I think that setting up a little personal powdercoating setup is something that is more do-able than some might realize. It just typically requires a bit of creativity to come up with a setup that works within the confines of doing just a pedal here and there.
If you consider the costs in terms of health, necessary supplementary tools, cure times, having to repeat screw-ups, and outright finish durability, IMO it tips things in the favor of powdercoating yourself.
Yes, you'll need a room to do it, but it doesn't have to be huge. The biggest issue is dealing with the powdercoat dust. Again - planning and thinking about containment and cleanup are IMO where the focus should be. But this is a standard thing with almost any kind of project or hobby, right?
You'll need an air compressor, but just something that runs at low pressure. I've been using an old airbrush compressor that I've had for 30 years now. Point being that you can seek out something that isn't expensive or massive, or draws a lot of amps and will trip a circuitbreaker.
Not everyone is going to have access to a gun that is both affordable and works well, but I still suggest they look into it. I got one of the Eastwood guns - yeah, it was expensive, but I've done so much powdercoating with it that it's more than paid for itself. Since then, I've found out that Harbor Freight has their own gun & setup. The durability may not be fantastic, but the price looks low enough that if it only worked for a couple of years that it wouldn't result in someone being upset when it finally broke. The Eastwood gun has a "dead man's switch" for activating the charging of the enclosure (electrostatic principle part of the process), while the Harbor Freight product has a footswitch. Point being that someone may prefer one over the other.
You can find affordable powders at eBay and other places. While some may not be very pretty, you can even pick stuff that will hide imperfections better, and require less time in the oven - some take as little as 10 minutes. Some are so industrial-based that you don't even have to clean the enclosures much. So for anyone who isn't thrilled by this part of the process but who wants something durable (and doesn't want it done by someone else), I think it's worth the trouble to at least look into.
I end up getting little ovens either used or just with stupidly low sale prices. Compared to other tools, the cost of ovens has been almost zero.
I worked in sign shops years ago, and have done most repairs to my own cars myself. IOW, I've already sacrificed a bit of my health in terms of solvents and such that I want to keep the remaining bits to a minimum. Even some of the vapors from water-based products can be irritating, so I'd rather just skip it. Yes, a powdercoating setup will release stuff into the air, but by dialing in the PSI, you can have it where the bulk of the powder basically falls onto the box.
I guess I should add that I drill all my enclosures before powdercoating - I don't want the issue of a bit slipping or having to mask off a box that already has a finish on it. Even with center punching, drilling pilot holes, and using stepbits/uni-bits that basically de-burr as they cut, you can still end up with screw-ups at that stage. If you work with stamped steel or just something harder than aluminum, the chances of a bit grabbing is greater. So again - being able to powdercoat after doing all the drilling/milling/punching/etc. always seems to work out better.
Again - this won't be an option for everyone. That said, I think it's something worth considering, even if it seems like overkill. It's saved me so much time and trouble that it was worth setting up a rig for it.
One last thing if this hasn't been mentioned elsewhere already - make sure you have ovens with timers, and make sure they WORK.
If you consider the costs in terms of health, necessary supplementary tools, cure times, having to repeat screw-ups, and outright finish durability, IMO it tips things in the favor of powdercoating yourself.
Yes, you'll need a room to do it, but it doesn't have to be huge. The biggest issue is dealing with the powdercoat dust. Again - planning and thinking about containment and cleanup are IMO where the focus should be. But this is a standard thing with almost any kind of project or hobby, right?
You'll need an air compressor, but just something that runs at low pressure. I've been using an old airbrush compressor that I've had for 30 years now. Point being that you can seek out something that isn't expensive or massive, or draws a lot of amps and will trip a circuitbreaker.
Not everyone is going to have access to a gun that is both affordable and works well, but I still suggest they look into it. I got one of the Eastwood guns - yeah, it was expensive, but I've done so much powdercoating with it that it's more than paid for itself. Since then, I've found out that Harbor Freight has their own gun & setup. The durability may not be fantastic, but the price looks low enough that if it only worked for a couple of years that it wouldn't result in someone being upset when it finally broke. The Eastwood gun has a "dead man's switch" for activating the charging of the enclosure (electrostatic principle part of the process), while the Harbor Freight product has a footswitch. Point being that someone may prefer one over the other.
You can find affordable powders at eBay and other places. While some may not be very pretty, you can even pick stuff that will hide imperfections better, and require less time in the oven - some take as little as 10 minutes. Some are so industrial-based that you don't even have to clean the enclosures much. So for anyone who isn't thrilled by this part of the process but who wants something durable (and doesn't want it done by someone else), I think it's worth the trouble to at least look into.
I end up getting little ovens either used or just with stupidly low sale prices. Compared to other tools, the cost of ovens has been almost zero.
I worked in sign shops years ago, and have done most repairs to my own cars myself. IOW, I've already sacrificed a bit of my health in terms of solvents and such that I want to keep the remaining bits to a minimum. Even some of the vapors from water-based products can be irritating, so I'd rather just skip it. Yes, a powdercoating setup will release stuff into the air, but by dialing in the PSI, you can have it where the bulk of the powder basically falls onto the box.
I guess I should add that I drill all my enclosures before powdercoating - I don't want the issue of a bit slipping or having to mask off a box that already has a finish on it. Even with center punching, drilling pilot holes, and using stepbits/uni-bits that basically de-burr as they cut, you can still end up with screw-ups at that stage. If you work with stamped steel or just something harder than aluminum, the chances of a bit grabbing is greater. So again - being able to powdercoat after doing all the drilling/milling/punching/etc. always seems to work out better.
Again - this won't be an option for everyone. That said, I think it's something worth considering, even if it seems like overkill. It's saved me so much time and trouble that it was worth setting up a rig for it.
One last thing if this hasn't been mentioned elsewhere already - make sure you have ovens with timers, and make sure they WORK.