Forums: Waiting for Godot:

I've wanted an old tanker desk for a long long time, just got it about a month ago. Started working on it last weekend. Took it apart cleaned it top to bottom, and started sandblasting this weekend.










drawer dividers after and before sandblasting


drawer dividers primed



When the priming is finished, I've picked out a nice looking charcoal gray automotive paint that I'll paint it. I've also purchesed a new laminate top that I'll replace the old beat-to-hell top with.

Where'd you get a sandblaster! That would be fun to have around.

Two words: Flames. Skulls.

That's hot. But it's going to be a pain the ass to spray. You have a whole auto paint spray setup already?

Also, you might think about getting it powder coated.

i'd definately go the powder coating route.

however, good idea. way to make good use of existing stuff.

shuteye, you can get little portable sandblasting kits for quite cheap.

if you want to powdercoat it, you'll have to strip it back to bare metal, acid wash it, then powder. it'd cost probably more than you paid for the desk.

me personally, i'd give it a good coat of enamel on the base, then sand the top down with an orbital sander going from 200 to 400 grit. use some auto buffing waxes and you could get that thing mirrorlike. couple clearcoats and you have a nice shiny top.

nice desk, post the finished.

Powder coating has be come very very inexpensive in the last few years, atleast around here. Sure it will probably cost $150 -$200 but it would be nearly indestructible. And if he doesn't have a paint spraying setup already, a decent gun is $150, not to mention line dryers, etc. etc. and the paint on top of that.

I have an new fancy air compressor with spray gun, which is also what I used the sandblaster with. While it would have been cool to get it powder coated, I haven't spent a dime on this outside of sand and primer which is currently around the $12 mark (including desk). Admittedly the quality would have been better going with powder, or heck even having a body shop paint it, but what's the fun in that?

Originally posted by: possak
shuteye, you can get little portable sandblasting kits for quite cheap.

really!? tell me more. do you have one? what brand(s) would you recommend. any links?

oooh nice, i had one of those when i lived in oregon.

great desks, weigh a ton.

paint it with sea primer, like for oceans vessels.

wingnut, nothing i can recommend, but really, if you go to a hardware store, they should have them.

rds: i'd only bother powdercoating outdoor objects unless it was more than one thing. i wish i still had access to a powdercoater. actually, i think i still do. hmm, too bad i need nothing to get done, aside from maybe my bike frame.

Harbor Freight Sandblaster- $80 (and you can usually find a 20% off coupon.



Powder coating System - $100
harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42802

FJeff-

1- you rule
2- have you ever used either?

the sandblaster seems simple enough, i'm sure that's a decent tool, however, i seriously doubt the powder coating "system" ... i thought that powder coating had to be baked on in a huge oven...

... 5 minutes later ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_coating ... seems that there are several methods for powder coating.

i have more reading to do.

That sandblaster is the shit (good).
You just have to build a decent cabinent to blast in, or you get your media EVERYWHERE. And the media can get pricey.


I'm not too sure about that home powder coating kit though. Never used it.

Originally posted by: RobotDeathSquad
You just have to build a decent cabinent to blast in, or you get your media EVERYWHERE. And the media can get pricey.

Originally posted by: RobotDeathSquad
That sandblaster is the shit (good).
You just have to build a decent cabinent to blast in, or you get your media EVERYWHERE. And the media can get pricey.


I'm not too sure about that home powder coating kit though. Never used it.

do you think a wood box would suffice? or would that just get torn to shreds quickly? obviously metal would be a more durable way to go.

also, i'm thinking about the space i have in my studio, i'd want it to be collapsible.

edit// sorry for the threadjack

wingnut, you can get a steel booth that has a couple of rubber 'hands' that you stick your hands in to keep you from getting hit. it has a clear screen on the front to see through. this is pretty cheap and alot easier to reclaim your abrasives.

as far as a homemade powdercoating booth goes, i'm sure it can be done, but it'd be messy and take alot of room. you need your acid bath to get rid of any bad materials on your work to make the powder stick. this wouldn't be too bad if you just set up an actual booth. you can spray the stuff on and recollect it for later purposes.

then you need an oven to bake the finish. this is the hard part because it needs to get fairly warm and you want even heat.

oh, you can get an oven here:
harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46300

actually applying the powder is one of the easiest things since it comes out in little puffs and it's quite easy to control. the electrostatic charge makes it stick to the metal, so you don't have to worry about things like paint lines. also, you can reclaim the powder if you're careful because alot does get wasted.

damn, i almost want a setup now.

I have been using small recycle bins to capture most of the spent sand. Since most of the parts can fit in the bins it works pretty good, but there are some larger pieces that won't fit inside them, that I'll just have to deal with.

i have an erection.