Better for powdercoating?

[Mantis]

If I'm going to buy a new body for my RT Pro and send it away to have it powdercoated, which finish is better, black or polished? Or does it matter?

[xmetal2001]

i wouldn't think that it would matter since they take off anysort of finish before the powdercoat it.

[shartley]

Mantis
Polished….

xmetal2001
Actually most of the Powder Coating places (for Markers) require you to have it stripped BEFORE sending to get Powder Coated. And those that do not, will charge you for it. At least that is what I have seen…..

[BlackVCG]

It's better to get a black mainbody, bead blast it and then get it powdercoated. You want a slightly rough finish for the powdercoat to grab onto. A bead blasted mainbody is just that. Also, do NOT get the part of the mainbody that contacts the rail powdercoated. They do make special high temp masking tape that you can use to mask off the portions of the mainbody you don't want any powdercoat on. The inside of the feed tube, the inside of the mainbody and the portion that contacts the rail would be spots to mask off.

[shartley]

Thanks for clearing that up Black… like I said… every place I have seen suggests that you can Powder Coat either a polished body, OR blasted. I guess it would depend on if the individual has the funds to get it blasted? And if they did not want the extra hassle of sending it out to get blasted, it only makes sense to get it polished? That would save a step…

Like I said, I have heard that a slightly rough texture does hold more easily, BUT that it is not a requirement. In fact, the ONLY requirement I keep reading about is that the part is rust, paint and debris free.. period. And even the Paint Free requirement only applies to certain things. For example, you CAN Powder Coat over paint as long as the part can still take the charge… This is also done with multiple coats of Powder Coating. After all, after the first coat, it WILL be smooth, AND have paint on it. ;)

I am not trying to be difficult, but although what you said makes sense, it just does not fit with “requirements” that I have been reading about from Paintball Marker Powder Coaters and Auto Parts Powder Coaters. I am sure there is a reason for this, and that you will explain… you know me, I like to know the facts… and the reasons behind them.

Also, you mentioned not to powder coat the part where it touches the rail.. why is that?

[Snooky]

Also, you mentioned not to powder coat the part where it touches the rail.. why is that?

it wont fit correctly on the mainbody than.

[shartley]

Snooky
I thought that is what he was going to say… but…… (again not trying to be a pain) I have seen MANY Powder Coated parts that have not taped off that area.

And I have seen them posted here on AO, and on other sites, and they seem to just Powder Coat the entire part (minus inside). When I look at the pictures of people’s Powder Coat jobs, the entire part is painted.. or at least that is the way it looks from the pictures.

Are you both saying that the tolerances are SO high that a little paint will throw off the way the parts fit together? If so, I would say we are dealing with MUCH higher quality equipment than I thought…

Again, what you say sounds good, until you actually think about it…. But maybe I think too much? Please verify that it will indeed mess up the way the parts go together… and in that case all the parts I have seen Powder Coated here on AO made the markers unusable…… that is unless what I saw, was not an accurate picture of the parts after painting. I can understand not wanting a thick buildup of paint, but a couple thin coats would seem to be quite alright.

Again... unless what I have seen here and on other sites WERE masked off, but just did not look like it. That could very well be.

This is really interesting….

[p8ntballa]

Originally posted by shartley
Snooky

And I have seen them posted here on AO, and on other sites, and they seem to just Powder Coat the entire part (minus inside). When I look at the pictures of people’s Powder Coat jobs, the entire part is painted.. or at least that is the way it looks from the pictures.



Again... unless what I have seen here and on other sites WERE masked off, but just did not look like it. That could very well be.

This is really interesting….

Redrider tapes it off. You just cant tell when its on the gun.

[shartley]

p8ntballa
Thanks. Like I said, I looked at many pictures and none of them showed it clearly… even the ones OFF the Marker.

That is what I needed to know. :)

Again.. thanks.

[Croix71]

Originally posted by shartley
Snooky
Are you both saying that the tolerances are SO high that a little paint will throw off the way the parts fit together?

I had my mainbody powdercoated and it wasn't taped off. :D Had I known there was such a thing as high temperature masking tape I would've had the main body taped off just in case. Luckily my barrel, valve, and rail still attach fine.

[shartley]

Croix71
Yes, they have High Temp. Fiberglass Masking Tape. You can get it in various sizes from very thin (used to make intricate designs like flamework) to ½ inch and 1 inch widths. I am sure you can get even wider widths, but they are not really needed. I was informed that for large areas (such as on auto parts) you can use aluminum foil taped on with the Fiberglass Tape. That actually makes sense.. and more economical to boot.

I am glad your Marker fit together fine... I suspect that most would. But if the common thing is to mask it off.... that is the way to go.

And as for taping off the internal parts (such as barrels, etc.) they have High Temp. Silicone Plugs that I am sure would work for many parts. And then use the Tape for the parts that will not work well with a plug… such as the power feeds, on the inside of barrels to cover the porting, etc.

They have lots of goodies… :D

[BlackVCG]

Shartley-

I didn't say it was a REQUIREMENT to get a black body and bead blast it. I just said it was a better choice. Granted I doubt you thought I was saying it was a requirement, I just wanted to clarify my words. ;) If you do have a choice, get a black body and get it bead blasted. Bead blasting it should take no more than about 5 min to do. The powder coater should have a bead blaster or if you know anyone in your neighborhood that has one you can always see if they'll do it for you. You shouldn't have to pay more than $5 to get it blasted if even that.

Also, the reason why you don't want to powder coat the rail contacting portion of the mainbody is because of the tolerance issues. You're dealing with a gun that holds .001" tolerances. Most powder coat jobs won't be thick enough to make a significant difference, but you're just better off not messing with any tolerances by adding a layer of paint inbetween the rail and mainbody. Also, AGD does not warranty mainbodies that have been powdercoated on the portion that contacts the rail. Just one more reason not to risk anything by not getting it masked off.

[ProjectMag]

Back when I had my RetroMag, I had the body powdercoated by Redrider. He didn't mask off the bottom where the body contacts the rail but everything fit together fine and worked flawlessly. I don't think there is much to worry about if the powdercoater doesn't mask those areas off - maybe if you're having the body AND rail done it might be a good idea.

[Snooky]

ok to clarify what i said is that its possible if they do the underside that they body wont fit together. some would be fine and some others may not. I also have seen them done both ways and they both seem to work. redrider just doesnt do the bottom incase the chance of it not working occurs. hope this helps.

[Croix71]

Just to be safe speak with the person powdercoating and see if they've worked with paintball guns before. Talk to them about the different body types (black or polished) that are availabe to you and see what they have to say. Also bring up possible tolerences issues that were brought up in this thread and go from there.

[shartley]

Thanks Black.... sorry so short, but I have been struck HARD with the flu..... I just did not want you to think I was ignoring you.....

Again, thanks...