I want to share these images with you of some recent samples I received. I am enamored with this color, Candy Apple Green! I was reminded with this batch of the risks that come with picking a luxurious transparent specialty powder coating.
Most powder coats we use are very basic-simply a flat powder or a powder with some built in sheen or slight texture. We use these because they are amazing! They stand up to almost anything, and do not scratch easily if at all if applied properly. They are designed to withstand most weather elements indoors or outdoors and in most any climate. Durable, practical and long lasting, what’s not to love?
Of course, I tend to be attracted to the more difficult and expensive options, the colors that have transparency and metallics. These give the finish some added depth and dimension which is what I miss about working with textiles. Also, they’re just fun to play with, sort of like nail polish!
I will not be showing these samples in any presentations because most have some flaws. On some, there are hang marks with a build up of paint in the corners, areas where the raw metal is exposed. That’s a huge no no! If Metal is exposed it can rust.
Hang marks are a result of having to hang the cut metal so that we can apply the powder. It’s sort of like hanging a sample in a room full of mist and every area needs to accessible. We always have hang marks but we either hand apply some touch up paint or specifically design holes in unseen areas for that specific purpose.
The more basic powder coats do not pile up in the corners the way these specialty powders do. That’s because the special finishes require more layers. It sort of looks like melted candy and we are familiar with this from a previous project.
Another flaw are the rough edges where the metal was cut. Usually sandblasting before powder coating takes care of this, but in this case the samples were literally just fresh off the laser machine. They were not deburred and cleaned properly before powder coating.
Bottom line: I love this color. I love transparencies and will continue to use them but these bloopers reminded us how important the prep work is. Extra time and labor is needed. Now we KNOW to account for extra hole placement for the hangers and prep the metal that much more! We’re ready! In the meantime, isn’t this color stunning?
