DJK Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Is it possible or has anyone powder coated the front t/s bezels, t/l bezels, hood and trunk trim pieces? They appear to be pot metal???? 52 Plymouth. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busycoupe Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 I have not tried that but I am sure that it is possible. Last summer I was at a car show and saw a Model A Fored with a powder coated radiator surround and powder coated bumpers. They looked pretty good, and I'm sure that it was much less expensive than plating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desoto1939 Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 If the pot metal is pitted and in very rough condition you might have to grind down the piece to get to a good smooth surface. I do not think that the powder coating will fill in the pits but if it does then the points or high spots would show. Think of this way. To have a great paint job on a car you need to get rid of the imprefections. Paint does not hide imperfections it only enhances these items. so I would talk to you powder coating person and ask them these questions. They would know what can and can not be done and should know about the pot metal and the pitting issue. rich Hartung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJK Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 That was my thought, that it would be cheaper and more convenient(20 miles away). Just not sure if the pieces are pot metal or not and if it is possible to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJK Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 2 minutes ago, desoto1939 said: If the pot metal is pitted and in very rough condition you might have to grind down the piece to get to a good smooth surface. I do not think that the powder coating will fill in the pits but if it does then the points or high spots would show. Think of this way. To have a great paint job on a car you need to get rid of the imprefections. Paint does not hide imperfections it only enhances these items. so I would talk to you powder coating person and ask them these questions. They would know what can and can not be done and should know about the pot metal and the pitting issue. rich Hartung Yes , they are pitted, I will talk to the local guy. Thanks for the response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 A local fellow had some of his potmetal pieces done in the chrome coating. Look pretty good unless you getup close and really look they are fine for a driver level refurbished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJK Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 greg g, mine is definitely a driver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 many folks turn to the DIY at home Killer Chrome kit offered by Alsa…..allows for easy repair of the pits as it is designed to apply to a gloss black pre-finish...may be of interest for you to look at this product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 with powder coat you can not use body filler or any other type of filler to fill pits. Won't stand up to the 400 degrees in the oven. I just ground down, filled with weld and sanded the bumpers for my wife's 55 Pontiac. They go to the powder coat guy next week. I'm using Prismatic Powders super chrome. All the bumper parts will take about 4lbs of powder. With shipping $95. The cost for the sand blasting, application and baking, and a clear coat on top so two bakings is $400. I couldn't send it down to get it chromed and returned for that. + the bumpers needed a lot of work. Took me 6 days of 6 to 7 hours each to repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrendek7777 Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 I do not know a ton about the powder coat process, I have my interior door trim out getting done as we speak, but they were in good shape so shouldn't be too difficult on those items... I do have a set of 4 wheels that were powdercoated and 1 of them is noticeably bumpy, obviously from being rusty before coating... After talking to the coater several times he did mention there is only so much he can do with sandblasting, and imperfections can be magnified by the process... As proven by the one wheel that I have. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrendek7777 Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Sorry forgot to mention, the wheels are coated red, which obviously won't help hide the bumps. Maybe a darker color would work better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Casper50, show us a picture when you get the bumpers back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJK Posted January 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 On 1/24/2020 at 9:22 AM, casper50 said: with powder coat you can not use body filler or any other type of filler to fill pits. Won't stand up to the 400 degrees in the oven. I just ground down, filled with weld and sanded the bumpers for my wife's 55 Pontiac. They go to the powder coat guy next week. I'm using Prismatic Powders super chrome. All the bumper parts will take about 4lbs of powder. With shipping $95. The cost for the sand blasting, application and baking, and a clear coat on top so two bakings is $400. I couldn't send it down to get it chromed and returned for that. + the bumpers needed a lot of work. Took me 6 days of 6 to 7 hours each to repair. Just a thought, how about JB weld to fill the pits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 JB Weld has an extreme heat epoxy that would withstand the temp of the baking chamber. Perhaps the data sheet from that product is available online to see if it stays solid through the range of heat, will expand and contract the same as the metal it is applied onto. I would ask the shop doing the power coast if they have any experience with this or at worse, allow you to run a repaired piece through with a batch of stuff going through the oven to test its ability to withstand the process. Small item, small time and material investment, possible big time returns for your efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 UPDATE..as this question peaked my curiosity, quick look on the internet finds many shop using JB and a product called Lab Metal of which I did not read of as it was not part of your question. Shrinkage is an issue and a few folks discussed their workaround for this issue and have reported excellent results......they note you will want to powder prime the item first and work this back down for the surface you wish then final color and bake.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 If only a few pits in steel it would be cheaper to weld and file smooth than to run it through the powder coat process twice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) 8 minutes ago, casper50 said: If only a few pits in steel it would be cheaper to weld and file smooth than to run it through the powder coat process twice. the original question to this thread was in reference to pot metal trim pieces, ie: bezels, hood ornaments, medallions and the like...steel is often an easy repair and less troublesome. This pot metal is less than friendly and super expensive for true chrome re-plating, especially the 52 Korean war era he also specifies. Lots of detail is often lost in the process at most shops that grind and buff then plate. While normal fill and paint approach with a body filler is a simple fix for the killer chrome, spray if you will, the effect of the baking heat to cure was the concern when powder coating. Edited January 27, 2020 by Plymouthy Adams 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper50 Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) https://www.google.com/search?q=fixing+pits+in+pot+metal&oq=fixing+pits+in+pot+metal&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5455j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_wfMuXuPdKc-80PEP05KI6As26 Edited January 27, 2020 by casper50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 27, 2020 Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) those muggy welder guys make it look so easy...but I wonder how much they destroyed gaining their experience. You see these guys at swap meets welding beer can holes, personally I have never seen the need to weld a beer can but the ability to do so is highly attractive. I would not recommend this process or procedure to anyone that is not experience in welding pot metals, they are very fragile in their metal composition that once you hit x temp it will sag into a ball of goo.....not saying or tying to talk anyone out of this line of repair, just stating it is not as simple as heat and touch with filler....though technically that is all you need to do....be careful, some of these parts are harder to come by and well, a pocked looking bezel is better than no bezel at all. Edited January 27, 2020 by Plymouthy Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJK Posted January 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 Great info guys, thank you all. I have not talked to the local guy yet, just gathering some much appreciated info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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