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