Buzzer Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 Anyone thought of zinc plating, or anyone done it?. This can be done to quite a high build up, type of silvery/gold finish used on bolts, small parts. Has to be thick enough to last 10 years (bolts don't). guess the limit is probalby the size of the plating bath. Not as good as galvanising, but you don't have to heat it up as it is an eletro plating process. I guess this could then be painted to provide even more protection, don't know how well this finish takes paint. Just a thought anyhow Dave Quote
Blatman Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 Eh? But powder coating involves shoving it in an oven for a couple of hours so what's the difference? Good question. I don't know how hot the galvanising tank is, but my local powdercoaters oven is run at about 150C, IIRC. IE, I didn't have to wait long (just a few minutes) to be able to handle my powdercoated parts once they came out of the oven...... Quote
Blatman Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 I love searching......... Powder Coating is an advanced yet simple way of spray-painting a very fine, dry plastic powder paint onto a metal surface. As the powder paint cloud gently leaves the front of the spray gun, it is charged with static electricity. The charge attracts the powder paint to the part that requires coating. The part is then placed in an oven, where it bakes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. While in the oven, the powder paint melts and flows into a beautiful and durable finish. Primers are not necessary. And there are no unsightly runs or drips, as often results with the use of wet paint. Prior to baking, powder coating is very forgiving of coating mistakes. Because it is powder, the paint can be blown with a low-pressure air nozzle, quickly and easily covering up the mistake. However, after the powder cures in the oven, mistakes can only be removed by sand blasting or burning it off. A cold liquid stripper is available but it is slow, extremely hazardous and could damage the metal itself. Recoating over an existing finish is difficult but possible. Which came from here. Galvanising info can be found here..... Galvanising takes palce at around 445 to 460 degreees centigrade....so quite a difference in "curing" temps..... Quote
Buzzer Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 Galvanising is a hot dip process. Any poisture/air inside the sealed chassis will epxand, and the welds/chassis rails will burst some more more opinions. At 450 degree C would this be a problem? Any some small holes drilled in the boxsections would eliviate this. Anyhow to weld the box section up in the 1st place you need a relief hole otherwise you will get pressure build up inside which will blow the weld. more to the point in galvanising I would think is, variable thickness in coverage, webbing across joints, filling tapped holes and any chance of distortion because of the heat. Dave Quote
Blatman Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 Any some small holes drilled in the boxsections would eliviate this. But the chassis would fill up with galvanising liquid, surely? Anyhow to weld the box section up in the 1st place you need a relief hole otherwise you will get pressure build up inside which will blow the weld. AIUI, there is enough gap in the materials being welded, so right up until the joint is sealed, expanding air has an escape route. MIG/TIG only heats reasonably locally to the weld, not the whole structure too..... I'd definitely be concerned with distortion, as well as putting the metal through a(nother) hot heat cycle...... Quote
Buzzer Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 But the chassis would fill up with galvanising liquid, surely Bu****r your probably right well would coat the inside as well then... not a good idea I think, uncontrolable process with the number of different sections. Quote
JasonR Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 From a half day visit to a galvanisers a couple of years ago I was under the impression that hollow objects have to be designed to be galvanised. Holes have to be left in the right places so that when the steel is dipped (from an overhead crane) gas can escape. I am sure they had a few storys of poorly designed metalwork which had buckled or exploded as it was dipped. Mind you it was all a few years ago so could be wrong. Quote
brianm Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 And even if galvanising was a safe option, I seem to recall a post on the Cobra website suggesting that it added almost 25kg to a bare Sumo chassis Brian. Sorry, lb not kg Quote
JonnyBoy Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 my chassis, whishbones, mounts,etc... and all recon'd suspension bits cost me a grand total of 70 pounds to be powdercoated. this included grit blasting, zinc oxide base coat and a glossy top coat! f**k painting! also...matt powdercoating like westfield use is effectively thinned down gloss....! The only problem with any of my powder coating is the westfield coated roll bar...in short...****e! I would imagine that painting the chassis will be a tremdously time consuming process and will cost you more in the long run! my tuppence worth anyhow Quote
brianm Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 Not wanting to stir anything up here, ,but a mate of mine built a bike engined Westy over autumn/winter 2002. Fully powder coated by the factory. All work was carried out in a modern block built garage, albeit un-heated. By the time, about 4/5 months, that he was at the bodywork stage the build had to be abandoned as most of the powder coat was lifting due to rust. All credit to Westfield they did what they could, ie supplied a new, heavily coated chassis with all panels/pipes/wiring fitted. Probably all they could do considering the stage of the build, but it should not have happened. He get get to keep the original and I think sold that on, but all that work Brian. Quote
Mark Stanton Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 My chassis is an 89 and was powder-coated by Westfield and all is still fine - The wishbones as you would expect being exposed were a different matter - these were re-furbed by Cat Motorsport Its all in the preparation a late Friday afternoon job happens from time to time and is no good to anyone whatever car you have Quote
brianm Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 a late Friday afternoon job happens from time to time and is no good to anyone Yeah, and in this context Mark, no other kitcar manufacturer could have done better, B Quote
steve wilson Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 Dont get it done black cos everyones got it. Choose a colour. All my steel is cadburys purple and it looks the dogs Quote
S8ight Posted July 5, 2003 Posted July 5, 2003 mines all coated bright blue, chassis and panels Quote
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