Anyone here done any powdercoating?

Hi there. i'm kinda new here so I appologize if this is in the wrong place.

I have been into model painting and some computer work for a while now, and I have a fiarly decent airbrushing setup. I just recently came across a "do it yourself powdercoating kit" It seems pretty straightforward, but I have heared that it does odd things to ovens if you use that same oven to cook things. Anyone had any experiance with this that could maybe give me some idea of what to expect? I'm in an appartment so getting a second oven isn't really an option for me a this point?

Thank you

Kaolian,
Your question couldn't have come at a better time. I have been doing much research in powdercoating recently because we at TBCS are considering buying a Powder Coating machine, not a cheap DIY untit however. I also happen to be writing an extensive FAQ on teh subject. Please stay tuned. But I wil mention something about the DIY systems. The following is an excerpt taken from my upcoming article\faq\guide

" The do it yourself powder coating system. I am NOT a fan of this. Those cheap hobby systems are utter crap. Think about it this way. You can spray paint your car but your not going to like the outcome, a professional body shop will definitly do a better job. Here's why. A professional powder coater's gun charges the case and particles anywhere from 30kv all the way up to 100kv. The cheap ones barely break the 10kv mark. The second stage that the DIY crowd does is use their kitchen oven as a curing oven. Here's the problem with this. That little knob on the oven is not precise enough to finish your case properly, unlike food if its still cold you just leave it in there longer or raise the temp a few degree's, do that with a case thats been powdered and you will NOT be happy with the results. The end result will also not be even and uniform on all sides and will not have the same quality and durability as a professional grade job."

Well shoot. I guess that's out of the picture then for me for the moment. My oven is even more finicky than most. Thanks for the information!

Yea if you havent bought the equipment yet dont, and if you have return it. Chances are your only gonna do one case, spend a small amount of what you would have for the equipment and stuff and have it done properly, however wait until my article comes out for more info, unless your inpatient.

i used to powdercoat things for a living......... harborfreight has a decent oven for like $400 but it is always on sale for like $275-$300 it is as big as like the fridge in most small fridge freezer combos i have use an oven similar to this and can say for the money the are great....its nothing like the big oven i used to use which you can put a car in but good nonetheless....but you should stick money into the gun cause that is the part that will make you or break you...harbor freight sells a gun too...which is usually on sale but it not as good as the one i used to use...anyway linkage

oven
powder coating gun
most people dont have a harborfreight near them i am lucky it is a mile away....but in store the oven is almost always on sale and the gun is usually on sale for $50