mwzephyr here. 1st post.
25 years in powdercoating ~ran a shop, painted, stripped- did my own work and trained painters, and ran production for all types of metal substrates. Also ran production wet paint lines, including robots, for OEM automotive parts suppliers to Toyota, Gm, and Mitsubishi. I did the time and learned the stuff right.
Powdercoating under normal circumstances is not recommended for cylinder heads. Temps on low cure powders won't hurt alum cylinders, but probably will burn off at higher temps. Also who wants to hold the heat into their heads? Thats why they are aluminum ...
Average powder coating temps are from, 325* average to 450*f.
Pre cleaning is the most imporatnt key to sucess. A good phosphate rinse in the cleaning process will help to prevent corrosion and improve the bond between the part and the powder.
Wheels are ok- rims ok.
Hubs, not a good idea, plating is better or anodising. Plating~ Strip, acid copper, copper, nickle then chrome. Also worked at a plater for a year.
Save the powder coating for tanks, bars, housings, fenders, frames are a natural.
There are high heat tolerant powdercoatings for engine related parts- Dupont makes them.
They work best for Automotive ( did several engines most parts on my own rods). But never never cylinder heads. Manifolds only if bolted -torqued down to custom made plattens so they don't warp or to old blocks if you're into production. Gotta torque em down dudes or you'll be crying later...
Valve covers are a natural... But I'm getting off topic.
But it's not a laugh when you pay big bucks for a coating that burns off when the parts get hot... Covers and cowlings are a damn beautiful sight if you work with progressive masks and powdercoatings. Need to find an artist for that kind of work. I am out of the business,
but it is similar to airbrush work if the painter/coater is an artisan who understands, materials, heat, and has a steady technique.
The expensive automotive quality powders are avalaible but can cost better than 500$ a box. But you can't beat the results.
Main thing is to make sure layers are of compatible powder materials, and that the layer thicknesses are are very thin or they will chunk out and look like shit.
Thin layers are durable, heavy layers will shatter and lift.
I don't recommend more than three layers, the clear coat being one of them.
Don't go for high gloss. Pebble, flat and semi gloss look best.
Dwell time in the oven also is important because thin substartes will soak up heat differently than cast parts, billet parts, tubes etc. Each different type of material should be baked seperately. If you were a baker you wouldn't cook cookies with bread and pizza at the same time in the same oven...
ALWAYS do a sample mockup of the pattern and layers on some scap sheet before,
you work on the actual parts. Powder coating needs to be removed usually by methylene chloride- badd ass shit-media blasting, or by putting in a burn off oven- not good for bike parts.
Tanks are better left to wet paint, as fuels usually discolor and lift even with the best materials.
We used to do side jobs on farm equipt, motorcycles, rod parts and trucks too.
Take your time and ask all the questions. It's too expensive to make a mistake.
Find a dude who has experience with the media, it takes a lot of failures to get it right. Let some other guy pay. Find the right dude and watch him work.
Powder coating needs to be extremely clean, no oils, silicones, lint, dust, no finger prints.
But this is what the big boys use so there should be someone out there who can help.
Electronics enclosure on the expressways are powder coated. A good job lasts for decades. A cheap shoddy job will look like shit in one season.
mules got it right.
If you have an imperfect part or it looks like shit, the powder coating will only make it look worse. Powder coating hides nothing; it magnifys the imperfections.
Any tech questions,
serious only,
I will help. Just pm me.
Zep