Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Powder Coat with JB weld?

Just disassembled the Bennet 640 to take it to the sandblaster. They can powder coat for only a little more than the strip and prime.
Problem is small dents. Cant use Bondo under powder coat, because it melts. They say you can use JB weld in small quantities. Anybody out there try this?
Or should I just prime and paint instead?

I was told by my powder coater that they could use JB Weld for the small stuff too. They have had good success with it. Can't beat the durability of a powder coat finish if the stuff isn't too rough.

James williams on this sight is a powder coater he coats over bondo as long as it is thin. I do not no how thick it can be. I also know there is 2 difernt types of guns for powder his does not require a ground it charges the powder buy its self. Look him up on hear and Email him I am sure he would be happy to awnser questions or help in anyway.
Thanks
Brandon

Hey Daddio. How big, and where are the dents? Have you tried to tap them out a bit? In my opinion, an attempt should be made to remove the dent. Bondo & JB Weld do have their place when doing body work. Have done it myself. But I try to keep it to a skim coat. How about a photo?

A product called lab metal is what most powder coaters recommend
Jeff

Thanks, gents. I am going to tap out the dents as much as possible. The worst is a slight crease and bend at the bottom of one door, plus a couple of coin-size dings. Will try to post some photos later.

They say they do powder coating in an oven, so the Bondo or even old fashioned lead melts. I have used JB weld on manifolds, etc, so it can take some heat. They said that the filler they use officially is pretty expensive, and may be the same stuff as JBweld.

I hope I am talking about just a skim coat over dents of 1/8 inch, max.

Hey there Daddio, I just picked up my freshly powder coated Bennett 966 doors, side skins, top, and misc. parts from my powder coater this weekend. I had some pretty good dimples creases and even a few small holes in the metal of my pump. I did a little research here and on the web. I discovered a product called Lab Metal by Alvin Products...http://www.alvinproducts.com/
I purchased the 12 ounce can of the regular Lab Metal and I have to say it worked perfectly and held through the heat process just as advertised. It comes out of the can like peanut butter and dries very fast. I was able to sand and feather in ten minutes. You have to be quick with Lab Metal. But it sands and files easy. They recommend that you purchase the solvent along with the filler and I would agree with them. It thins the filler enough to work it before it hardens. After sanding it appears bright and shiny just like the steel and it's hard to tell where the metal and filler meet. Very durable and very bonding. The regular product can take 350 degrees F. They make a high temperature Lab Metal that can take 1000 degrees F but my powder coater said it's overkill for this process. They sell it cheaper at Fastenal in case you're interested. Tap out the dents and creases as much as possible and then apply the filler. You can also fill any rust out and holes as well. You won't be disappointed and the powder coated pump metal simply cannot be beat for the price. I'm extremely happy with the results.
Good luck
Dave

Thanks, Lab metal sounds like the way to go. Looks like $20 for 12 ounces, not that much more than JB, and worth it for the convenience.

Did your sandblaster let you go and do the bodywork, between the blasting and powdercoating? Seems like that would be the best way to go.

Are we sure that powder coating temperature is below 350 degrees? The hi-temp Lab Metal is $56 for 24 oz.

Hey guys, I have used lab metal and recomend the high temp because the regular lab metal is only good for 20 minutes of 350 degrees and once only, many powder coaters prefer to prime things that have fillers on them before the do the color and if they do the regular lab metal will burn and discolor the area

dave

Daddio,
Yes, I did the body work a few days after I had the metal sandblasted. Then to the powder coater. To insure there are no temperature problems the high temp is probably the way to go. But as you can see the cost is quite a bit more. My powder coater wasn't too concerned about the reg Lab Metal but every coater probably has their own advice and techniques. He did use a primer on some small pieces and heated them twice with no ill results.
I'd simply ask your powder coater what they prefer.
Hope this helped.
Dave

From what i was told... there have been people that have bondo panels and powder coated them but you run a risk of the bondo blistering during the baking. I haven't tried the lab metal. Have to look in to it.

Hey Dave,
Doesn't the high temp Lab Metal need to be pre cured at like 400 deg before coating or something???
Jeff