the finished product. The guy said if I had any trouble to have me bring it back to see what he can do.
 

bertsmobile1

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:welcome:

Sealing is basically dipping it in boiling water with a coule of passivating chemicals.
Before powder coating it needs to be activated.
Most powder coaters will do it as a matter of course.
A sealed surface can be painted using the proper paints starting with a bare metal primer.
Do not use the single "can be painted over bare metal" paints as they will not adhere properly and in time will fall off in blotches.
POR 15 makes the best alloy paints that actually work. they are expensive and only buy a smal can because once opened will go off so can not be stored for any length of time.
Brushes can not be cleaned so buy a pack of their disposable brushs as well.
It is a complicated process of cleaning , activating, undercoating & top coating but once done properly bullets will in fact bounce off ( glancing shot ).
After that there ar a lot of aero paints , designed for aeroplanes you get from places like Aircraft Spruce. Again bullet proof finishes but because it flys it will cost more.
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Threads
7
Messages
18
:welcome:

Sealing is basically dipping it in boiling water with a coule of passivating chemicals.
Before powder coating it needs to be activated.
Most powder coaters will do it as a matter of course.
A sealed surface can be painted using the proper paints starting with a bare metal primer.
Do not use the single "can be painted over bare metal" paints as they will not adhere properly and in time will fall off in blotches.
POR 15 makes the best alloy paints that actually work. they are expensive and only buy a smal can because once opened will go off so can not be stored for any length of time.
Brushes can not be cleaned so buy a pack of their disposable brushs as well.
It is a complicated process of cleaning , activating, undercoating & top coating but once done properly bullets will in fact bounce off ( glancing shot ).
After that there ar a lot of aero paints , designed for aeroplanes you get from places like Aircraft Spruce. Again bullet proof finishes but because it flys it will cost more.

Thank you. I am not much of a painter so should I have him take the new paint off and paint it myself with spray paint? The paint job he did is full of pin holes. I pre paid him $40 and I think I may have to use some old bolts from my collection since the ones he painted are hard to work with(I think he got the paint too thick maybe)
 

bertsmobile1

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Powder coating is thick
It is basically plastic powder that sticks to the metal then when backed melts into a continious plastic envelope.
Spary painting the base with a pressure can will not work long term.
You have to do the whole kit & caboodle from primers through undercoats and then top coats. which may be available individually but that is going to be expensive.
To make paint stick clean is the magic word.
In the factory the workers wear special adsorbent cotton gloves to make sure their hands do not contaminate bear metal.
The coatings have to be able to chemically combine with the surface they are being applied to in order to be durable.
 
Joined
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DSCF4835snap.jpg heres a pic of what it looks like now
Powder coating is thick
It is basically plastic powder that sticks to the metal then when backed melts into a continious plastic envelope.
Spary painting the base with a pressure can will not work long term.
You have to do the whole kit & caboodle from primers through undercoats and then top coats. which may be available individually but that is going to be expensive.
To make paint stick clean is the magic word.
In the factory the workers wear special adsorbent cotton gloves to make sure their hands do not contaminate bear metal.
The coatings have to be able to chemically combine with the surface they are being applied to in order to be durable.
 
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