Powder coating question: "near chrome" finish?
 

I just got some powder coating done (rear subframe, IRS cradle, engine cradle, etc.) and wanted to get some more parts (intake, engine cover, door sill plates, strut tower bar) done by the same place. However, they don't have a chrome-like or polished aluminum appearing finish.

They've got every other color under the sun, 42 different silver metallics (just kidding), but nothing that looks like chrome or polished aluminum. The best they said they could do for me would be to clear powder coat the polished aluminum.

Some of the aluminum pieces have tiny scratches which are unavoidable on a newly polished part that's been cleaned with a cotton towel, but the powder coat would fill that in. However, some haven't been polished, and some aren't even aluminum. I want low maintenance on these parts, so all I want is a finish that I've heard called "near chrome" that looks like polished aluminum, or close enough.

I know it exists, because I seem to get an Eastwood Company catalog every 10 minutes or so in the mail, and they have a chrome-like powder coat which they then recommend using a clear or translucent coating over the top. I figured I could just buy the powder myself and take it to the shop to apply, but I wanted to be sure I was getting the right stuff. There are very few examples of actual colors in the Eastwood catalog. It's mostly just "drawings" representing various colors. :)

I don't think I've ever seen anyone with parts done with the Eastwood "chrome" finish, but I have seen some parts done by people at home with a spare oven that looked pretty good and nearly polished. Anyone have suggestions for the best powder to buy for a finish of this type?

Thanks!

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...=Powdercoating

I am not sure that he used Eastwood, but Brian( 93BlackFD) did his engine parts and tranny front housing in a near chrome finish.
I think the links are dead but he talks about it in the thread.( I am tired and didn't re-read it)

That's the best i can do rite now. Pm him if he is around anymore. Haven't seen him in a while.

Thanks!

I think those are probably the parts that I saw, but I'm out of town at the moment, so I can't check my picture archives. I PM'd him to see if he can help.

http://www.teamfc3s.org/forum/attach...&postid=312131
These were done by Scott (raspyrx7) and the polished rotor is on the left, and powdercoat chrome on the right. I think I remember him mentioning that he uses Eastwood powder.


https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=kit
And here's a link for more pics of "near chrome" powder.

I'll be trying out the Eastwood chrome powder on my manifolds as soon as I get my oven in but you can probably contact Scott to get some feedback right away.

check the dude in my sig :)

opps, they dont work with fast reply's :banghead:

If u have to, just buy the powder in a small amount and give it to them to use with the parts

see, that dose not make sence since he would be buying a whole bottle and depending on what he has done he might have alot of the powder left over. i did some powdercoating with raspy when i was out in idaho in march. You'd be better just sending your parts to someone that knows what they are doing.

They obviously know what they are doing, they just don't have the colour.

Don't flame me in an attempt to pull business off the board.

Powder as i'm sure you know comes in tons of sizes. 8oz all the way up to 50lbs.

It does make sense because an 8oz bottle is only 13 dollars. It's not like it goings to break the bank, and by the size of the parts he got done allready i'd imagine they are local.

They money he would save on shipping it to you, he could buy the powder and Have money left to spare.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...keyword=Chrome

Which doesn't bother me. Your continued use of "dose" does, though. :)

The shop I'm dealing with has been in business for over 25 years and has the capacity to media strip and powder coat an entire car body, if that's what you wanted. In other words, they're not using an old oven. :)

They simply don't carry a chrome-like powder (for whatever reason) and recommended clear powder coating polished aluminum pieces instead because the gloss is higher. I'm sure they'd be happy to spray whatever powder I give them and keep the rest for their trouble, and I'm fine with that. My only question was WHERE to get the powder, because Eastwood's prices are usually high, and I didn't know if anyone had used that particular powder before. I'm more concerned with the results than the cost, but I do appreciate your effort to save me some money.

Thanks Dan!

Jim, is this the look you're going for? If so, that's the Coolkrome ceramic exterior coating that RX7Trix does, if you're interested.

http://www.rx7trix.com/store/image.php?productid=481

i'm not the one that dose the powdercoating, scott RaspyRx7 is. if you look on his site. That rotor and housing in the pic on the left. That is mine. and also all the parts on the main page at the bottom are mine as well.

TurboSmoke

We know that he DOES. :)

BTW, I just ordered 5 lbs. of Eastwood Company's "Reflective Chrome" powder today. I'll have plenty left over when they're done coating my parts if anyone is interested in buying the remainder.

for every one eles there is also a chrome paint designed by alsa corp. migtheb cheaper thenteh powder . always an option

Jim,

I used the same powder and a clear for my manifolds. It did not hold up to the heat. After about 6 months (Driving twice a week) the lower manifold looked like shattered glass. The upper manifold developed long cracks and tappered off the closer they got to the TB. I would not recommend it.

I ended up stripping it all off, polishing and applying a bare metal sealant. That has held up very well.

Chris

Thanks Chris, but I don't have a rotary engine any more. :)

I have seen powders on all parts of the engine including the engine itself and it has held up fine....

Jim, two questions:

1) Does this mean you're definitely finishing up your FD??

2) Would you happen to know just how big the difference is between the normal operating temps of a rotary and the V8 you're running?

Ok...one more :p: Wouldn't using a sealer (like for example polishing the UIM then clearcoating it) be very bad, since it would decrease the metal's ability to dissapate heat? (I dunno if that's any diff than powdercoating, in the sense that you apply a layer of "paint" onto a metal, effectively sealing it from the outside...)

I've never "not" been finishing it. I'm just finishing it slowly, when I feel like it. :)

Are you referring to EGTs or just general component temperatures?

Sealing it from oxidation, not heat transfer, and the difference is probably negligible.

This is the same Eastwood powder right?

And just curious. Was it just coated once and without clearcoat powder?

Another possibility is Jetcoating the parts. It's a ceramic filish and they do chrome/aluminum looking parts and will hold up real well to heat.

I have used them on a "badboy" Austin Healey I built years ago. Before anyone asks, a "badboy" Healey is a V8 powered Healey...

Jetcoat's site is at

http://www.jetcoat.com/customer/index3.html

Badboy Healey site is at

www.ntahc.org/modifiedhealeys

Oh...I thought you were losing interest in finishing it up. That's good to hear :)

General component temps

Sealing it from oxidation, not heat transfer, and the difference is probably negligible.[/QUOTE] Well can it still transfer heat as efficiently as if it wasn't sealed w/ a powdercoat or clearcoat? Because the underside is obviously the hot side, and the top side that's now sealed is the main area heat's gonna be disappated into the surrounding air...

wow , i really need to make friends with a local powdercoater. so I can PC most of the parts on my RX2. hmmm powdercoat looks so good.

Jim,

I don't think it was the chrome powder that could not take the heat. I think it was the clear. But then again my XS downpipe was powder coated black and it basically disappeared.

I powder coated all the other brackets in the bay and they are fine.

My only point is I have not had luck with powder and high heat.

Chris

If you want it to look like chrome then why don't you get chrome?

I can't speak for him, but I'll tell ya I would never chrome my parts because a) it's very expensive, and b) it's sooo high maintenance. Chrome will rust like crazy if you don't take care of it very well. Sure, polished items can dull after a while, but you can always just rebuff 'em, right Dave?

basically chrome attracts heat.

It attracts it? How? Or do you mean it retains heat? (ie dissipates less heat)?

my bad I wordered it wrong
it retains heat

Gotcha. I didn't know that. I'd think ANY coating would retain heat to an extent... which is why I don't know if powdercoating or clearcoating/sealing piping and what not is such a good idea? I'd understand doing so to an IC, in which you WANT to retain the temperature inside, and reduce the effect of the hot engine bay temps on the outside. But for parts that get real hot, powdercoating & sealing just seems counter-intuitive to me...

Rami, chrome work does not cost much more than powder coating. At least the place here in Annapolis that does it has good prices compared to the powder coating shop in Elkridge. Secondly Jims car is garage kept from what i understood and i doubt that he will be driving it in the rain much. So I don't see the issues with keeping the chrome clean. It's really not much more than wiping it off once a week or polish it with some semichrome once a month. Not a that big of a deal to be honest. Especially considering the work that has already been put into his car.
I've seen the "chrome" powders from Eastwood on some fd3 parts before. I thought it looked nothing like chrome. It doesn't look bad but it is in no way reflective like chrome. It's more like shiney alluminum. Jim I don't think that there really is a powder that is actually reflective like chrome even though some are advertised as such. You might as well just go with whatever silver they have available.

Chrome is heavy. I know it won't make that much of a diff. If he's just doing a few parts, but if he wants to do do the rear suspension and various engine parts, it adds up. You're adding several layers of heavy metals to the existing parts. Although I'm sure it won't make a difference with Jim's torque-monster V8!

I don't mean this in a negative way, but Fd3Bosst... What's with the stupid clowns? I hate clowns.

So don't use any in your avatar, however this is mine so piss off. :D

Back on topic, I could understand the weight issue but i doubt it's a serious issue. Especially now that Jim has all that V8 muscle. Besides i didn't see him mention trying to save weight.

1. I'm looking for a "polished aluminum" appearance without the maintenance required by polished aluminum. Much of what I'm going to have coated is already polished, but some is not and I don't plan on having it polished first. Some of it is steel. I want a uniform finish on all the parts.

2. Chrome plating does not add a significant amount of weight. If you consider that you're adding layers of metal that are a only few microns thick, you're adding very little weight at all.

3. Chrome doesn't stick to aluminum well and tends to flake.

If you smooth aluminum first then powdercoat it with the chrome or argent silver. you get a very shiny chrome/anodized look. I have some chrome powder on order and will post some pics when i get a few parts done.

I posted above that I have 5 lbs. on the way myself. :)

what clear did you get?

None. The shop that will be coating my parts already has clear.