Powder coat spindles

madmax · Oct 22, 2018

Been seeing a number of posts about whether or not to powder coat slide rails. Seems like most agree not to powder coat, secondary to the heating process can make the aluminum weaker. What about the cat spindles? They are aluminum. Something you definitely don’t want weaker and breaking. Powder coat or paint? I like paint because it’s not uncommon for my spindles to take some hits and lose some color during the season and paint is a lot easier to touch up. I don’t know much about metal composition, could the heating process in powder coating weaken the spindle aluminum?

Fish10782 · Oct 22, 2018

There is a lot of data on annealing and tempering aluminum. You'd have to put your spindles in the oven for like 18 hours and air cool to harden them, or have the temp upwards of 750 degrees to anneal it.

mountainhorse · Oct 22, 2018

Do you have data/info to support that??

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Wheel House Motorsports · Oct 22, 2018

madmax said:
Been seeing a number of posts about whether or not to powder coat slide rails. Seems like most agree not to powder coat, secondary to the heating process can make the aluminum weaker. What about the cat spindles? They are aluminum. Something you definitely don’t want weaker and breaking. Powder coat or paint? I like paint because it’s not uncommon for my spindles to take some hits and lose some color during the season and paint is a lot easier to touch up. I don’t know much about metal composition, could the heating process in powder coating weaken the spindle aluminum?

Without knowing the exact metal spec'd for the spindle were all just guessing about if it would/wouldn't affect it.

Basically the breakdown is, if aluminum is tempered, Powdercoat will affect it in some capacity (more or less depending on time/heating in the oven). If it is a non tempered part the heat levels required by powder coat shouldn't affect the metlurgy.

Anylizer · Oct 22, 2018

..after coating all kinds of sled parts for over 25 yrs, I have yet to see any ill side effects.

a good knowledgeable coater will know how to accomplish good adhesion and powder cure without compromising your parts.

boondocker97 · Oct 22, 2018

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general-archive/keeping-t6-hardness-aluminum-83432/

Here's the powder coating question with an actual temperature test on a sample of 6061-T6. For that material it looks like you don't want to go above 360 degrees F. As Wheel House said though, unless you know what material they are made out of it's a guess.

A friend of mine had a guy that was just starting out in the business coat some parts on her Ski Doo sled a few years ago. All 120lbs of her bent spindles and tipped up her rails on the first trip out going down a rough trail. He obviously didn't take proper precautions. So If you decide to do it use a shop that knows what they are doing.

mountainhorse · Oct 22, 2018

I've seen plenty of bad results from PC of aluminum alloy parts.

It's a hot topic for many.... and people swear by their own methods and take the word of the people putting on the powder coat that it will not affect the alloy/Temper.

heres a post from a while back

mountainhorse said:
Looking at my ASM handbook & "Metallurgy of the Light Metals" on aluminum there are some very interesting stats on over-aging on lightweight parts at the elevated temps common in Powder Coating.

It would be very difficult to find out the composition of the alloy used in the castings. (If not impossible... that kind of information is pretty well guarded)

I've seen engine blocks have durability issues after being powder coated and have heard of some failures of 7129 alloy used in the suspension rail extrusions from Polaris/Ice Age. (Which is why I prefer Type III HC anodizing on my rails to PC)

With all of the highly engineered chassis systems in our sleds today... eg. structural bonding, casting, specific alloy construction... It would be best to err on the side of caution IMO.

The 2 part Isocyanate catalyzed Urethane paints along with proper prep on the chassis would be the best way to go IMO... the durably of these paints as proven on commercial aircraft, military vehicles etc has been awesome... a bit pricey... but definitely more safe in regards to the strength of the chassis.

This is a great topic on it's own

... Lots of people with truck rims, motorcycle frames/wheels as well as other components that they want to customize... best to look at the properties of the aluminum in more global perspective when these items are considered for coating.

My brother-in-law, a power transmission engineer with extensive background in transmission design and cast structural member implementation for Chrysler Motors, has told me of failure problems with X-members, diff housings and transmission cases that have been powder coated and that he recommends paint process in engineered aluminum structures.

madmax · Oct 22, 2018

Ok, with all that being said. Taking the risk of not knowing for sure if powder weakens a part or not. What reason do we have to powder coat?

Wheel House Motorsports · Oct 22, 2018

madmax said:
Ok, with all that being said. Taking the risk of not knowing for sure if powder weakens a part or not. What reason do we have to powder coat?

Usually its a little cheaper, especially for small volume stuff. And everyone seems to "know a guy" so they can get it done quick and easy, and of course the guy spraying it says it wont affect it at all....

Powder does seem to create a tougher finish then paint from what i've seen, at least dollar for dollar wise.

1Mike900 · Oct 22, 2018

For another option try Bumper coater for plastic bumpers, it has some give when cold or subject to temp swings, Then overcoat with 2K clear for protection from debris. The powdercoat is fine, but over time I have seen cracks/flaking etc.... that leads me to believe it is too brittle for the temp swings? Anything if improperly prepped will yield bad results, so some may have had very good success? Mike

mountainhorse · Oct 23, 2018

If you like black gloss.

Quick sandblast of the spindles...Then paint them with POR15... With a brush!
Flows out and looks like it was sprayed... nearly as tough as best powder coating... and better than some.

.

bgraff1 · Oct 23, 2018

I powder coated many many parts of my 2012 turbo when I first got it. all the rear suspension, front suspension, running boards, bumpers etc etc and I saw zero ill effects. those spindles were a lot beefier mind you but I also powder coated my 16 front end when I got it and also saw no ill effects. everything in life is a gamble, never know if you don't try

damx · Oct 23, 2018

I used por15 before and it works better then paint.

madmax · Oct 23, 2018

mountainhorse said:
If you like black gloss.

Quick sandblast of the spindles...Then paint them with POR15... With a brush!
Flows out and looks like it was sprayed... nearly as tough as best powder coating... and better than some.

.

I used POR15 when rebuild my chevelle a few years ago. Really good stuff. If I remember right you can paint on top of it. Might be a very good, durable option.

mountainhorse · Oct 23, 2018

No need for topcoat with POR15 unless you leave the sled out in the sun.

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Powder coat spindles

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