Anyone used the harbor freight powdercoating system?

Rudisill · 03-17-2007, 09:55 PM

Here's what I'm talking about.

Coming from harbor fright, I know it's not the best quality. But, have any of you used them before? It's pretty cheap at $100. I've also got a harbor freight locally, so I wouldn't pay shipping.

Do you think I would be satisfied with this system? Are all powderoating guns created equal?

Rap4paintball · 03-17-2007, 10:32 PM

A with anything from harbor frieght, it will be lacking in quality, break, clog, malfunction for no reason, and you cannot buy parts for it without buying another powder gun. Plus you are going to need to buy the oven (unless you already have one), the harbor frienght ovens are $400.

Rudisill · 03-17-2007, 10:54 PM

You're probably right... I just found another one on caswellplating that is on sale for $100, so it's all moot any ways.

But wait, doesn't any electric oven work? I didn't think you had to buy a specialized oven for it.

Rap4paintball · 03-17-2007, 11:03 PM

as long as you have an extra oven that way you can dedicated one to food use and one to parts (i wouldnt want to eat food out of a powder coat oven) but im not sure of the temperature ranges and such needed for powdercoating, any experts here that can chime in?

Chemical-X · 03-17-2007, 11:27 PM

Harbor freight stores and the online site are not really affiliated. Do not rely on your store to even be able to order what is on the site.

HTRN · 03-18-2007, 04:23 AM

The spray system from HF has an excellent reputation - supposedly it's better than the more expensive gun available from Eastwood(who is a good source for powder, they carry a huge variety of it.

It it's only relatively small parts you're doing, forget the HF oven and get a toaster oven.

HTRN

Rudisill · 03-18-2007, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chemical-X

Harbor freight stores and the online site are not really affiliated. Do not rely on your store to even be able to order what is on the site.

The harbor fright near me has that exact same system in stock, right now. I posted the interent link so people would see what unit I was talking about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTRN

The spray system from HF has an excellent reputation - supposedly it's better than the more expensive gun available from Eastwood(who is a good source for powder, they carry a huge variety of it.

It it's only relatively small parts you're doing, forget the HF oven and get a toaster oven.

HTRN

I'd never even thought of using a toaster oven. And you can practiacally get those for free from yardsales, thrift stores, ect. Great idea!

C5TEK · 03-18-2007, 02:07 PM

Well I have the harbor freight setup...Bought it a couple years back. It works great. I have only done small parts so I just used an old toaster oven to bake the parts for a few hours.While it may not be the best setup out there it does have it's quirks but all in all for the $100 bucks it's worth it if you want to give it a try. And you'll find that a lot of auto paint places are now carrying all sorts of blends of powder coat to meet that demand so getting custom colors is getting easier.

jhyan · 03-18-2007, 03:11 PM

As long as your oven can hit about 400* you should be fine with a regular oven. As said before, don't use the oven for food once it's been used for PC... get an old junker oven (as long as it will get hot enough) and a grill thermometer (house ovens are often way off in thier temp readings). If you wait, you can get the HarborFreight gun for about $60 on sale.

HTRN · 03-19-2007, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhyan

As long as your oven can hit about 400* you should be fine with a regular oven. As said before, don't use the oven for food once it's been used for PC... get an old junker oven (as long as it will get hot enough) and a grill thermometer (house ovens are often way off in thier temp readings).

whatever you do, don't use A GAS OVEN! Open flames (like on a broiler) and powder do not mix!

Most electric ovens are acurate enough for what we want - the trick is to preheat the part, then return it to the oven. Now, don't go by the temp gauge - powder is very sensitive to temp, and different section thickness's heat differently - the best indication is by watching said part.

Yard sales are good for toaster ovens, best bet for electric wall ovens is local classifieds, or ideally, from somebody doing a remodel. Most ovens/stoves put out at the curb are thoroughly trashed.

To really do better than the HF or Eastwood gun, you have to commercial equipment, which is $$$$.

Oh! If you want to do something like motorcycle frames, and don't want to spring for a large oven(Which may run $20K), you can always build your own.

HTRN

03-17-2007, 09:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rudisill Active Member Join Date: Oct 2006	Anyone used the harbor freight powdercoating system? Here's what I'm talking about. Coming from harbor fright, I know it's not the best quality. But, have any of you used them before? It's pretty cheap at $100. I've also got a harbor freight locally, so I wouldn't pay shipping. Do you think I would be satisfied with this system? Are all powderoating guns created equal?

03-17-2007, 10:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rap4paintball Seasoned Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Ohio	A with anything from harbor frieght, it will be lacking in quality, break, clog, malfunction for no reason, and you cannot buy parts for it without buying another powder gun. Plus you are going to need to buy the oven (unless you already have one), the harbor frienght ovens are $400. __________________ My Feedback Am I really a dealer you ask? Verification Link: http://www.rap4.com/dealers/dealerde...dealers_id=416

03-17-2007, 11:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
Rap4paintball Seasoned Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Ohio	as long as you have an extra oven that way you can dedicated one to food use and one to parts (i wouldnt want to eat food out of a powder coat oven) but im not sure of the temperature ranges and such needed for powdercoating, any experts here that can chime in? __________________ My Feedback Am I really a dealer you ask? Verification Link: http://www.rap4.com/dealers/dealerde...dealers_id=416

03-18-2007, 04:23 AM	#6 (permalink)
HTRN Seasoned Member Join Date: Apr 2006	The spray system from HF has an excellent reputation - supposedly it's better than the more expensive gun available from Eastwood(who is a good source for powder, they carry a huge variety of it. It it's only relatively small parts you're doing, forget the HF oven and get a toaster oven. HTRN __________________ EGO partum , proinde EGO sum

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03-17-2007, 10:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
Rudisill Active Member Join Date: Oct 2006	You're probably right... I just found another one on caswellplating that is on sale for $100, so it's all moot any ways. But wait, doesn't any electric oven work? I didn't think you had to buy a specialized oven for it.

03-17-2007, 11:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
Chemical-X Post Whore Join Date: Apr 2006	Harbor freight stores and the online site are not really affiliated. Do not rely on your store to even be able to order what is on the site.

03-18-2007, 03:11 PM	#9 (permalink)
jhyan Cheffer Join Date: Apr 2006	As long as your oven can hit about 400* you should be fine with a regular oven. As said before, don't use the oven for food once it's been used for PC... get an old junker oven (as long as it will get hot enough) and a grill thermometer (house ovens are often way off in thier temp readings). If you wait, you can get the HarborFreight gun for about $60 on sale.