Not that I do a lot of fabrication, but I didn’t even consider powder coating for a project, naively thinking that it wasn’t possible without a semi-pro shop. Thanks to John Saunders’ video, I know now what my next toy tool purchase is going to be.
John was selling machined aluminum camera mounts and wanted a nicer finish. He wasn’t running large enough batches to anodize, but wanted the flexibility to change colors. When he got fed up with smelly spray paint that chipped, he went looking for other solutions. He found the Craftsman Powder Coat gun and a $25 toaster oven does the trick, and doesn’t even require an air compressor.
16 thoughts on “Powder Coating in a Toaster Oven”
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Cool! I had been thinking about sending out, but after watching his videos, there’s no need.
I’m definitely giving this a shot.
Thanks, Jason, for posting this! Definitely encourage folks to try. The craftsman powder coat guns are still available on ebay (for a great price). It’s a lot of fun!
Seems great for smaller parts, but for bigger stuff, look on CL for a used electric oven. My buddy has the craftsman gun and with that and the oven, he powdercoated my intake manifold for me. He’s even done his own rims with that setup.
NICE! Yea, getting a used oven is usually pretty easy and MUCH easier than using a toaster (toaster works fine, but you cannot ding the part after the powder is applied / before it’s cured – and a larger workspace of an oven makes this easier). Nice job on the intake manifold. Don’t those get pretty hot, though? I wouldn’t think powder coating would hold up above it’s cure temp of ~400 degrees….
It’s almost to simple!
Very simple to follow! great for beginners!
[…] of my new obsessions is powder coating. So far, everything I know about it came from this Make Magazine article. (thanks […]