Cleaning and Degreasing before Powder Coating

Lets talk about the first step of the powder coating process: thoroughly cleaning and degreasing. Even if the piece is brand new, it should be cleaned. Powder coat adheres best to clean bare metal. Dirt, oils, and other contaminants left on a powder coated part can cause adhesion issues including complete delamination of the coating, and visual issues such as specks, bumps, of fish eyes visible in the coating.
Following the steps in this article will ensure that your parts are thoroughly cleaned and ready for the next step in the powder coating process.


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STEP 1: Disassemble

The very first step for any part that I powder coat is to disassemble it as much as possible. Remove all fasteners, springs, seals, bearings, electrical components, etc until the part is bare. You cannot thoroughly clean parts that are completely assembled, and you definitely shouldn't powder coat assembled parts. If you are unsure how to disassemble a part, search online using relevant part numbers, model numbers, or descriptions. Chances are there is an article, video, forum that can help you.

Some parts are held together by rivets or pins with no way to remove them. At that point, it is up to you with how much it is worth it to disassemble the part completely. Rivets can be drilled out and replaced with new rivets. Some permanent pins that hold parts together are specialty items and were likely installed using machines that you won't have access to. The same thing with some parts that are pressed together. Most bearings are removable with standard tools or a cheap press however, some parts are pressed together so tightly that they can be considered permanent. With parts like these, it is not realistic to dissemble completely so you will have to make some compromises.




STEP 2: Pressure Wash

The next step of cleaning a part for powder coating is to pressure wash the part. The pressure washer removes a lot of the loose debris like dirt and grease chunks with ease. Pressuring washing can save time and effort by replacing a lot of initial manual scrubbing. I use this Sunjoe Electric Pressure Washer because its output is 1.76 gallons per minute which is the highest I could find in a consumer electric pressure washer. I prefer electric pressure washers for cleaning parts that will be powder coated because many of them are not that big. If you were cleaning a fence or a driveway, a gas-powered pressure washer will save you tons of time over an electric pressure washer, but when it comes to powder coating, generally the parts are much smaller than that, so an electric pressure washer is decent enough and offers more convenience.

Pressure washing cleaning parts before powder coating


With the electric units, I tend to use use the 0° nozzle which is provides the most cleaning action as it focuses all the water into a narrow stream. It only cleans a very small area at a time, but that is the trade-off of using an electric pressure washer. If the part is delicate, such as sheet metal or flat panels, I use the 15° nozzle instead because the 0° nozzle can easily warp the metal. Also keep your hands away from the stream, because the stream will tear up your skin. When cleaning, I run this stream over the entire part until I no longer see the dirt coming off. I wear safety goggles while doing this because it splashes everywhere when hitting something irregularly shaped like a car part.

best electric pressure washer

I do all my cleaning on a patio outside my garage. I use one or two tiers of plastic shelves to set parts on while scrubbing and pressure washing. The soft plastic prevents scratching up the metal on the concrete, it also raises the parts up so I am not bending over to clean everything. The holes in the plastic provide nice drainage during pressure washing and it also allow you to use some reusable zip ties to zip tie smaller parts to the shelves to keep them from being washed away. The reason I like them is that they are modular, you can stack them knee-high or waste-high. You can also lay them all on the ground to do a a set of wheels on, or put two stacks side-by-side for subframes. They are abused and left out in the sun, so I only buy them used or when I see a good deal.



If you are consistently working with larger items or if you are coating professionally, a gas pressure washer or an industrial electric pressure washer would be better choices as they will clean more thoroughly, and the units are more reliable. They are capable of a much higher pressures and can get your parts cleaner before powder coating. They are also capable of doing more damage so avoid really high pressures on sheet metal type parts because it is not very difficult to warp/ruin them.  When choosing a gas-powered pressure washer, I believe the units with Honda GX engines and a CAT pump are the most reliable units available.


https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-Cleaning-ALH3228-S-Pressure-Powered/dp/B00UBMSUZE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=pressure+washer+honda+cat&qid=1590338070&sr=8-5&linkCode=ll1&tag=powcoathecomg-20&linkId=d1778d31a6d559e30b081a6d51ef7c62&language=en_US



If you are a DIY powder coater, it may seem difficult to justify the purchase of a pressure washer just for powder coating. However, owning a pressure washer is useful for cleaning items all throughout a home. However, it is not absolutely required, you can get parts very clean in a sink or outside with a hose using cleaners and scrub brushes. You could even stick your parts in a dishwasher (preferably a spare dishwasher) for some automated cleaning. Pressure washers are very helpful to speed up the cleaning process and they really shine on intricate parts that have a lot of tight corners and crevices.

cleaning parts powder coating




STEP 3: Soak with Cleaner

Aluminum-Safe Cleaners
Cast aluminum cleanerAfter the loose dirt and crud is off, I spray the part down with an aluminum safe cleaner. I am very selective about what I use to clean aluminum. A lot of normal household cleaners can corrode aluminum. After a lot of research on a safe cleaner for aluminum, I decided on Simple Green Extreme: Aircraft and Precision Cleaner. It states all over the bottle that it was formulated specifically for aluminum and precision tools. I checked the MSDS and it is, in fact, not just relabeled simple green. After testing it out, I am very happy with it. Its not too expensive, but online is the only place I could find it. It cleans great. I also tested it by spraying on some scrap cast aluminum pieces I had, and just letting it sit for a couple of days. When I came back to the part and wiped off the cleaner, there was no signs of corrosion at all.

I used Simple Green Extreme on this aluminum cylinder head. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good before picture, but in the picture you can see the area I cleaned compared to area that has not been cleaned yet. 


How to clean cast aluminum
Cleaning cast aluminum with Simple Green Extreme


How to clean cast aluminum
Head cleaned with Simple Green Extreme





How to Clean Steel and Iron
car parts cleaner Superclean
Cleaning ferrous metals such as iron or steel is a little more forgiving than cleaning aluminum. You can use the Simple Green Extreme mentioned above with no issues. However, since steel can be cleaned with more readily-available and cheaper cleaners, I save the Simple Green Extreme for aluminum.

For cleaning steel, I use Super Clean, formerly called Castrol Super Clean, which is one of the best all-purpose-cleaners I have ever used. For iron and steel parts, I use it full-strength. I spray it on, let it soak for a couple of minutes, scrub the parts with a brush, and then pressure wash the part clean. Super Clean is corrosive to metals so it must be rinsed completely. Purple Power is another good alternative, but I always find myself using Super Clean over Purple Power.

When cleaning high-strength steel, titanium, or aluminum alloys with chemicals, it is possible to weaken the metal when using acidic chemicals. Most acidic household cleaners use weaker acids so the chances are reduced. However, chemical rust removers and similar products contain phosphoric acid or muriatic acid which can can cause something called hydrogen embrittlement. The non-scientific explanation is that hydrogen atoms from these acids can be absorbed into the metal, affecting the internal structure which can cause the metal to weaken or fail. I always try to avoid using acid-based cleaners on metal parts, in order to avoid hydrogen embrittlement.



STEP 4: Scrub

After spraying down the aluminum part with Simple Green Extreme, or the iron/steel part with Super Clean, I let it soak for about 5 minutes, I spray a little more cleaner on the part and scrub it down with a parts cleaning brush. Tube Brushes are great for scrubbing threaded holes and passages.


parts cleaning brush

threaded bolt hole cleaning tube brush



A parts washer is a great place to do this task. Its the most convenient place to clean parts, it contains the mess, and constantly sprays recirculated cleaner out of the nozzle. They come complete with a stand or you can get a bench-top model to save some space.
cleaning parts with parts wahser before powder coating


STEP 5: Rinse & Repeat


The next step is to rinse the part off. I use the the pressure washer to with a 15° nozzle for this. Depending on how clean the part is, I may then repeat the scrubbing process and give it a very thorough final rinse with the pressure washer. I then bring the part in the garage and blow it dry with compressed air.



Time Saver: Ultrasonic Cleaner

Another method I use for smaller parts, is an ultrasonic cleaner. I say smaller parts because the larger ultrasonic cleaners can be pretty expensive. They are coming down in price so I am looking into a bigger one. If the part fits in my ultrasonic cleaner, I will use it. Its a great way to reduce some labor. I use the same cleaning solutions inside the ultrasonic cleaner that I mentioned above. Although a very good ultrasonic cleaning solution recipe is 50% vinegar, 50% water, and couple drops of dawn dish soap and some baking soda. This solution will clean steel perfectly down to bare metal. It removes rust, zinc plating, and everything else. However, I still do sandblast all parts before powder coating, regardless of how clean the metal is.


This my ultrasonic cleaner below. It also has a heating function which aids in the cleaning significantly. It works very well for small parts and fasteners. I have cleaned heater cores, throttle bodies, and brake master cylinders, and brake calipers in it also. The great thing about an ultrasonic cleaner is that it can clean where no brush can reach. Sometimes a part looks clean, and then you put it in the ultrasonic cleaner and the water will still turn black. You can see the results below.

ultrasonic cleaner for car parts


cleaning car parts in ultrasonic cleaner
Ultrasonic cleaner in progress.

cleaning car parts in ultrasonic cleaner
Fresh out of the Ultrasonic Cleaner.



STEP 6: Stripping (If necessary)

If the part has previously been painted or powder coated, this is the point where it should be stripped. Chemical strippers will remove all the previous coatings and also can also remove stuck on contaminants that were not removed yet in the cleaning process. For more details on stripping previous coatings, visit Stripping Powder Coat.

stripping powder coat



STEP 7: Bake / Outgas Part in the Oven

After the cleaning process, I then bake the part in the oven. This not only dries the metal completely from any moisture that may have been remaining, but it also outgasses the part. Cast aluminum and cast iron are porous. Grease, oils, and other impurities can soak into the metal over time. These impurities can also be in the part from the casting process itself. Outgassing the aluminum or iron consists of baking it at a slightly higher temperature and a little bit longer time than your cure schedule.


For example, say a powders cure schedule is 400°F for 10 minutes. I will outgas the aluminum at 425°F for 20 minutes. I do not start the 20 minute timer until the actual aluminum part is 425°F though. I check the temperature with a non-contact infrared thermometer. If you don't know why you should own an infrared thermometer while powder coating, read this article as they are essential for powder coating. For cast metal parts, you can actually see the part smoking in the oven, this smoke is the oils and contaminants being baked out of the metal. If at 20 minutes, the part is still smoking, I will leave it in until the smoking is done and then an extra 5 minutes for good measure. I outgas every part I powder coat just to be thorough, but it is usually okay to only outgas cast parts or parts that have been in salty environments. I don't notice the extra oven use on my electric bill, but a powder coating shop that has large ovens would notice it.


The reason why you outgas a part before powder coating is to prevent it from happening during the curing stage. If those oils are left inside the metal and you powder coat it and put it in the oven to cure, as the heat cures the powder, it also heats up the oils, causing them to expand. This expanding causes them to escape out of the part, leaving a pinholes in your powder coating finish, as seen below.


Powder coating aluminum outgassing


Outgassing parts in the oven does solve about 90% of the outgassing problems when powder coating. However there are some parts out there that want to outgas no matter how long you bake it before hand. For parts like these,  outgas forgiving primer powder coats need to be applied before any further powder coating.



Conclusion

Following all of the steps in this article, the aluminum calipers shown below went through the following steps in order to be prepared for sandblasting and powder coating:

powder coating brake calipers cleaning stripping

powder coating brake calipers cleaning stripping
Calipers before any cleaning or disassembly


  • Disassembled
  • Pre-washed with a pressure washer
  • Soaked in Simple Green Extreme
  • Scrubbed inside and out with various brushes
  • Rinsed with a pressure washer
  • Submerged in an ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Green Extreme for several cycles
  • Submerged in an ultrasonic cleaner with clean water
  • Blown dry with compressed air
  • Submerged in PowderStrip PS-1L for 15 minutes
  • Submerged in clean water mixed with TSP
  • Rinsed with pressure washer
  • Blown dry with compressed air
  • Outgassed in an oven at 400°F for 40 minutes


powder coating brake calipers cleaning stripping
Calipers after cleaning, before stripping

powder coating brake calipers cleaning stripping
Completely clean bare-metal calipers ready to be sandblasted and powder coated


After the part is clean, degreased, and outgassed, it is ready for media blasting (sand blasting). Leave a comment if you have any questions about this topic. For a thorough explanation of the remaining steps, head over to "How to Prep for Powder Coating".


46 comments:

  1. Hey Sean- working on a set of motorcycle wheels that had stickers on them from the factory. I peeled & cleaned off the stickers just fine except for one. It left am impression in the aluminum some how and I can't get rid of it. Have you heard of anything like this? How do I get rid of it?
    Thanks.

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  2. Hey Lorin, When I I am dealing with an item that his stickers, my first step is to remove the sticker and then clean it really well with "Sticker and Label Remover." I do this first before the degreasing because the sticker remover itself is somewhat greasy. I have never had seen any remnants or outline of a sticker using this method I may be wrong here, but in your case, the sticker may have preserved the aluminum underneath of it while the rest was unprotected and oxidized. So what you are seeing isn't actually an imprint, but actually just fresh aluminum while the rest has aged. Follow my method for cleaning it up, and after sandblasting, the aluminum should have a completely uniform look and you shouldn't be able to tell there ever was a sticker. Thanks for reading the site, updates are slow at the moment but I will continue with new articles soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, AMAZING amount of information you have put up here. Thank you! Wanted to let you know that the link to the parts washer is dead. I went ahead and located the new one in case you wanted to change the link. It's at:

    http://www.harborfreight.com/20-gallon-parts-washer-with-pump-60769.html

    Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience.

    Dan Hinkle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the positive words Dan, and thank you for noticing the dead link. I may be experience powder coating, but this is my first time running a website. I will make sure to go though the site from time to time and make sure all my links are still valid.

      Delete
  4. Great information thanks for sharing. I am restoring a set of aluminum wheels an have polished them and would like to preserve the shine by clear powder coating. Can I do a good degreasing, cleaning, rinse, off gas and then apply powder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is interesting. I never thought about using an ultrasonic cleaner before, but I could see how it would be effective.

      Delete
  5. Yes, clear powder coating is great for protecting polished aluminum. Keep in mind that the powder coating will not adhere as well to a polished surface as it would to a media blasted surface, no type of coating does. However, it still does adhere and it should give you great results for a long time. Also the clear powder coat will slightly reduce the mirror look of the polished aluminum, just like almost all other coatings. Now that I covered the downsides, I will explain the process below.

    Step 1: Make sure the wheels are as polished as you want them. Once you powder coat the wheels, there is no going back and polishing them to a brighter shine.

    Step 2: Outgas the wheels. Bake the the wheels in the oven at around 425-450 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Start the 30 minute timer only after the aluminum reaches 425-450 degrees. If the wheels are still visibly smoking after 30 minutes, leave them in for longer until you see no more smoke.

    Step 3: You need to thoroughly clean the wheels of all polishing compounds and the cleaner used must not affect the shine of the wheels. Most cleaners will leave spots or hazing on polished aluminum. The cleaner that I use is MEK, it does not affect the shine and it does a good job of cleaning off the polishing compounds. It is a dangerous chemical so please read the MSDS and follow all the safety precautions (eye/face protection, chemical gloves, respirator).

    Step 4: After you believe the wheels are clean, perform the "Water break test". This is done by running water over the polished surface. The water should flow on the surface in a uniform sheet. Anywhere that you see the water bubble or split leaving a dry area, means there are still oils in that area. Clean the area again with MEK.

    Step 5: After you are positive all oils are removed from the wheels, they are ready to be powder coated. From the cleaning process to the powder coating process, do not handle the oils with your bare hands. Only clean gloves should touch the wheels.

    It sounds like a long process, but when it comes to powder coating polished aluminum, it is worth it to take the extra time for prep. There is nothing worse than having to strip the powder off and having to re-polish the wheels just because a little polishing compound was missed during the cleaning stage.

    Let me know if you have any other questions about coating the wheels,
    Sean

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good morning Sean for steel or iron recommend baking the piece before painting to degas.
    Greetings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would recommend pre-baking cast iron before powder coating as it can outgas. I have never had steel outgas on me so I would not say it is necessary.

      Delete
  7. Thanks. Lots of info there.
    I am new to powder coating and planing on coating a few sets of alot wheel.
    For the out gassing shold I be doing it before or after media blasting the old paint off.
    thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clean first, then outgas, then sandblast.

      Delete
    2. Hello Sean,

      THANK YOU for your hard work on your Web Site. Extremely informative and a blessing to reference.

      May I ask you a question, as I am trying to "wrap" my understanding of the following theory....

      After degreasing, is there any issues if I outgas the steel part AFTER I sandblast it?
      (Could it be theoretical that if I sandblast the topcoat paint, it would allow the oils to evaporate/breath from the exposed pores of the substrate?)

      After re-reading your steps, I found I did the reverse, which is why I am asking.

      FYI...
      1). After sandblasting steel with glass, the parts were clean, gray and no trace of rust.
      2). After outgassing the sandblasted steel parts, my parts now have a tinted brown (not rust that I am aware).

      Thank you again for your insight and time!
      Mark

      Delete
    3. Thank you for your question, I am glad to hear that you find the site helpful. As for your question, the correct order is to outgas first (if necessary) and then do your sandblasting. The reason for this is that when you outgas, any of those trapped oils that rise to the surface can leave a residue on the surface itself. If there is no step after outgassing (like blasting) to remove the hardened oil residue on the surface, it will still be there when you powder coat and it can cause issues.

      The heat during outgassing can also accelerate the corrosion process on metal, so if you don't blast after outgassing, your metal will not be as clean as it could be. The brown tint you are seeing is oxidation and it should be removed before coating.

      Hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions.

      Delete
    4. Thank you for clarifying the outgas process. I will definitely sandblast again. I appreciate your feedback! Mark

      Delete
  8. Thanks for the FANTASTIC post! This information is really good and thanks a ton for sharing it :-)
    Utah green cleaners

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is great advice for anyone interested in doing this at home. I have some steel structure out the back of my place that needs doing and i will give your methodology a shot. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello Great information. I want to powder coat my aluminum hubs But have heard that baking cast aluminum wheel hubs under high temps for long period can weeken the aluminum and cause hubs to fail and crack. What is your experience with cast aluminum? Should I outgas them for 20min then powder and bake. Can this weeken the hubs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never had an issue. As long as you keep your temperatures in check and aren't outgassing the aluminum at anything higher than 450 Degrees F, you should be absolutely fine. There are thousands of powder coated cast aluminum wheels out there and only a handful of examples of them breaking. I believe the scare has been blown out of proportion but that is just my personal experience. I outgas at less than 450 until I see they stop smoking and then give them a couple extra minutes.

      Delete
    2. Most aluminum does not start to break down until around 1200 degrees.

      Delete
  11. Thanks for the awesome post! This information is really good and thanks a ton for sharing it :

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very useful information! I found a lot of helpful information, that I may need any time. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great advice! Thanks for adding to the discussion.Thanks for putting this together! It looks very cool so far. I’ll be checking back to see the full plans.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you Sean for your dedication and hard work. This has been a great read. Looking forward to more of your great info in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Sean, some great info so thanks for that. Have you ever clear powder coated polished cast iron? I've got an old cast window frame that I've polished and wire brushed and I'd love to keep the bare metal finish. There's bound to be some grease and dirt etc so I'm wondering how I'd go about cleaning it properly without causing it to start to rust afterwards. Also, would you expect the outgassing to result in it rusting as moisture etc is driven out? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have clear coated bare steel with great results and as long as you achieve complete coverage, you should have no issues with rust for a long time. The best method would have been to clean it and outgas it first before using the wire brush to polish it. Outgassing it may cause some surface rust, however, this is not due to moisture, it is just a chemical reaction that iron experiences when in contact with air. Heat speeds up this reaction. So if you do decide to outgas it, be prepared to do a little refinishing.

      If you are just trying to clean it, I would use denatured alcohol on a clean rag and keep wiping it down until you are no longer seeing any residue on the rag. Denatured alcohol is not water based and therefore will induce rusting.

      Once you get to the final stages of cleaning it, only handle it with clean gloves, do not touch it with your fingers as the oils from your fingers can cause rust fingerprints to appear on the metal.

      After cleaning it, you should powder coat it as fast as possible. The denatured alcohol will remove any oils from the surface of the metal leaving it completely unprotected from rusting.

      I would do 2 coats of clear to ensure complete coverage.

      Hope that helps.

      Delete
    2. Amazing advice, thank you for taking the time to reply

      Delete
    3. Sean-

      Great stuff but I have a bit different problem. I bought some black powder coated wheels for my Jeep. I didn't care for the glossy look so I sprayed them with a satin clear coat. The clear coat dried hard and cracked. How can I remove the clear coat "paint" and not damage the powder coat below?? Thanks for your input!!

      Delete
    4. There are a couple of different things you can try and their effectiveness depends on how well the spray paint is adhered to the wheels. You can try mechanical removal such as an aggressive clay bar or rubbing compound. Neither of them should affect the powder coat but the clay bar is usually only for overspray, not an entire coat.

      Or you can try to chemically remove the spray paint. The issue with this is that there is a larger chance that powder coat will be affected. They won't remove the powder coat, but they can definitely affect the gloss black finish of the powder coat.

      Denatured alcohol is actually safe on powder coating and if the spray paint isn't that old, it should remove it with some scrubbing. This would be my first choice but I always have denatured alcohol on hand. Its sold at hardware stores such as home depot or lows.

      From there I would try lacquer thinner. This should easily remove the spray paint but it also has a chance of affecting the powder coated finish. If the other methods did not work, I would try this on the backs of the wheels and see if it affects the finish at all. If it is safe to proceed, then you can continue on to do the whole wheel. It may be best to do it in small areas at a time by applying the lacquer thinner to a rag. Do a small area to remove the spray paint, then immediately wash it and then continue on. If you start to see any black on your rag, then it is definitely affecting the powder coated finish and there is no reason to continue with lacquer thinner unless you don't care too much about the finish.

      I hope that helps. I have never had to remove spray paint from powder but these are the methods I would try, starting with the denatured alcohol first.

      Delete
  16. Sir how about galvanized iron sheet? What is the simplest and economical whay to prep for powder coating. Assuming that the sheet is new. I make enclosure boxes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Galvanized steel can be prone to outgassing during the bake cycle. This results in little pinholes in the powder coat from where the gasses escaped through the coating. This can usually be cured by outgassing the steel prior to powder coating. I usually outgass at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes to an hour or until the part has finished smoking. If the part still outgasses through the powder coating, you can use an outgas-forgiving primer prior to the color coat. This primer is applied to the part while the part is around 400 degrees and cures almost instantly. This product can be purchased from Powder365.com and it is labeled as red oxide primer.

      As far as preparing the galvanized sheeting, there is a process called brush blasting or sweep blasting that can be used to achieve some texture on the surface of the sheeting as well as remove any surface oxides. This can be done with a normal media blaster. The process consists of turning the pressure of the media blaster to around 40 psi and using a non-metallic abrasive. All of the blasting is done at no more than a 45 degree angle and the media blasting gun should be held about 15 inches away from the part. The main goal of this is not to remove the galvanizing so it must be done with a light touch.

      Delete
  17. Are you up for a new compressor and shopping around for a durable and affordable one? You should be able to research and learn about the different compressors out there before buying one so you can search.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Sean,
    I love your site and it's very intersting too!!
    I work for a company that hasn't got any pre treatment plant. So we just wipe the items down with thinner and acetone. I would like to try to make a DIY tank where I could just dip items in maybe say 1.5M in length, is there anything you would recommend or is there any other way we could make it easier for our self. I can't seeing the company installing any pre treatment yet anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      First, I have to question the choice of acetone and thinner. It is not common, but acetone has been known to leave contaminants on parts. I would personally use denatured alcohol as a cleaning solution. As far as a tank, I'm not sure it would be the best bet for a cleaner as it would eventually accumulate oils and dirt which wouldn't make the best cleaning solution. However, I'm not sure of your exact procedures, so if you are looking for a tank, I would recommend a trough style tank so that it can accommodate longer parts. You can google trough along with your required dimensions and you'll hopefully find something your looking for.

      Another alternative is to simply spray on your cleaning solution nice and heavy and let it drip off of the part. This is commonly done by powder coaters using a commercial sprayer. Think of the backpack type sprayers but you don't actually have to wear it on your back. This method requires that you blow the part off with compressed air and to wait a little bit for the cleaner to completely evaporate.

      Hope that helps!

      Delete
  19. Completely prepared and skill in the field of cleaning, the expert cleaners give household and business cleaning as well as offer administrations, for example, cover cleaning and steam cover cleaning too. Every one of the administrations can be profited in focused costs and turned out to be at standard with the in house cleaner for household cleaning in the value of work they give. Quality Property Care

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sean - Not sure if you can suggest a cleaning product but here goes...I dripped a bit of spray foam onto an accessory that appears to be powder coated. Most of it came of with a razor edge but there is a small patch of polyurethane remaining. It's really bugging me and I don't want to make it worse...please help!
    Thanks,
    David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is tricky as everyone suggests acetone for removing spray foam. However, acetone will likely discolor powder coating so that would be a bad idea. I would start with denatured alcohol and see if it has any effect on the foam. If not, you can try goof-off or "sticker & label remover" (it should state that it is safe on painted surfaces). If none of those work, I am out of ideas.

      Delete
  21. Hi Sean,
    I'm interested in powder coating a motorcycle gas tank. What would you recommend to clean the inside of the tank so that it is safe to go thru the oven?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I do motorcycle tanks, I fill them up with hot water and dawn dish soap and swish it around for a couple minutes, then i stick a hose in the tank and just let the water flush through the tank for 10 minutes. Then immediately blow out all of the water with compressed air. I haven't had an issue doing it this way.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Sean. I had been told I needed a special wash solution. Soap and water will be much easier. Appreciate the help!

      Delete
  22. I have had some wheels powder coated and have diamond cut them at work. I want to clear coat them after the diamond cut do I need to out gas them again or just a good clean then clear coat? Ok hanks.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fantastic information and thanks for taking the time to post it. I am looking to powder coat clear over chrome powder to keep the shine. What process would you recommend for adding the clear? This will be my first time powdering over powder. I am using the Redline EZ50 and Prism powders. TIA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading, Its good to hear that you find the information helpful.
      To clear coat chrome powder coat, you would shoot the chrome just like any other powder and make sure that you fully cure it and let it cool down to room temperature. Do not handle the cured powder coat with your bare hands, it needs to remain clean and free of any oils or debris until it is clear coated. Also it is important to clear coat it as quickly as possible do prevent the chrome powder from oxidizing. Same day or next day is best.

      If you have to mask the part at all, it is good to pull the masking after the chrome powder flows out (while the part is still warm), and then fully cure it. You will then have to re-mask the part (with gloves to keep it clean) to shoot the clear coat.

      When you spray the clear, it is very helpful to have a bright LED flashlight pointed at the part. This will help you determine if you have sprayed the clear heavy enough. You want the whole part to achieve a flat white appearance. If you can see the chrome through the white, you don't have enough coverage and your final finish will have a rough appearance and texture. You also don't want to shoot too heavy as this will cause the chrome finish to lose its chrome-like appearance.

      After shooting the part, do a full cure on it according to the clear powder instructions (removing any masking after the clear flows out).

      That is all there is to it. For more detailed info, please check out this article, Spraying Multiple Coats: http://www.powdercoatguide.com/2015/07/spraying-multiple-coats.html#.V-0PYCS1iW-

      There is a section specific to shooting chrome.
      Good luck!

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  24. Thanks for this very useful info you have provided us. I will bookmark this for future reference and refer it to my friends. More power to your blog.
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