Aaron,
When I had parts powder coated by a local shop in Burlington, NC, who also
does dragster chassis for a shop next door, I was able to spend alot of time
back in the working area and see how it's all done. I am not sure what home
kits entail, but I will say that at the commercial/industrial level it is
messy and requires equipment that probably 99.9% of us do not have access
to. If you're talking about doing a few small pieces at a time maybe it is
something you want to try and tackle. Me? No way. And here's why.
In the course of my complete ground-up 250 restoration I dissassembled the
entire chassis as well as other miscellaneous brackets, support pieces,
small engine parts and what ever else is made of metal. I then bead blasted
each part myself in my employer's machine shop bead blast cabinet. Over
four or five days I must have spent a good 30 hours standing there, bleary
eyed, shifting my weight from one tired leg to the other, until all of the
years of grime and rust were removed. Very satisfying.
Powder coaters have 'set-up' costs whenever they paint a particular color.
Loading the gun, masking parts as needed, cleaning and rinsing the parts
before coating, energy costs of a large (really large) oven always cranking
at 450 degrees or so. The more parts you have to rack the less expensive
the overall cost. I had every, and I mean every, metal part coated. It
took up an entire rack. Chassis parts, brackets, drive shaft, demister
vents, etc, etc, Bottom line for the whole shebang? About $400. Picked
the parts up, all wrapped, no paint smell, and looking perfect I later had
the chassis chemically stripped (another shop in same area, about $250) and
also powder coated for $275. This is all about two years ago so prices have
certainly changed. But I would still believe it is worth it to let the pros
handle this messy job. And pay a batch price, not the 'per piece' rate that
adds up REALLY fast.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck!
Greg Dito
CD6250L
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