What do you kids think?

El Corvino · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject: What do you kids think?

I had my frame powder coated about 2 months ago as most of you should remember. It was on a pallet indoors for a while and then I recently brought it outside. I have already noticed RUST spots? WTF is that? Isn't powder coating supposed to prevent this entirely? Should I bring it back to the place and tell them to redo it and get their stuff right this time? Or is this normal and I'm just expecting a bit to much?

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1996 Ford Thunderbird Pearl White - NO MORE

1992 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale (My Baby)

1982 El Camino - Parts car

1984 El Camino - Vett LT1 stroked 383

2005 Ford Ranger Edge

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ps · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:59 pm Post subject:

I'd say to get the propriator of the powder coating joint down there in your place and let him get an inside view of the makings of rust. Maybe they had the lights out while they were processing your frame, (trying to save ON THE ELECTRIC BILL)!!! Anyway all the rust should have been cleared, cleaaned and otherwise rust free before the paint. We all know what happens when we paint over rust. Good Luck with the Elky...

El Corvino · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:12 pm Post subject:

I'm only 21, but was taught long ago to pay everything with a credit card. I think employees of American Express are a bunch of gangsters. lol I got 6 months to make a dispute, and they almost immediately give me back my money!

I sent them an email with the same pictures, and will await their response. I will gladly allow them to redo the frame... as it is the only thing they did for me that I am now having issues with. If they don't want to, I will dispute the charge and have the frame redone somewhere else.

Poltergeist · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:43 pm Post subject:

It all depends on the coverage. Powder coating is hard to get in all the nooks and crannies so rust can and will show up in some areas.
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El Monstero · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:35 am Post subject:

Most shops do a crappy job they dont follow the right steps for a long lasting no rust paint job of any kind, here is the right way. The only way to know if your going to get a nice powder coat or paint job is to find a good body shop that follows these steps for prep:

"Having it done somewhere would make this their responsibility, but the first essential step is to remove ALL grease and oil. I worked in the plating industry years ago, for a small company where the owners let me do work on my own stuff after hours. I stripped oil, paint and rust off of a lot of parts for my 46 Ply, till I finally set up my own small system at home. The importance of removing all oil is illustrated by what happens if you touch a part just prior to plating - no matter how clean your hands are there will be a nice little finger print in the plating when you're done. I know you're not talking about plating your frame, but it shows what just the slightest bit of oil can do to you.

In the shop we used muriatic acid, because it is much faster, and rinses off better than phosphoric acid, which is what I used at home. If someone stopped you to talk for just a minute or two after you pulled a part out of the muriatic tank, you could stand there and just watch it turn brown - rusting before your eyes. On the other hand I have parts I stripped with phosphoric more than 25 years ago, just pulled it out and hung it up to dry (without rinsing), and it is still bare steel, unpainted all these years, and not a speck of rust. (This is the same acid used in metal-etches, at least it was back in the '80's.)

I stripped the paint off of my doors in a system I built at home, in a cattle stock tank. I used a type of alkline soak, heated as hot as I could get it, with a piece of conduit running back and forth in the back, hooked to a small hot water heater and a sump pump. I had trouble with apparently not getting all of the residue off in the door jamb areas, where I didn't need to sand a lot, so the paint has flaked off for me.

But back to acid stripping, I'd think it is a good idea as long as it is either done with phosphoric, or is dipped in a phosphoric rinse after rinsing to remove the (faster working) muriatic acid. It would be a wonder to me if these places that offer this service do not also offer a paint dip after cleaning. I know a frame is a big piece to work with, but they should have (extremely) hot water rinses after the final cold rinse, to dry it off as fast as possible (or just run it through an oven, like a powder coating dry off oven).

Another concern I heard about years ago, but have never seen confirmed, is the idea that acid-dipping changes the tensile strength of the steel in some way, making it harder, and thus more prone to cracking under stress (as opposed to simply bending). Anyone out there know about this, if it's true or not?

Very important step most shops dont do!!!!!!!

Chemical stripping via submersion – Acid is the most common method used, usually hydrochloric acid (HCI), also know as muriatic acid. Other methods are Alkali and electrolytic, which will be discussed further in detail. Now back to the acid dip. I have used this method on a ’65 GTO I restored and although it is effective in removing rust from hidden and hard to reach places, such as rocker panels and seams, etc., it is extremely difficult to completely remove the acid residue from those same hard to reach areas, especially the seams and lap joints in the sheet metal. Although the dipping facility is supposed to pressure wash and “bake out” any residue from the seems, there’s a good chance they won’t get it all and the acid will ultimately reactivate and all it will take is a tiny bit of moisture to get it started again. The problem is you won’t see it, because it will be in a lap joint that is seam-sealed and painted over. This will provide a nice cocoon for the rust process to lay dormant until it makes a hideous reappearance sometime down the road. A tiny crack in the paint and / or a poorly sealed seem can provide a path for moisture to get in start the process.

Elcaminonyc · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:32 am Post subject:

Powder coating is just like paint-----it will only get to the areas that it can be sprayed on---the areas inside the frame rails are difficult to reach and therefore will probably not be coated---However---in your case there is one of the areas in a photo that you have taken that should be coated----------as far as the inside areas---POR 15 them and forget them ---they will never give you an issue again----I would have the owner of the shop view the unprotected area in the picture, and insist that they redo the job---just my 2 cents.

Pete NYC\ATL