Powder coating is a process that is used in the automotive industry to protect metal parts. Powder coating is often applied to car, truck, or motorcycle parts. This process involves putting a dry powder onto a metal surface and then baking it until it forms a permanent, protective layer. The powder coating serves to prevent rust or corrosion on the auto parts. Show
If you have a motorcycle, you may wonder what you can do to protect those beautiful, shiny chrome parts. Chrome looks great, but not after it has been scratched up or exposed to the elements and gotten rusty. This is how to powder coat chrome.
Powder coating is a great choice for several reasons. For one, powder coating is much thicker, and therefore more durable, than liquid coatings. It is also a more environmentally friendly choice. This is because powder coating is a low VOC choice. VOCs are volatile organic compounds that pollute the air; the fewer VOCs that are emitted, the better. This makes powder coating a particularly good choice for items that will be used indoors, like appliances. It is always advisable to speak with a professional when it comes to powder coating chrome or any other material. Often you must engineer the proper coating in order to get the performance you really need. Let the experts at Toefco Engineered Coating Systems design the right coating for your needs. As the coating customizers, we enjoy finding creative solutions to our customers coating challenges. We offer a wide variety of different coating types, and we can create a coating that will suit your purposes exactly. To learn more about our industrial powder coating services, call us at 888-912-5921 or ask an industrial coating engineer.
December 12, 2016 It's difficult to maintain a peel-free chrome coating, especially when salt-heavy air and abrasive weather conditions corrupt that fine sheen. Unfortunately, it's hard to powder coat this slick plating. Mud won't adhere to the coating, so why would a powder coating? But, as ever, there are ways around this obstacle if you're willing to make a few sacrifices. Straight Answers: Can You Coat 'Over' The Chrome?The short answer, unfortunately, is an emphatic no, you just can't get away with a professional look, one that's aesthetically attractive and weather sealed. In theory, some studios advocate a "roughing up" stage. This abraded surface is not uniform, though, and full powder adherence is not assured. It's a subjective matter, of course, with some coating technicians taking the chance that a diligently sanded chrome surface will pick up enough of the powdery medium. Otherwise, adherence issues are going to cause major headaches. The Long Answer: Using Abrasive SolutionsAgain, this is a subjective answer, at best. The shiny substrate can be scoured away manually with an abrasive tool or an acid bath. This step adds "bite" to what's left, but the stripped finish is uneven. A seasoned hand will be required to get a professional finish, at this point. Quite frankly, most powder coating shops will balk at the prospect, but usable results are possible. The question is, will the final product be viable? Will it be sealed against all weathering influences and look as silky smooth as it should? Perhaps the better option is to reverse course and opt for a chemical strip, yes? The Best Solution: Chemical StrippingThe flaking chrome reveals a delicate aluminium underside or a relatively mild alloy beneath the shiny coating. A sandblasting operation will obviously remove the shiny plating, but it may also damage the metal below. A chemical peel doesn't cause any damage to the base metal, well, as long as the right compound is employed. But don't take chances with highly reactive chemicals. That's what specialist workshops and preprocessing facilities are for, after all. The case for powder coating chrome is a weak one. Certainly, the subjective approach will yield results by removing the polished substrate, but this is an amateurish route, so expect amateurish results. The best way forward is to discuss preprocessing options with the powder coating shop. Wash away the plating and replace it with a chrome-like powder coat, a thicker, more protective finish that's much "greener" than the chrome and nickel variant. GP Industries Pty LtdHead Office1 Regal Court, Phone: (03) 9802 1355 Fax: (03) 9802 6027 Email: FactoryFactory G, Phone: (03) 9761 7676 Fax: (03) 9761 7671 Email: Optimized by NetwizardSEO.com.au Can you powder coat over old chrome?Powder coatings have been applied successfully over chrome plating for many years. I recommend that you first neutralize the surface and remove any salts from the plating system by first rinsing the parts in virgin DI water. Of course, don't forget to dry the parts before powder coating.
How hard is it to powder coat chrome?It's difficult to maintain a peel-free chrome coating, especially when salt-heavy air and abrasive weather conditions corrupt that fine sheen. Unfortunately, it's hard to powder coat this slick plating.
Is it better to paint or powder coat chrome?Chrome plating can adhere well to certain metals, but flake off or crack when used with some metal parts. In most cases, powder coating is more effective and less expensive than chrome plating your products.
How do you prepare a part for powder coating?The steps to powder coating are fairly straightforward. You first need to clean the part to the base metal, removing all paint, dust, and oils. This can be done by media blasting, grinding, sanding, or with a chemical process. Soaking the part in acetone or a similar cleaner to remove residual oils is also recommended.
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