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If you’re a hobbyist like me you probably work on all kinds of vehicle restorations and repairs. For me, this can be everything from a frame-off restoration to a transmission rebuild or a complete interior replacement. But no matter the project, I’ve always run into the same problem: rusty, worn or damaged components that must be replaced, or repaired in order to be refinished and reused. This can sometimes mean a delay of weeks or months. Over the years I’ve not been very pleased with the usual spray can solutions, but recently I’ve had great success doing my own powder coat on all sorts of parts. I built my own powder coat booth which makes the process a snap. Please note that I am no expert, I’ve never powder coated before but I now believe that almost anyone can powder coat! First let’s do a quick overview of powder coating, if you’re very familiar with the process, please jump down to the “My booth” paragraph.

You may already use powder coating, or may have heard about or seen powder coating on TV shows like American Chopper, American Hot Rod, Overhaulin or others. The drama in these shows at one point or another hinges on getting some missing part back from the mysterious and rarely seen powder coater. The reality for us mortals and gear heads is that most of our smaller parts can be powder coated at home. When powder coating is done properly, it seems to be almost bullet proof, and it really puts a professional finish on those pieces and parts. Here’s an example of a front spring I did for a 1974 Super Beetle, after the cleaning process it took me all of 20 minutes from bare metal to finished part.

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