Type's of finishes

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Here is the big brother to 'my first project on new forge' post I did a while ago.I have not decided on a finish for it yet but I am getting a little sick of black paint.Does anyone know of any good finishes that I could use??.I have sprayed things before with Penetrol before (Penetrol is a penetrating primer oil and surface conditioner) and than sprayed it with a clear top coat, so the true steel colours show through rust and all. Simonhttp://members.optusnet.com.au/~abba/index.html Attached Images
Reply:Nice work.One option is to take your oa outfit and using an nuetral or oxesidising flame do a random pattern on it so that you get several colors in bands(blues,reds,golds)then hit it with a clear coat.Just stay away from an acetelene or fuel rich flame or you'll get a lot of soot(course that could be cool also).
Reply:Yes, it is strange how everyone opts for black.There's that mottled green aged faux copper look. Or the White Knight 'Hammer Finish' paints. They come in lots of colours and can be brushed on or sprayed on.Being a non traditionalist, if I had the skills to make that sort of thing I'd be painting it a bright colour.Scott
Reply:I did some work for a rustic furniture company a while back.  They produced items similar to what you have there.  They'd let the steel rust and then give coat it with beeswax to preserve it.  It gave it a very nice finish.-Heath
Reply:I like the idea of beeswax over rust, Heath. Rusted (but preserved) sheeting/cladding is something a few architects are using these days to great effect. How can rust be encouraged to form? Scott
Reply:simple degrease(any good cleaning solution),make sure to wear some latex gloves or use wire to pick up(finger prints no matter how clean ur hand will leave trace oils...therefore finger shaped differences in the rust covering.quick rust coating...dip in salt or dilute battery acid solution let standlonger but more even coating....place in small enclosed space and put a container or two of any acid few inches away from part and let sit until desired finish is obtained.either way once you get the patina you want mix up a batch of water and baking soda(or other base)and do a dip or good spray...rinse clean.repeat wash and rinse several times till no salt crystals or acid smell remain.dry thoroughly then seal with what ya got handy......rust looks good but youll want to stop it from getting worse if its going to be handled in anyway and u intend the peice to stick around for awhile.If ya have any gun smiths local they will prob have the acids..,just tell em u want to brown it not blue it(course that could be nice also)if not muriatic(brick and concrete cleaner,swimming pool supplies...)sulfuric(car batteries and clean from autoparts or cycle shop) or worst case scenario vinegar(will take a looong time)special solutions can be bough from metal finishers ,platers or jewlry supply places but not only am i a redneck im a cheap sob also...
Reply:Case color the thing! Would look good, and rpovide for a durable finish. If ya do not know what i mean call your local gusmith. Good luck!
Reply:The powder coating industry really has some neat finishes available now.  There are metal flakes, patinas and even clear powder coat finishes that look really good.  There is just so many new powder coating products out now.  Just a suggestion.
Reply:txag98, welcome to the party! And you are correct,there are many really cool p.c. finishes.
Reply:Any of you guys heard of people making their own powder coating ovens.  It seems like a fairly simple process, just need a decent sized oven to finish projects in.  It needs to heat to around 400f, correct?  I don't think that trying it in our oven at home will be condusive to me have a longterm marriage  .
Reply:Originally Posted by cslyngerI don't think that trying it in our oven at home will be condusive to me have a longterm marriage  .
Reply:Originally Posted by imagineerTo powdercoat 6 dozen house number frames (fund raiser for my kids school), the local coater wanted $15 each ($1080.00 !!).   I went to the appliance section of the local Goodwill thrift store and got an old GE electric oven for $25.   Another $20 or so and I made a 220V extension cord to run the oven outside my workshop.   I was able to cook 6 frames at a time.   I should add that I also had to spend about $190 for an electrostatic gun and powder supplies.   So for less than 1/4 the price, I was able to do it myself and now I'm set up to tackle more "small" jobs.
Reply:Hey guys anyone interested in a basic powdercoating kit you may want to go to eastwoodco.com  I have never bought powdercoat from them but have bought other things, always been pretty good.http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...ProductID=5572
Reply:It seems like the biggest drawback to powder coating is the size restriction of the oven.  Has anyone tried this on a larger scale, that is, some type of makeshift booth with a heater inside?   I don't think most Kerosene or gas portable heaters would get close the temperature required?
Reply:If I'm not mistaken, it needs to get to 450 degrees. Elctric heating would be the way to go, with 240 ac power. I am not sure how to go about it, but I think this set up would do wonders for large scale parts. Of course the booth would have to be insulated.
Reply:Temp depends on the powder, and the part- some thicker metal parts need to soak at higher heats, others lower, but 350 to 500 seems about right for most. I have done a lot of really big powdercoated stuff, sent it out to a place that had an oven as big as a 20 foot container- 20' x 8' x 8'. There cant be any breezes in there- even though the powder gets electrostatically stuck to the metal, once the gun ground is disconnected, you are relying on a residual static charge to keep the powder there- it will fall off if you knock it hard, or if wind or a fan blows on it. But powdercoating is not a great finish for outdoor stuff, longterm. the colors fade, and after a few years, on steel, if any chips or dings or thin spots at corners get water under em, the whole finish can start to peel off like a bad sunburn. Then you need to bake the rest off, in a 1500 degree to 2000 degree burnoff oven- then sandblast. So redoing a powdercoated finish on something like a fence, a few years down the line, can cost a LOT of money.I prefer a painted finish that you can touch up on site, with a brush, that you can wire brush or sand out the bad spots. Nothing beats sandblast, and then primer, and then a couple of coats of a good, expensive, epoxy paint, for outdoor metalwork.Me, I make all my outdoor work out of stainless these days- no paint, no rust, no refinishing. This fence is 2" pipe around the outside, solid 5/8" and 3/4" bar for the leaves, all hand forged for texture before cold bending and tig welding. Attached Images
Reply:When I went to secondary school, in metalwork we made a set of BBQ tools and on the handles we heated them gently with a LPG flame and sprinkled on some powder, than slowly heated the powder until it all melted to form one smooth plastic type finish.I guess it was a form of powder coating.Has anyone seen anything similar?Simonhttp://members.optusnet.com.au/~abba/index.html
Reply:That's a fantastic gate, Reis - I really like those non traditional designs. I bet it cost a fortune - having just had my first experience with stainless, I can't believe how expensive that stuff is. Still, not having to maintain it is a blessing.I did the set out for a small side gate on the weekend. Years ago I made my only previous gate using those off-the-shelf scrolls, rosettes and things. I was going to do something similar with this one, till I realised I didn't want a gate made from components that could end up looking like any other gate in the neighbourhood. So it's back to square one on the design.
Reply:My all time favorite finish is none. I've made projects out of CorTen. this is a HSLA steel with a high copper content. When left to weather it will skin a rich coco brown and seal itself from further oxidation.  The only exception is if the material will be exposed to salt spray (on the ocean) it will just rust there.
Reply:Originally Posted by hdwoodMy all time favorite finish is none. I've made projects out of CorTen. this is a HSLA steel with a high copper content. When left to weather it will skin a rich coco brown and seal itself from further oxidation.  The only exception is if the material will be exposed to salt spray (on the ocean) it will just rust there.
Reply:I have seen cor-ten used in ag irrigation pipes, but never tried using it for outdoor projects,  That's something that never crossed my mind.  I might give that a try sometime.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by cslyngerAny of you guys heard of people making their own powder coating ovens.  It seems like a fairly simple process, just need a decent sized oven to finish projects in.  It needs to heat to around 400f, correct?  I don't think that trying it in our oven at home will be condusive to me have a longterm marriage  .
Reply:This is an interesting thread.  I am planning on making a brass and glass entertainment center this upcoming weekend. My plan was to faux finish the steel in an antique brass finish.
Reply:If you gently heat the the workpeice then brush with a brass brush [seude shoe brush ]the brass adheres to the high lighted areas especially on forged work , copper sulphate applied hot will give the steel a copper verdigree look then just wax or seal it to keep out the atmosphere.Marky
Reply:Sorry forgot to mention if you mix feric [iron] nitrate with water ,approx 1 tea spoon per pint of water and paint it on this will give an orange colour ,another method is to gently heat the work piece then rub it with wax crayons of the desired colour ,let it cool then rub with a cloth this again works realy wellwith forged work .Marky