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Finishing for textured cast aluminum products

2004

Q. Dear Finishing.com,

I am a designer and am manufacturing a cast aluminum furniture collection. The collection is very textured and I am looking for finishing techniques for these products. Powder coating doesn't work due to the texture and I cannot buff it either. What options do I have to give it a
1. Silver finish
2. Bronze finish
3. Colored finishes

Thanks so much.

Regards,

Helen Cho
- New York, NY, U.S.A

No! No! No!
Not for Food Service!
Teflon/ Moly Oven Cure Firearm Finish

(affil links)

A. Hi Helen,

What is the specific alloy? for a dull silver finish you could try electroless nickel. what about considering this for color if you can get a supplier to do it:

Gun-Kote Pale Gold
Formulated to provide a finish which looks like Antique Gold. It is excellent for inlays, and accents coloured finishes can be achieved by KAL-GARD.

They also offer a 'Formulated to provide a finish which looks like bead blasted stainless steel' or other similar painting techniques? please supply more detailed information.

What is the application - indoor or outdoor? Is corrosion a big consideration or is cost the driving factor?

Michael Georgiadis
- Kzn, South Africa
2004

? I hear a lot on can'ts and I don't understand why. Please clarify. Is casting too rough? What is the shape of the parts, how big are they, and how many?

AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
2004

Q. Dear finishers,

Thank you for your feedback. I have tried powder coating and it bubbles up at places and I lose a lot of the texture. I cannot chrome plate it as I make complicated shapes and it will not plate uniformly. Painting gives me varied finishing and is not very durable. Please advice.

Thank you in advance,

Helen Cho [returning]
- New York
2004

Ed. note: We didn't receive the graphic you had referenced, Ms. Cho. Please send it to mooney@finishing.com.

A. Still not enough info; however, I can only guess and say surface preparation is the problem. Meaning, you have to either abrasive blast or mass finish the parts first before trying to put on some kind of coating.

AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
2004

A. It's possible that the powder coating didn't work if you took these pieces to a job shop and just said "paint them". It might be better to get in contact with a powder manufacturing rep rather than the shop sales guy and tell him the issues that you have. Powder formulations can be changed to meet circumstances. The gel time can be adjusted to allow for the paint to "settle" into the textured areas so that you don't lose that feature, it also sounds like you have an outgassing problem that can be resolved also. You should be able to get a custom made powder that will suit your needs, it all comes down to what you're willing to pay for, then finding someone that is able to apply it properly.

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina
2004

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