Photo's Wanted... Clear Powder Coat/Anodize on Polished Parts

[HBjet]

I'm looking for some photo's of clear powder coated or anodized over polished parts. I currently have chrome valve covers, and a polished scoop and I was going to get my new intake polished and then chromed, as well as my scoop. If clear powder coat or anodize looks just as nice and cleans up just as easy, then I may consider redoing the valve covers and doing my scoop and intake!
Oh, and if you can say how much and where you had everything done, that would be great! Thanks
HBjet

[Rexone]

HB, Chrome will always have the brightness edge over aluminum with a coating. Tough to do "good" chrome on aluminum though for many reasons.
Clear powder over polished is good but will look like polished alum just "slightly" more satin because of the coating. A good powder coat job looks "almost" as shiny as polished aluminum. Great on upkeep though.
Clear anodize will give it even a more satiny looking finish. Especially on cast parts which are much harder to anodize with color consistancy because of the variety of alloy material used in casting. Great on upkeep as well though.
Any of the three processes are much easier in the upkeep dept than polished aluminum which has to be constantly maintained due to oxidation that takes place naturally on the material over time. Water spots etc, make it that much tougher to keep up.

[disco_charger]

Randy, I powdercaoted a scoop clear, and it came out all orange peeled. No Bueno.

[Rexone]

That's true, possibility of peel is definately there with powder just like paint and there generally is some. If it's thick enough you can color sand it smooth if careful (just like paint).

[Cs19]

does the anodize process protect the metal like a normal color anodize does? what costs more?, i have a whole boats worth of aluminum to have done, i just need to decide on which process i should do.thanks

[Rexone]

Anodize is a plating process that actually penetrates the surface of the aluminum by about .0003 I'm told by the anodizers. It offers excellent metal protection, won't flake off, etc.
Powder on the other hand is a coating, much the same as paint except tougher. It can however be chipped with a sharp object and then corrosion can proceed under the powder coating, just like paint. This is common in salt applications especially as salt is brutal on any exposed area.
Cost is fairly comparable most places. Depending on the color of powder coat (transparent or solid) you may get away without polishing (on the solid colors), since it is a coating. Anodizing on the other hand will show any imperfections present because it's not a coating, it's plating. If you have a poor or unpolished part and anodize it you will see the poor finish through the anodize when done as you will also with the transparent candy powders.
Here's a LINK (http://www.rexmar.com/page19.html) to a page in our catalog that will tell you a little more detail, pros and cons etc of each. :)

[HBjet]

Now, if you anodize it, will it turn color over time like my really old gauge bezels did from Blue to Purple.
HBjet

[Rexone]

HBjet:
Now, if you anodize it, will it turn color over time like my really old gauge bezels did from Blue to Purple.
HBjet Anodize will fade over time, some colors more than others. Depends on a couple things. First the color fast rating of the dye used (color). Blue is much stronger than red for example...red fades much faster. Two, the quality of the anodize...time in the tank, seal, etc. Some anodizers short change you here which results in fast fade time even with a strong color.
Clear ano on the other hand has no dye involved so you will experience very minimal if any fade or change in color at all.
[ May 11, 2003, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: Rexone ]

[MAXIMUS]

I chromed my tunnel ram, scoop, valve covers & anything else that wasnt anodized! I love it. A can of gunk, some hosing down & a clean towl! Ready for a boat show! CHROME IT!!!!!!!

[HOOTER SLED-]

HBjet:
I'm looking for some photo's of clear powder coated or anodized over polished parts. I currently have chrome valve covers, and a polished scoop and I was going to get my new intake polished and then chromed, as well as my scoop. If clear powder coat or anodize looks just as nice and cleans up just as easy, then I may consider redoing the valve covers and doing my scoop and intake!
Oh, and if you can say how much and where you had everything done, that would be great! Thanks
HBjet HB,
Give Dana Marine a call. I just got all new powder coated hardware from them. I went blue. I almost went clear cause I dig the polished look. Their clear powder coat looked like it just came off the buffing wheel. Way better than I thought it would. Didn't look yellow at all. Don't know if it stays that way. I think Monica was the lady that helped me (Dana's sister). They were way cool. Screw that anodized crap. It fades like a mother. It may be spendy to strip and powder coat what you got. That's why I just decided to get all new pieces. Now I got a bunch of cool looking paper weights that are faded. Hey, maybe someone wants to buy em. :D :D Good luck man.
HOOTER

[HBjet]

HOOTER SLED-:
HBjet:
I'm looking for some photo's of clear powder coated or anodized over polished parts. I currently have chrome valve covers, and a polished scoop and I was going to get my new intake polished and then chromed, as well as my scoop. If clear powder coat or anodize looks just as nice and cleans up just as easy, then I may consider redoing the valve covers and doing my scoop and intake!
Oh, and if you can say how much and where you had everything done, that would be great! Thanks
HBjet HB,
Give Dana Marine a call. I just got all new powder coated hardware from them. I went blue. I almost went clear cause I dig the polished look. Their clear powder coat looked like it just came off the buffing wheel. Way better than I thought it would. Didn't look yellow at all. Don't know if it stays that way. I think Monica was the lady that helped me (Dana's sister). They were way cool. Screw that anodized crap. It fades like a mother. It may be spendy to strip and powder coat what you got. That's why I just decided to get all new pieces. Now I got a bunch of cool looking paper weights that are faded. Hey, maybe someone wants to buy em. :D :D Good luck man.
HOOTER I've used Eddie Marine and now Dana for my Blue Coated hardware, and I will continue to use Dana from now on! No More Eddie Marine for me!
I think I'm just going to chrome my intake and scoop, I don't want orange peel! and I want it to be chiny!
Thanks everyone!
HBjet

[*LS7*]

HB,
I used California Polish in Huntington Beach to do my Tunnel Ram. Looks like Chrome 3 years later.
714-895-7786 is their #.

[Blown 472]

Does chrome make it go faster??? :D :D

[HBjet]

Blown 472:
Does chrome make it go faster??? :D :D Chrome gets you home!
HBjet

[hboldno7]

Chrome definatly makes it look faster. Good enough for me.....

[Blown 472]

hboldno7:
Chrome definatly makes it look faster. Good enough for me..... That is interesting, my personal pref is a car or boat that just plain kicks ass without alot of shiny stuff, fast cars and boats leave a bigger impression on me then shiny ones, that and I am too damn lazy to keep all that shit clean. Hell hard enough keeping all my junk running let alone shiny. :D :D

[wsuwrhr]

There is also a process called "hard annodize" which there aren't very many colors available. But it penetrates more than a common annodize, and is used for better aluminum wear characteristics. I believe it is more durable to UV rays. Aerospace shit.
Brian

[Cs19]

i checked into that hard anodize after jack recomended having a few pieces of hardware he made for me hard anodized. if you go
"full penetration" :) with the ano. you cant have color put on it, only black. if you do a "partial penetration" :rolleyes: you can do only certain colors, but from what i was told its hard as sh*t.

[wsuwrhr]

VERY HARD. If you can believe it, the surface will wear BETTER than steel.
Brian
Been there, done it.

[Blown 472]

wsuwrhr:
There is also a process called "hard annodize" which there aren't very many colors available. But it penetrates more than a common annodize, and is used for better aluminum wear characteristics. I believe it is more durable to UV rays. Aerospace shit.
Brian The inside of both my blowers is hard annodized and wears really well.

[Max_182]

I recently purchased some of the fabricated valve covers from Summit. They're done this way too.
Back when I was doing restorations on Can-Am cars I had a small plating line and also did powder on a limited basis. Anodizing is simply the accelleration of the normal formation of Aluminum Oxide by emersing the part in Sulfuric acic with reverse polarity applied. Once you've acheived a coating of sufficient thickness, the part is boiled in the dye. One of the characteristics of Al Oxide is that it absorbs dyes. The problem with powder coating a polished part is the same problem the plater has; that being imbedded compound. For a plating process (or powder, paint, etc) to adhere, it must bond with the metal. The act of polishing hammers the compound into tiny imperfections and porosities. Removing it prior to the finishing process is extremely difficult (arguably impossible) even with electro-cleaning. Most Al castings are loaded with porocities, hence the problem. Contact a highly qualified plating shop for guidance.
Rk

[squirt]

HB. Here is a pic (a little dark) of my intake although it is not polished it is one of the lowest maint. items on the boat. I shot my polished pump also but I didn't like the way it came out so I stripped it off. When you do the clear it seams to turn the al a soft grey so non polished parts to me look better. My cost was 30 bucks for everything and there is plenty you can't see. I did the coating myself and still do more things as I get the time. http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/505/66SquirtEng.jpg
Don