It’s no secret that powder coating is one of the strongest coatings out there and it can handle a lot of abuse before it will chip, fail, or even scratch. This makes it a choice for most industrial applications and also on automotive parts. With the majority of our customers using their Eastwood Powder Coating Gun on automotive parts we often get asked about the rust resistance for powder coating once the coated parts has been installed on the vehicle. Below we give some facts and tips for resisting rust when powder coating a part.
1.Any Rust Is Bad Rust- The powder coating process requires the surface to be as clean as possible. Because powder needs to be baked on impurities in the surface can burn off and push through the powder when it is flowing out. We always suggest as a best practice to media blast items before powder coating them. When you media blast the part you should be able to get the metal as clean as possible and remove any paint, grease, rust, or anything else on the surface. A clean surface will be the best for powder adhesion and it will also ensure no rust can spread under the powder.
2. Full Coverage is Key- Powder coating does seal up the surface of the metal and as long as you completely cover the entire surface the metal won’t rust over time. This means you need to get a full coat over the metal with no bare or thin areas. If the powder is just dusted on and doesn’t fully cover the metal it could allow air and moisture to get down to the surface create rust.
3. Check Powder For Chips- A properly powder coated surface won’t rust, but once powder chips and is compromised it can allow the metal to rust if bare metal is exposed after the powder chips away. If this happens you can do spot repairs on powder by adding a small dab of powder over the chip and baking the part or using a heat lamp or heat gun to flow the powder back into the surface. This will seal the area back up and also hide the damage. This is one of the nice things about powder over traditional sprayed on coatings!
4. Powder Coating Doesn’t Stop Rust- Unlike Eastwood Rust Encapsulator Powder Coating won’t stop existing rust fully, but it can slow the process down in theory by sealing up the metal from additional air and moisture getting to it. But as mentioned above powder coating doesn’t cure very well over pre-existing rust of coatings and your results may be unsatisfactory.
So there you have it. Powder Coating steel won’t rust if you prep the area correctly and fully coat and cure the powder. For our full line of powder coating supplies you can visit our site HERE.