Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


-----

Repair of Cosmetic Powdercoat blemishes

We mfg sheet metal parts, many of them are cosmetic with Powedercoat finishes. There seems to be a dis-agreement amoungst our suppliers when it comes to repairing the finish due to imperfections in the finished product. Can a cosmetic powdercoated part be repaired without totally removing all the powder first? if so, is there a something special that needs to be done? Any help is appreciated.

Laurie Page
Trident Precision Mfg - Webster , New York
2004

---

If you have blemishes on what needs to be a blemish free surface, the only way to correct it is to strip the paint off, or sand the part and repaint it. An experienced coater should be able to sand and repaint the part without stripping it providing that there are no tight tolerances to keep, as the drawback to a sand and reshoot is that the paint will be thicker in the areas that he can't reach with a sander. There are other methods for touching-up paint, but if they don't produce the quality(I'm sure your painters have tried) that you are looking for, you don't have many options.

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina
2004