SignalTraffic Forums

by **TheHOODLUM** on Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:49 pm

from the photos you guys posted it appears that the finish is glossy. Does powder coating come in either flat, semi gloss or gloss? I know we have had the gloss debate many times but from what I have seen signals seem to have had a semi gloss finish that oxidizes to flat over the years. I would want to go with a semi gloss or gloss and the insides of the visors flat black. Can a good powder coater do that? (sorry to sound dumb).

by **JVC8230** on Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:09 am

TheHOODLUM wrote:from the photos you guys posted it appears that the finish is glossy. Does powder coating come in either flat, semi gloss or gloss? I know we have had the gloss debate many times but from what I have seen signals seem to have had a semi gloss finish that oxidizes to flat over the years. I would want to go with a semi gloss or gloss and the insides of the visors flat black. Can a good powder coater do that? (sorry to sound dumb).

They did offer me a choice of how glossy I wanted. He also said he COULD do the insides of the visors, but I opted to spray them myself.

by **gwlreno** on Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:59 pm

The colors themselves come in different levels of gloss, but you can also add a clear coat on top of the color coat to give you the level of gloss you want.

As for matching the colors, the best way to do it is to go to http://www.prismaticpowders.com/ , check out their colors and when you find one or more that you like, you can request swatches of those colors to give you a truer representation of the color. I think they'll give you up to five swatches free.

by **signalstand** on Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:37 pm

does the process foul up the threads at all and make it more difficult to reassemble?

by **2070** on Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:51 pm

signalstand wrote:does the process foul up the threads at all and make it more difficult to reassemble?

I really do not know, But I think some people do re-tap the holes when they have gotten stuff back....

OCC uses big hammers to get their motorcycles back together........ :Phil:

by **jab8356** on Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:19 pm

signalstand wrote:does the process foul up the threads at all and make it more difficult to reassemble?

I have never had a problem with the powder coating getting into a threaded hole, but I do clean out everything with a tap before I reassemble. For external threads, the place I use always covers the threads with plastic so the powder coating stays off the threads.

by **Troy** on Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:18 pm

When I was restoring pedal cars pretty regularly, any holes where rivets or bolts passed through came back smaller. Powdercoat is rather "thick" compared to paint and all of the stock steering, rear axle and wheel holes had to be drilled out back to the correct size.

Also, you may get lucky and catch them when they're getting ready to coat something else in the same color. That's happened to me a few times and the price to jump in on that coating batch was much less.

by **Canuck_in_TX** on Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:50 am

signalstand wrote:does the process foul up the threads at all and make it more difficult to reassemble?

One place I used to powercoat my two 4-way signals had a special tape that they use when they want to cover something from being powder-coated. The owner told me it isn't cheap.

Strip all the parts down into pieces but be sure to keep track of everything you bring in. I usually print up a sheet with what all there is and have the place go through the list with me. It's counted when I drop it off and then checked again when it's picked up just to be sure all the parts are accounted for.

I'll be taking some signal stuff to be powder-coated tomorrow to a place called DFW Coating. I had him do the metal bleachers in my Chicago Coin Deluxe World Series arcade baseball game and it turned out great and not a bad price either.

by **gwlreno** on Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:46 am

As far as protecting the threads from getting powder into them, male threads should be wrapped with tape, either the special high temperature masking tape or teflon pipe thread tape which is what I use. I prefer the pipe thread tape for a number of reasons; First of all it's a lot less expensive and it conforms to the surface of the threads better. For female threads they make assortments of silicone plugs that will fit into the holes and keep the powder out.

You guys have got me all stirred up about powder coating now and I'm more determined than ever to get back into it this winter. I've got a couple of heaters in my garage, so the cold won't be a problem. Hopefully I'll be able to post some results sometime after the first of the year.

by **signalstand** on Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:08 am

Excellent input from you all thanks! I have the signal stripped down to bare aluminum and I am getting ready to start making :phone:

and getting quotes. There are three listed in town under powder coating so I will see where it goes from here.

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