Powder Coating with Rubber Stamps

Hi there – from the other half of TOA.  It has been several months since I have experimented.  Gone are the days of the powder coating, sifting powders and toaster oven baking out on the patio.


So down to the basement studio I go.  Our basement is not heated, so I prepare for an expedition.  On go the two layers of turtlenecks, flannel-lined blue jeans and down slippers.  I am ready.

Can you powder coat a rubber stamped image onto a piece of metal?

• Coat a metal blank with powder and toast to cure.
• Stamp an image onto the cured piece with clear embossing ink.
• Sift a contrasting powder color onto the image.  
• Shake and blow off excess – and toast again.

So does it work?  Yes with mixed results.

First off – find appropriate rubber stamps to fit the metal blanks – get sidetracked looking at the stamps – return to basement an hour later.

I choose a geometric image that fits the metal blank. 

I pick colors that are pleasing and that are already open, since we are both experimenting.

I sift on the pale green and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  After it cools I stamp the image onto the green with the clear embossing ink pad.  Then I sift a light coat of the curry yellow over the piece.  I knock off the excess and blow on it.  It looks good.   No excess powder on the unstamped surface.  This then bakes for 10 minutes at 340 degrees, the curing temperature for the curry yellow. 

Out it comes from the oven and cools.   Curry yellow over the pale green worked.  It has a matte finish, which I like, but not much contrast between the colors. (Note to self, pick colors with more contrast.) 
 
I flip it over and try again, this time using the curry yellow as the base coat, and pale green on the stamped image.

The effect is again subtle, but this time there is more shine.  



Yep, this piece baked 4 times.  Nothing melted or stuck to the baking rack.  You are pretty safe once the piece has cured.


Part 2.  More Contrast

We have snow here – and are expecting more, so I figure I could still use my snowflake rubber stamps.  My set of Martha Stewart snowflake stamps is still out, used in holiday projects.

My colors of choice blue beacon  and wet bright white, which bake/cure for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Once cooled, I stamp the snowflake image onto each piece using a clear embossing ink pad.

I sift the contrasting color onto the stamped image. I try not to make the sifted coating over the stamped snowflake design too thick.  I knock the excess off and blow on it slightly to remove more.  

Since it doesn't blow off as cleanly as I want, I wipe it off and try again, and again and again.  Then I thought, this is just experimentation, so go with it and see what happens.



I like the effect of the excess powder, (kind of a snowstorm look) but I still would like to get a clean image with no excess, so the experimentation will continue.  


 Keep your oven door closed, A&J 

Two Tone Experiment

We've been working with 2 tone or mixing colors lately and it seemed like a good way to explain how we are using powder coat and to explain the different states of coating. The first photo shows the 4 states of powder coat curing:

• Powder: The coating is sifted on to the metal square.
• Eggshell: The piece is placed in the oven for a few minutes till the powder begins to melt.
• Flow Out: The piece is left in the oven a bit longer till the powder melts completely and begins to flow.
• Cured: The piece has been full cured for 10 minutes after the flow out stage.
• Half Coat: For demo purposes we coated half of the metal with white powder and then will add the red.

To add the red we simply covered half of the metal square with a business card (LBbyJ of course) sifted the powder on to it and removed the card leaving half red / half white. We have used a corrugated metal piece here to make it easier to pick the piece up with tweezers and wax paper so we can reuse the excess powder.

So how did it turn out, looking at the last photo here are some thoughts:

• Powder: Some white came through the red giving it a speckled look.
• Eggshell: Again some white speckles came through might need a heavier coat.
• Flow Out: Still a few speckles of white again a heavier coat would be better.
• Cured: Looks good with no speckles.
• Half Coat: Also looks very good.

In the end we think that putting a heavier coat on any of them would have help reduce the speckles of white. For ease of use / design though we say that either flow out or cured would be the best. Why, well let's say you made a mistake, happens sometimes, with the background cured already you can clean off the mistake and reapply the second color without having to start over or waste powder.

Keep your oven door closed, A&J

New Colors and Kits

Sorry it has been awhile since we updated, we both have been busy with our regular crafts but decided to take time off for the holidays.

A few months back we ordered new colors and they've been patiently waiting in the box for us. Well we finally have posted them to our website as individual colors or in collections of colors. The ones we are most excited about are the Fashion collection, the photo to the right.

So what did we get:

Fashion Colors:
Antique Pink
Blue Lilac
Curry
Pale Green
Lemon Yellow
Pale Turquoise
Salmon Pink
Black Cherry

Metallic Collection: (The red and green are new colors and then we grouped the metallics together for a collection of colors)
Red Metallic Vein Copper Vein
Green Metallic Vein
Penny Metallic Vein
Bonded Silver Vein
Gold Metallic Vein

Primary Color Collection:
Signal Green
Traffic Yellow
Traffic Red
Signal White
Jet Black
Signal Blue



We've also created a Collection Starter Kit with sifters and scrubbing pad to make it a little easier to get up and going. Keep your oven door closed, A&J

Toaster Oven Envy

While our first post talked about what we'd like to see in a oven, a quick revisit seemed appropriate now that we have some experience under our belt. Just remember that once the oven is used for curing powder coat it is no longer food safe.

Taking a look at Craigslist we came across this little number, an oven, coffee maker and egg cooker all in one. Something to fill the void while your waiting 10 minutes for the powder to cure, sounds pretty good.

But seriously our first impressions still hold true, height is very important since trying to hang pieces in a short oven leads to wrist burns. The ET picture shows 4 inch high brass letters being cured with barely enough room for them. A built in timer and inside light are also good since you need to keep an eye on your pieces for the powder to flow before setting the cure time. We suggest a Craigslist or Yard Sale oven but if you can't wait to get coating a new oven is always nice.

Keep your oven door closed, A&J

Let's Get Coating Already

So we have our metal piece cleaned to remove oxidation and wiped with a chemical cleaner, we are ready to PC. We put the piece on the wax paper and scoop some powder into the sifter, sprinkle it over the metal piece. We're looking to have good coverage across the piece with no metal showing, this is the part where you need to try it and see what works best for you. We can show you how to PC but only time can teach you.

Now into the oven, we use pliers or forceps to pick the piece up and gently place it on the oven rack. You may notice a sprinkle of powder on the oven door, be sure to clean this off or you'll cure it to the door and eventually won't be able to see in.

Set the oven temp to the curing temp on the bottle and fire up the oven. For the first few minutes you need to watch your piece in the oven and look for what is called flow out. You'll see the powder turn to an orange peel effect as it begins to melt and then it will turn to a liquid. This is where you set your timer to the curing time recommended on the bottle.


And then the wait, 10 minutes is a long time when watching paint cure so now is a good time to clean up and figure out what to put the hot piece on. And finally the magic ding from the oven and your piece is cured. Use the pliers again to remove the piece from the oven and let it cool. Time to admire your work!!!!

Keep your oven door closed, A&J

Up Next: Toaster Oven Lust / Envy

Tools 2, Almost Ready to PC

One more list of tools and then we'll be ready to Powder Coat (PC). Metal preparation is the most important step to having success with powder coating so our list includes simple things you probably have around the house.

• Scouring pad or sand paper
• Acetone, paint thinner or alcohol 
• Wax paper
• Needle-nose pliers

We tend to use copper since it is available at the local recycler for around $3.00 a pound, but PC can be done on any metal or anything that can take the 400 degree curing.

All metals come with some oxidation, greases and oils so the first step is to clean the surface with some sanding. We like a scouring pad since it's flexible and can also get into the textured metals.

Then a quick rub down with a solvent. Be sure to use a lint free cloth and hold the pieces by the edges as to not get any finger prints on it.

Now place the cleaned piece on the wax paper for easy clean up and we're ready to Powder Coat.

The pliers will be used to move the coated pieces in and out of the oven.

Keep your oven door closed, A&J

Quick Start: Tools

Getting started with Powder Coating is easy with just a few simple tools. Here's a quick list to get you started:

• Toaster Oven
• Powder Coat
• Enamel Sifters

Our advice for the toaster oven is the inside height is important so spend a few extra dollars that we didn't and buy a tall oven (maybe even one with a light). The oven will no longer be food safe so keep that in mind when purchasing an toaster oven.

The powders are available online from many locations but we of course hope you'll buy from our shop where you can purchase smaller quantities. 

Sifters have a cup with a very fine screen and a handle allowing you to dust your piece with the powder. These are also available from our our shop or a quick search for enameling tools will turn up many sites.

So that is the basics, of course you'll need metal to coat, scouring pad and acetone to clean but more on that next time. 

Keep your oven door closed, A&J

Welcome

We're Amy and John and Toaster Oven Art (TOA) is our newest creative outlet. Rather then bore you with our details let's get to the art. TOA was a bit of an accidental discovery while talking with a fellow artist. She suggested that powder coating using a toaster oven was possibly a new technique for making jewelry. Having many failed attempts at torch fired enameling and not looking forward to spending a large sum on a kiln we were looking for an alternative.

Powder coating is an industrial and automotive coating for protection against heat and chemical environments. It is extremely tough and resistant once cured, we've banged on pieces with a hammer, bent and folded them with no cracking. Best of all though is the curing temp of just 400 degrees is easily done in a toaster oven found at a yard sale or super store. While professional coaters use a static gun, we'll get to that, our trial and error process has been done using simple tools that we had from enameling.

Look forward to showing you more and remember to keep your oven door closed, A&J