You have the patience to carry a project through to a finished item, which puts them on a level above that acheived by hackers like myself. It shows me what I should be acheiving, if I just take the time to "do it right". Thanks for sharing your projects and methods.
Thanks John, and I don't often get accused of being patient! ;-) Honestly I have many more unfinished projects than finished ones, and I'm certainly not above hacking something together to get it done(ish). But of course I enjoy it more when something eventually turns out well, even if it takes a lot longer.
wow man, i gotta say.. the way you make your videos is like watching something on tv,, very impressive and im really digging all your videos.. thanks for the hard work
If you watch the Eastwood video on that powder coat system. They added the high voltage setting for tight inside corner areas and rounded corner areas to make the powder stick
The one thing I learned about welding DC and TIG... it always pays to grind your weldment smooth. Structurally the cap of excess metal can only hide pockets of flux and coldroll process greases. Fully TIG would have allowed for flatter and smoother finishing.... I was also thinking there were alternate processes available for a much quicker assembly, machining, and shorter lengths of weldments.
My main concern was removing the mill scale, as I don't think primer over mill scale would give a good result. At the time of making the housing I didn't have experience using acid to etch off the scale (as in my later welding cart build), but to do it again I think I'd acid-etch the parts first, then weld, then prime using a zinc primer as you suggest, and then powder coat.
Great video and commentary of the entire build, I have really enjoyed them but did you forget to move the hole for the stepper cable to the other side?
Thanks, and very observant of you to catch that! I didn't forget to move the cable, just changed my mind about which way to mount the unit on the milling machine. There's no compelling mechanical reason to mount it one way or the other, just personal preference.
Great video. It flowed nicely, no pun intended. Might you have negated some of the faraday affect by using the higher voltage on the gun? As a side note...now I am looking around me for something to powder coat and damn it! I'm going to have to build a 4th axis. Time to check out your other videos.
Great job. A tip and a question. If you preheat and apply the powder whilst hot 80~ 110c or so I have found good adhesion results and much faster curing time. Did your housing retain it's flat square sides after curing? Usually powder coat cooking is enough to stress relieve the steel.
Thanks, I might try preheating next time although this part was a bit tricky to get in and out of the kiln without touching. After the hours I spent baking out the oil, the time to cure the coating seemed like no time at all. :-) I did not try to measure whether there were any detectable changes in the squareness or flatness after powder coating but it's certainly possible that it moved a little.
A good hot jet washer or steam cleaner will do the job of removing any oil residue rather than fiddling around with acetone and rags/cloths in areas you can't get to easily, then dry it in the oven and repeat if necessary. Personally, I think you were being stingy with the powder coating, but, hey, it worked. I enjoyed watching your video, very informative, ... thanks...
I'm still learning what is "enough" powder, but it seemed heavy enough and I think it produced a good finish. I don't yet have a good sense of what looks like "too much", but I figured that it would be easier to add a second coat if needed than deal with a too-heavy first application.
Thanks, I assume that you mean the small clearance below the chuck and yes there's a trade-off with that - I chose to keep it low because I don't plan to use it on many large-diameter parts, so it is more compact and rigid this way. But if I need to machine a larger-diameter part then I will need to put a spacer under the housing.
Yes the PID and kiln is totally overkill for just curing powder coating, but I also plan to use the kiln for things like heat-treating metal and for glass fusing. I've used it for fused glass in the past, but only with its manual control that takes constant attention. The controller has an auto-learn mode that tunes the PID loop automatically, and after I ran that it seems to do a very good job with just a little overshoot.
TIG welding can offer nice welds, but TIG is a slow welding process, which usually leads to HUGE distortion. The cost of counteractions regarding the distortion is sometimes consequent, it demands often special & dedicated toolings. Best options are all welds process that can be used as fast as possible, but it demands a 3-phase supply and industrial wire-feeder to obtain a smooth and reliable welds from wire drums. The FCAW and Plasma (PAW) are one of the best technique available but it's difficult to reach it as an enthusiast.
No worries, I don't make perfect welds with my TIG either, but JB weld (original recipe, not JB Quick) will smooth out the weld bead scallops and make a nice fillet that will take the cure temperature- at least, of my powdercoat, on which I use 375F for 15min (polyester powdercoat). I got here form your harmonic drive video- cool beans, man! Subscribing!
You can reach me at Jay@BrainRight.com and I don't mind being contacted by email, but for any questions that may be of general interest I prefer to answer them as UA-cam comments so others can see the discussion.
it's a good video, i just can't see spending 10 grand in tools and machinery to paint a small peice of steel. I would have been satisfied with a can of rustoleum, powder coating is not that much better then paint.
I think spray paint (or for that matter no paint) would have been adequate for this particular project, but powder coating does have some advantages and I used this as an opportunity to practice since I only recently got the equipment to do it. The cost for the power-coating gun and accessories was roughly $150 U.S. and I already had the kiln and controller that I use for other things. It's not worth it for one project like this but I hope to get a lot more use out of it in the future.
Unless the rest of the world the US is the only country that still uses the outdated Fahrenheit scale, so if you don't like the conversions it's time to go metric and join the rest of the civilised world. This is an excellent video suited for every country.
You have the patience to carry a project through to a finished item, which puts them on a level above that acheived by hackers like myself. It shows me what I should be acheiving, if I just take the time to "do it right". Thanks for sharing your projects and methods.
Thanks John, and I don't often get accused of being patient! ;-) Honestly I have many more unfinished projects than finished ones, and I'm certainly not above hacking something together to get it done(ish). But of course I enjoy it more when something eventually turns out well, even if it takes a lot longer.
Your unfinished projects are a secret that's safe with me! ;o)
It's nice to see someone who know's what they're talking about and cares about their work. I'm learning a great deal and enjoying the videos. thanks.
The PID controller is a nice touch! The future of mechatronics lies in PID
wow man, i gotta say.. the way you make your videos is like watching something on tv,, very impressive and im really digging all your videos.. thanks for the hard work
As usual, excellent teaching, delivery, and camara/audio skill
If you watch the Eastwood video on that powder coat system. They added the high voltage setting for tight inside corner areas and rounded corner areas to make the powder stick
I'll definitely try that next time.
Thank you for a very informative video. Now I know the basics of how powder coating works.
You are the best, so dedicated
Thank you for another excellent, informative production
The one thing I learned about welding DC and TIG... it always pays to grind your weldment smooth. Structurally the cap of excess metal can only hide pockets of flux and coldroll process greases. Fully TIG would have allowed for flatter and smoother finishing....
I was also thinking there were alternate processes available for a much quicker assembly, machining, and shorter lengths of weldments.
You could have put a cable gland on the cable since it all looks so good
Good idea, I didn't have any at the time but I have some now and might go back and add one.
good work!! thanks for sharing I really appreciate your detailed videos i get a lot out of them!!
Glad you find them useful, thanks for watching.
Well prepared information. Very good, thank you.
Great video! You might consider some lint free wipes for the final wipe down.
Thanks, and lint-free wipes are a good idea.
You're a master, nice work.
just a note that you can get a high zinc primer powder that reduces the requirement for sandblasting
My main concern was removing the mill scale, as I don't think primer over mill scale would give a good result. At the time of making the housing I didn't have experience using acid to etch off the scale (as in my later welding cart build), but to do it again I think I'd acid-etch the parts first, then weld, then prime using a zinc primer as you suggest, and then powder coat.
Airborne zinc is pure evil. Don't skimp on the PPE when there's any possibility of breathing it.
Great video and commentary of the entire build, I have really enjoyed them but did you forget to move the hole for the stepper cable to the other side?
Thanks, and very observant of you to catch that! I didn't forget to move the cable, just changed my mind about which way to mount the unit on the milling machine. There's no compelling mechanical reason to mount it one way or the other, just personal preference.
thanx for sharing this project with us
Thank you , I love your video
Thank YOU for making this video
Glad you liked it.
Great video. Thanks for sharing
Great work! Thank you for sharing!
nice work !
Thank you.
Great video. It flowed nicely, no pun intended. Might you have negated some of the faraday affect by using the higher voltage on the gun?
As a side note...now I am looking around me for something to powder coat and damn it! I'm going to have to build a 4th axis. Time to check out your other videos.
Thanks, I hadn't thought about trying the higher voltage setting. The instructions recommend it for larger parts but it would be worth a try.
Great job. A tip and a question. If you preheat and apply the powder whilst hot 80~ 110c or so I have found good adhesion results and much faster curing time. Did your housing retain it's flat square sides after curing? Usually powder coat cooking is enough to stress relieve the steel.
Thanks, I might try preheating next time although this part was a bit tricky to get in and out of the kiln without touching. After the hours I spent baking out the oil, the time to cure the coating seemed like no time at all. :-) I did not try to measure whether there were any detectable changes in the squareness or flatness after powder coating but it's certainly possible that it moved a little.
Could an HVLP turbine be used as air supply for the powder coating gun?
real nice build :-)
Now we see you have a high temp kiln, you could have used it to stress relief after the welding before you had to machine everything flat.
A good hot jet washer or steam cleaner will do the job of removing any oil residue rather than fiddling around with acetone and rags/cloths in areas you can't get to easily, then dry it in the oven and repeat if necessary.
Personally, I think you were being stingy with the powder coating, but, hey, it worked.
I enjoyed watching your video, very informative, ... thanks...
I'm still learning what is "enough" powder, but it seemed heavy enough and I think it produced a good finish. I don't yet have a good sense of what looks like "too much", but I figured that it would be easier to add a second coat if needed than deal with a too-heavy first application.
Good job, may be very small distance to bottom?
Thanks, I assume that you mean the small clearance below the chuck and yes there's a trade-off with that - I chose to keep it low because I don't plan to use it on many large-diameter parts, so it is more compact and rigid this way. But if I need to machine a larger-diameter part then I will need to put a spacer under the housing.
Did you clean off all of the metal surfaces prior to welding perhaps that would’ve reduce the amount of oil’s that had to come off.
I cleaned the metal prior to welding but most of the oil was introduced afterward when I machined the part.
No need for PID control with a simple oven -- "bang-bang" will do. But that looks like a $99 controller from Omega, an excellent product.
Yes the PID and kiln is totally overkill for just curing powder coating, but I also plan to use the kiln for things like heat-treating metal and for glass fusing. I've used it for fused glass in the past, but only with its manual control that takes constant attention. The controller has an auto-learn mode that tunes the PID loop automatically, and after I ran that it seems to do a very good job with just a little overshoot.
Great video but damn I think I’ll stick to normal spray painting I’m just too impatient for all that prep
Great video, I learned stuff !
TIG welding would have made it a bit prettier. :)
I'd say that _skillful_ TIG welding would look prettier, but _my_ TIG welding might not. :-)
TIG welding can offer nice welds, but TIG is a slow welding process, which usually leads to HUGE distortion. The cost of counteractions regarding the distortion is sometimes consequent, it demands often special & dedicated toolings. Best options are all welds process that can be used as fast as possible, but it demands a 3-phase supply and industrial wire-feeder to obtain a smooth and reliable welds from wire drums. The FCAW and Plasma (PAW) are one of the best technique available but it's difficult to reach it as an enthusiast.
No worries, I don't make perfect welds with my TIG either, but JB weld (original recipe, not JB Quick) will smooth out the weld bead scallops and make a nice fillet that will take the cure temperature- at least, of my powdercoat, on which I use 375F for 15min (polyester powdercoat). I got here form your harmonic drive video- cool beans, man!
Subscribing!
Welding seam is not that good it could be.
very good job... could i have a talk with you?
i can`t find your contact info at your page~~
You can reach me at Jay@BrainRight.com and I don't mind being contacted by email, but for any questions that may be of general interest I prefer to answer them as UA-cam comments so others can see the discussion.
it's a good video, i just can't see spending 10 grand in tools and machinery to paint a small peice of steel. I would have been satisfied with a can of rustoleum, powder coating is not that much better then paint.
I think spray paint (or for that matter no paint) would have been adequate for this particular project, but powder coating does have some advantages and I used this as an opportunity to practice since I only recently got the equipment to do it. The cost for the power-coating gun and accessories was roughly $150 U.S. and I already had the kiln and controller that I use for other things. It's not worth it for one project like this but I hope to get a lot more use out of it in the future.
You are very stressful! :)
We don't need the fahrenheit to celsius conversion in every sentence.
Unless the rest of the world the US is the only country that still uses the outdated Fahrenheit scale, so if you don't like the conversions it's time to go metric and join the rest of the civilised world. This is an excellent video suited for every country.
OLD SCHOOL, I appreciated the conversion.
My brain, try as hard as I might, won’t do Fahrenheit...
I was quite happy he did that. Not everyone lives in the US.