Powdercoating VS. Anodizing

[scr8p]

shodog, how are your shock seals holding up to the fruit punch?

[shodog]

Klavy your post got seriously hijacked. Anybody got pics of the associated powed coated chassis?

[klavy69]

Not a problem. Its all good. I'm getting pix and info out of it so thats all that matters . I have been out looking to try to find an anodizing place around me with no real luck. Along the same lines I can't find a powdercoater either...seems the searches all come up as trying to sell you the setup. I could do that with a cheap setup from HarborFreight by me but don't really want to tie that kind of money up for a couple of chassis/motor plates/tubes/nose plates.

I think I'd like to go anodizing. Anyone have anyone to recommend? Like an online place I can get some info from?

As far as the shocks go I prefer to go with threaded Associated teflon coated so there wouldn't be any need there to powdercoat them. I have a couple places that I can get powdercoating done affordably but the colors are going to be JohnDeere green, Caterpillar yellow, or black. Can you tell who I know and where they work .

I realize both will wear due to running but if it starts out pretty I'll take care of it longer . Thanx for the comments so far and hope this thread gets tons more...I was only gone for an hour or so and wow...I had to reply on the second page .
Todd

[klavy69]

Here is Atlas's PrettyinPink RC10

RC10%2003.jpg (103.45 KiB) Viewed 988 times

RC10%2003.jpg (103.45 KiB) Viewed 988 times

I believe there is an avatar with a blue chassis somewhere but can't remember who it was.
Todd

[Mr. ED]

you know how when you polish aluminium , it starts dulling after some time.
The dulling is oxidation and engneers found it made the alu surface stronger than the underlying material.
As soon as the top layer is fully oxidated the process stops, so the layer is very thin. Also it doesn't lay on top of the original material, it's just the outer layer of the origanl that's now changed in structure.

Annodizing pushes the same thing a bit further, it goes a little deeper and is a bit harder than the oxidation to air.
The quality of the annodizing depends on how well the process is controlled and which chameicals are used on which type Alu.
I 'm not sure how the colour is added in , but I've seen coloured anodizing that's real strong, and cheap stuff that seems to wear off as you take it in your hands a couple times.
Etching and reanodizing would just be good for shelfers or parts which don't suffer from the material taken off during the etching.

[PBR Allstar]

Here are some pics of a 10T that I might finish someday! the chassis was pretty scraped up when I started, I smoothed it a bit with 120 grit sanding discs before having it powder coated and the bottom looks like it was dipped in glass! The pics leave a lot to be desired, but the powdercoating looks good.

[scr8p]

the only thing i don't like about powder coat is the "heavy" look you get. painting them isn't any different though, depending on what kind of paint you use. and not only do they look heavy, but they are heavy. i only use one coat of clear when i paint them to try to keep the weight down.

i'd take anodizing over powder coat. but you can't do stuff like this with either one of those options (insert shameless photo op).

[klavy69]

Scr8p,
Good lookin chassis . That would definitely be a shelfer if I owned it. Have a hard time putting a body on it . What kind of paint did you use? Along the paint idea a buddy of mine said he'd like to paint it with some Imron paint and that would hold up pretty good but I'm not really into the whole idea of paint. Now that orange is something I was lookin into for a powdercoat finish. The JD green I thought would be a good one too. Use all black parts and a black and green shell and put some headlights on it with eyeballs and call it my bullfrog .

I don't mind the weight factor since I'm not really what you would call a professional racer in any matters and this would be for doing some damage to some of the local "gotta have it all" guys self esteem issues. I can hang with them and it would hurt all so good to hang with an old 'antique' as they say about most of my stuff
Todd

[PBR Allstar]

Yeah, it's fun to be able hang on the track with the guys driving the latest and greatest buggies! For that reason I almost prefer to use the rattiest looking stuff I have. I have a 10T that I run dirt oval with that was given to me after a friend of mine bent the chassis about 90 degrees at the nose plate launching it out of a half pipe onto the street. I hammered it flat and put it together with a colage of rainbow dyed parts out of my junk drawer. The truck works very well but I must say, it is the ugliest rc I've ever owned!
Along the lines of annodizing, I've always wanted to hard annodize a chassis. I love the brownish grey color and finish of hard anno. I also have a couple shelfers that I've built to look like semi battle scared racers from bitd, with nice detailed shells, and running gear but mildly used chassis'. it's kind of a look I've been infatuated with since Siebenelch came on the forum (I think he may have done a chassis in hard anno at some point?).

[badhoopty]

Klavy your post got seriously hijacked. Anybody got pics of the associated powed coated chassis?

how could any of you forget the stinky pinky...

[mrlexan]

Mine:

[Mr. ED]

I remeber an advertisement in the rcca magazine couple years ago; for a company that made alu partsfor trucks and gas cars mainly. Maybe 'hardcore' something.
Anyway their parts were available with multiple cars on one piece and as I remeber the ad said you could contact them for anodizing your own parts including your own graphic design to put on in the anodizing. I guess they used some kinda masking to apply different colours and designs?

[Charlie don't surf]

I'm kind suprised no one here has mentioned how the two processes work. And yes you can
ano anything in color stages as long as the bare surface is masked correctly--and just like
yellow & blue make green--anodizing in stages has the same effect--

[klavy69]

I'm kind suprised no one here has mentioned how the two processes work.

I was kinda hoping for this exact thing myself. Like the elcheapo powdercoater I was lookin at has a model that does 5-10psi and another model that goes 10-30 psi...what is this all about? I was thinkin powdercoating had everything to do with the current/electrical charge between the part and the gun I've seen pix of guys doing their own annodizing over at NitroDan's board of AffordableNitroTechRacing a long time ago but it looked like globs of paint that dribbled on and that was about it...can anyone clarify this stuff up?
Thanx again for the comments guys and nice lookin chassis to all that posted. They wouldn't look that good if they were at my house .
Todd

[badhoopty]

i would imagine the higher pressure gun does something better with the atomization of the powder or something like that. but thats a completely uneducated guess.

kinda ot, but so-far permatex gasket remover has worked the best for me with removing powdercoating.