Sandblasting is one of the overlooked parts of the powder coating process and most people don’t even know what it is.
So before we get to how it relates to powder coating, let’s talk a little bit about what sandblasting is.
Sandblasting is used to prepare the metal before the powder coat process. During this process, very small materials such as sand or steel grit (among others) are used to (you guessed it) blast the surface and free up any unwanted gunk. It creates a high-pressure situation and that’s what makes it so effective at cleaning metal.
That’s why it’s so important that the metal gets sandblasted before it gets powder coated. If we don’t do it you’ll notice that the coating will crack or bubble up.
Why We Need to Sandblast Before Applying The Powder Coat
Sandblasting is done to prepare metals in many different industries. It’s particularly prevalent in powder coating because we can’t use harsh chemicals to clean the surface and we need to make sure that all dirt or corrosion is gone before we begin applying the coating. If we don’t do this and simply apply it over the dirt or corrosion it will crack or bubble in short time. Not only will it make it look bad but it can also affect the integrity of the metal. The process also needs to be carried out if you’ve had the metal painted or powder coated before because we can’t apply another coating over an existing one.
You might be asking yourself, “can’t you just use an abrasive surface such as sandpaper to get the job done?” The simple answer is no. A tool such as sandpaper is only effective on metals that are completely flat. Metal such as wheels on your car are not only round but can have many crooks and crannies that can be easily missed. When the surface gets sandblasted it will create a smooth metal surface that will make the powder coating much more appealing and effective long-term.
Sandblasting also allows us to rough up the surface a little bit which will make it much more adhesive. With an abrasive surface, the powder coating will look much smoother in the end.
Thanks to sandblasting we can powder coat most metals even if they’re older and have experienced some wear and tear. Obviously, there are some cases where we won’t be able to powder coat but these are usually extreme situations. For example, if your car wheels have been rusted through then sandblasting won’t help that and the integrity of the metal is in question. But a little bit of oxidation isn’t of much concern. Sandblasting will clean that right up and allow us to freshen up the look of your vehicle.
Our sandblasting techniques will actually save you money in the end! It’s a very quick and effective process which means less time spent for our experts.
At Mod Finishes we always want to educate our customers on the processes we use on their vehicles. Sandblasting is usually the technique in question when we discuss our powder coating process. We wanted to take this opportunity to educate as many people as we can on the process.
Feel free to give our team a call if you have any questions about getting your vehicle powder coated in Colorado Springs.