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Too cheap for powdercoating???

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Old 04-29-2009 | 12:36 PM
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Question Too cheap for powdercoating???

Hey guys, I was calling around to different places in my area to get my calipers powder coated and one of the places I talked to said they would do the job for $15 for each caliper. I wanted to know, how hard is powdercoating that this could get screwed up? It seems like a pretty straight forward process, but its half the price of other places I called. Should I be concerned bringing them to a place this cheap? The shop seems reputable but I personally have never had any work done here.

Thanks!
Old 04-29-2009 | 06:22 PM
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if its a reputable powder coating place, then do it for that price. Most of the time those places dont offer many color match options. For that, I would hit up SilverGhost, a sponsor, he kicks ***.
Old 04-29-2009 | 06:46 PM
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Take something from your engine bay that's small and have them powdercoat it for you. Check the quality and from there decide whether or not you want them powdercoating your calipers.
Old 04-30-2009 | 12:15 AM
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thanks for the props SOM

I would be worried about what you are getting for that price. What you'll probably end up with is a set like someone sent me last week to be stripped and re-done properly. It wasn't pretty what I found after dumping them in my chemical bath to remove their work. These idiots dumped this poor dude's calipers off at a commercial blaster from what I could tell. They got so chewed up by being blasted with the wrong media and too much PSI that the aluminum looked like concrete. I re-blasted them correctly but I still had to lay down a coat of primer, then two coats of black to get them in shape. They also didn't mask ANYTHING..there was powder in the piston bores, the pad mating surfaces, even in the fluid holes..a total mess..caliper could never have been put into service. They put so much powder on these things trying to fix what their blaster did that it was too thick to get a proper cure after they shot it. I was able to chip it off giving it a tap with a screwdriver...scary stuff.

That my friend is the kind of work you can often recieve for that price. 90% of what I do is prep work..cleaning, blasting, masking for safety and function..THEN coat. The cheap guys don't properly clean, often don't blast the parts at all, and don't mask off anything..they just fire away and its your problem when you get the parts back.

If you need any further info, feel free to PM me, I'm always happy to help.

Sean
www.thepowderpro.com
Old 04-30-2009 | 01:53 AM
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go with ^ this guy. I just got these calipers back today from silverghost



Pictures do not do this justice, i love the way the calipers came out (my car looks red in the pic but its HO)

Last edited by kevin99hoss; 04-30-2009 at 02:00 AM.
Old 04-30-2009 | 01:55 AM
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Thanks for the help!
Old 04-30-2009 | 05:41 AM
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I powdercoat all my own parts at home, your looking at around $300 base range just to get started.
Old 04-30-2009 | 08:35 AM
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I can definitely vouch for Sean's work - my calipers came out great...both in form and function.
Old 04-30-2009 | 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by luckyou03
I powdercoat all my own parts at home, your looking at around $300 base range just to get started.
Agreed, unless your looking for a DIY set up, just send out the parts you need to get done.

When It comes time to do mine Id like to send them out to Silver As well.
Old 04-30-2009 | 10:32 AM
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Glad you are happy with the calipers Kevin

You can get ok results with hobby kits if the parts are prepped properly. Like I said, prep is where most people fail to have the right equipment(blasting, stripping ,degreasing) and/or patience and attention to detail.
Old 04-30-2009 | 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by SilverGhost
Glad you are happy with the calipers Kevin

You can get ok results with hobby kits if the parts are prepped properly. Like I said, prep is where most people fail to have the right equipment(blasting, stripping ,degreasing) and/or patience and attention to detail.
I completely agree. I got a cousin who does high end finishing to cabinets and he is a stickler for quality.

We actually did my 12 bolt from Moser. We spend ALOT of time, prepping, sanding, cleaning, re cleaning, double primer, triple coat of semi gloss black.

The actual shooting was the shortest part. Prepping was 98% of the work.

It was worth every penny. He had only 1 run but you could bearly see it. He almost redid that whole section because of it lol!
Old 04-30-2009 | 12:57 PM
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Thats some nice work. What is the turn around time on that work? Or do you just send out a pair you have already done? My car is my DD so its real important for me.
Old 04-30-2009 | 02:42 PM
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Yeah, I've only heard good things about this silverghost guy. Is he located in chicago, or houston?(Some people call houston chi town). If it's houston I might just have to bring a whole load of **** one day =\
Old 04-30-2009 | 03:09 PM
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Daez--I am located in a suburb 20 minutes outside the city of Chicago. I have TONS of Texas customers, be happy to help you on anything you need.

Loyolacub68--I have a couple sets of brakes I do exchanges with. Well, I DID have two sets..someone has one and won't send them back right now so I might have lost them. The one set I have left has a couple people in line, but I'd be glad to get you on the wait list, just send me a PM or call anytime at 847-561-4361.

Sean
Old 04-30-2009 | 03:28 PM
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I would love to have silverghost do my calipers, but I'm not sure if I'll have to do some grinding in the future for drag wheels....BUT the guy's work is second to none!!
Old 05-01-2009 | 12:19 AM
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thanks ynk..I have coated a number of sets that were ground for drag wheels. I smooth out the grinding work first with abrasive rolls, then do my usual process from there. They look like they were never ground on, minus the fact that they are smaller in size lol.
Old 05-01-2009 | 04:22 AM
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Definitely go with Sean... He did my calipers and they look great and STILL look great after abuse.

If I can't get a grille coated locally for less than $25 (and that is if I bring in 10 or more at a time) then $15 for calipers should make you more scared than Macaulay Culkin Home Alone with Michael Jackson...




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