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 xmetal2001

[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]

[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

[p8ntballa]

Originally posted by shartley
Snooky

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

[shartley]

p8ntballa

[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. 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

[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.