Powdercoating carbs?

NBraun

NBraun

Been Around the Block
Whats the general thoughts on powdercoating carbs? The Pros vs. Cons? I understand that theres a lot of taping required but i had to get them soda blasted anyways so i thought now would be a good time. I know powdercoat is tougher than paint too. Is there anything to watch out for? I can get them done for free so its just a matter of the effects of it. Thanks!
 
of course! we have coated carbs man!everything has to be gutted and plugging/masking is KEY... but comes out trick!

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I did a search for coating carbs so I could relate a recent experience I was informed of. JRK touched briefly on concerns. I had a member contact me to coat his carbs. MY price was outside his budget and went elsewhere for a better price. He now tells me there is overspray of powder in critical orifices and bare spots where powder is needed. Wants to know how to fix it. Well here is where the advantages of powder coating becomes a disadvantage. The powder is so durable it is very hard to remove. Next to impossible to remove and save any surrounding area from damage. Bare spots can be handled by adding a second coat to cover. But on carbs I want the powder to be just thick enough to cover, added thickness can raise issues on how the carbs may operate after reassembly. People think all you do is spray some powder on there and stick it in the oven. How hard or expensive can that be? Well those steps are the easy ones after all the "hard" prep is done. It may take an hour to properly mask and plug a carb body. I get $55/hr shop rate. That goes into the $65 I might get to coat a carb. The cleaning, blasting, cost of powder, time to coat, time to cure, etc. all fall into the other $15 I might get which shows there's not a lot of profit in there.
Production shops wouldn't even talk to you about a carb because they are not going to take the time necessary to prep one correctly for the profit margins they work on.
Find a coater with experience doing what you need and communicate every issue with them up front.
Same applies with brake calipers.
 
Hey I wanted my carbs powdered as well had it done by a pro with all proper prep, pre baked to burn off oils, blasted, and steam cleaned... well all the carbs had severe bubbling in the powder, only thing we didn't do was pre heat the part prior to coating. Will the pre heat solve this? Could this be because the carbs were covered in grease for 10 plus years? All tips appreciated as im willing to strip them and tape them up once more :'(
 
A couple of things happened here. One of the main ones is learning to know when this might happen. I now this is an issue and deal with it accordingly. The first thing to realize is they are cast metal and have a tendency to do what we call "outgassing" which is a process when the cast metal cools in the molds the metal shrinks and seals in gasses and casting debris in the pores of the surface. When that piece is thrown in the oven at 400* those pores open and release the gasses and debris. That's what caused all the bubbling in the finish. Add to that an improper media blast texture to hold the powder and then way too much powder will result in the posted outcome. After cleaning the part put it in the oven at 450*-500* for one hour do be sure any pores that may open at 400 will have opened and purged the debris and gasses. at this point you need to media blast all the crap away. Other parts might get an RO primer that aides in reducing the outgas issue. But with the primer, chrome and clear on a carb you are just asking for problems. Also, that carb is not disassembled fully. I would never coat the bowled carb assembled with the clip. It fuses all those parts as one. I would also pull my plugs before putting it in the oven. Once cured and you pull the plugs you will have a ragged edge of powder there that now needs addressing. if you pull the plugs before hand, or as the powder starts to flow, the edges will flow smooth and clean.

Without B17 stripper I'd say that carb is a throwaway unit at this point.
 
THEY CAME OUT GRATE !!!!! hahahahhaha a feller has got ta be some kinda fucked in the head to want to paint carbs in the first place ;D ;D ;D lmfao
 
xb33bsa said:
THEY CAME OUT GRATE !!!!! hahahahhaha a feller has got ta be some kinda fucked in the head to want to paint carbs in the first place ;D ;D ;D lmfao
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A good clean and maybe some polished bits (bowls/tops) is enough for me. P/C a carb, in my opinion, is unnecessary and a wast of funds.
 
Upon further inspection I realize that it might not be wrinkled powder on the bowl , but aluminum foil to mask it off. Either way I wouldn't quit my day job just yet to start doing PC.
 
o1marc said:
A couple of things happened here. One of the main ones is learning to know when this might happen. I now this is an issue and deal with it accordingly. The first thing to realize is they are cast metal and have a tendency to do what we call "outgassing" which is a process when the cast metal cools in the molds the metal shrinks and seals in gasses and casting debris in the pores of the surface. When that piece is thrown in the oven at 400* those pores open and release the gasses and debris. That's what caused all the bubbling in the finish. Add to that an improper media blast texture to hold the powder and then way too much powder will result in the posted outcome. After cleaning the part put it in the oven at 450*-500* for one hour do be sure any pores that may open at 400 will have opened and purged the debris and gasses. at this point you need to media blast all the crap away. Other parts might get an RO primer that aides in reducing the outgas issue. But with the primer, chrome and clear on a carb you are just asking for problems. Also, that carb is not disassembled fully. I would never coat the bowled carb assembled with the clip. It fuses all those parts as one. I would also pull my plugs before putting it in the oven. Once cured and you pull the plugs you will have a ragged edge of powder there that now needs addressing. if you pull the plugs before hand, or as the powder starts to flow, the edges will flow smooth and clean.

Without B17 stripper I'd say that carb is a throwaway unit at this point.
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thanks for the input marc, ended up stripping them and left them raw, all put back together and the bike is up and running now :)
 
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