# Making fordite



## pssherman (May 19, 2021)

Has anyone ever tried using powder coat paint to make fordite?


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## leehljp (May 19, 2021)

That is an idea! I don't have a powder coat system but have thought of it many times. IF you have the system, give it a try!


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## pssherman (May 19, 2021)

What would be a good set of colors to try? How many colors should it have?


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## dogcatcher (May 19, 2021)

A coat of clearcoat is 1.5mils to 2mils, so I am guessing each layer of auto paint would be about the same.  But since paint is thicker I would go with 2mils.  That converts to 500 coats to make a 1" thick layer.  I am relatively sure each layer will have to dry before adding another layer.  

Using auto enamel which dries fast would allow for several coats per day, maybe 2 or 3, really I have no real clue.  But for simple math, let's say 5 coats per day.  That equals 100 days to get a 1" thick bar.  This is my thoughts.  1, Get some large baker's pans, line them with wax paper.  Buy a few quarts of various colors.   Line up the trays so you can spray paint 4 or 5 or as many as you want.  Spray a layer in each, allowing them to  dry as you proceed changing colors and adding layers.  Again I am guessing but spray 2 or 3 layers of one color before switching to another.  Alternating the 2 or 3 with maybe 4 or 5 just to keep it random.  I believe that enamel auto paint can be recoated after a little over an hour.  

Do I have a clue?  Nope, but in the past I have asked a nephew a million questions about trying this.  He said the idea is crazy.   But if you try to make a small amount, you will spend hours cleaning equipment, the same hours if you spay 100 square feet or 1 square foot.  On the other hand, if it flops, you wasted a lot more money


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## penicillin (May 19, 2021)

I'll share a secret that i was going to try, then reveal to the world (if it works!). 

My spouse suggested buying cheap bottles of nail polish at the 99 Cent Store and then pouring them into a mold one layer at a time. I think she said they are 2 for 99 cents. I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I have no idea whether it would work. 

I don't have any fancy silicone pen blank molds, so I plan to construct one from scrapwood. I'll make a 3/4 inch slot with the dado stack, then cap the ends. When it dries, I'll trim off or turn off the scrapwood.


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## dogcatcher (May 19, 2021)

For your mold get some pine slats, they are about 1/4 thick and 1 1/2 wide.  Elmer glue them together.  I  filled them up about 3/4 deep so I got 2 blanks in one mold.  I would throw them away after one use.


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## pssherman (May 20, 2021)

Can wood be heated to 400 degrees F? That is what is needed to cure the powder coat paint. I was thinking of making a wooden mold and lining it with aluminum foil. The foil can be cut off or turned away once it has been removed from the mold. I was going to try to lay down multiple layers of powder before curing. since the flow out is very thick there should be little or no mixing. If that doesn't work I will try flowing out each layer before adding another.


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## eharri446 (May 20, 2021)

I do not think that heating wood to 400 degrees would be a good idea. Go to your local thrift store and get some aluminum baking pans. Then line them with aluminum foil and then do your spraying. Once you have baked the powder coat for the recommend time, you can either add more coats if needed. Finally when you are done with your blank, you can remove the aluminum foil from the pan. If my memory serves me correctly, you have to have an electrically current in the item to be coated so that the powder sticks to it. That means that your best bet would be aluminum or metal baking pans.


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## PatrickR (May 20, 2021)

the combustion point of wood is less than 400.
does powder coating adhere to cured powder coating without treatment?
I like the idea of using nail polish, cheap, easy and no clean up. Line the container with waxed paper (or use a mold release) and put something under it to create run, drips etc. the best looking fordite has some character, not simple straight lines.


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## pssherman (May 20, 2021)

Powder coat powder will adhere to cured powder coat. Eastwood (powder coat company) suggests letting the first coat flow out and cool before putting on another layer. But, that is so that you can mask off an area that doesn't get the second coat. I plan on applying multiple layers before heating since the colors aren't supposed to mix.


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## pssherman (May 23, 2021)

I received my powder coat powders, 7 colors 8 oz each, today and a small metal pan lined with aluminum foil. I will begin putting down layers of powder randomly and then cure them. Since I am sprinkling the powder in then pan I don't know how thick the layers will be. Since I will be curing multiple layers, I don't know if there will be any bubbles forming. I just have to see what kind of results I will get.


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## leehljp (May 23, 2021)

pssherman said:


> I received my powder coat powders, 7 colors 8 oz each, today and a small metal pan lined with aluminum foil. I will begin putting down layers of powder randomly and then cure them. Since I am sprinkling the powder in then pan I don't know how thick the layers will be. Since I will be curing multiple layers, I don't know *if there will be any bubbles forming.* I just have to see what kind of results I will get.


If there are bubbles forming, I think they will create some very interesting and desirable blanks.


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## pssherman (May 23, 2021)

After 1 hour 45 minutes I Have sprinkled powder to a depth of 2 inches in the pan. When heated the powder will flow out and be much thinner. I am measuring the thickness so that I can determine how much powder will be needed in the future.


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## pssherman (May 24, 2021)

Here is what I got from my first attempt. There are lots of bubbles except at the bottom. I need to find a way to get the flow out to go from the bottom up instead from the top and bottom.


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## leehljp (May 24, 2021)

I see what you mean by bubbles now. That is a start! How hard is it?


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## pssherman (May 24, 2021)

It is very hard and durable since it is heat cured epoxy powder. I may try to clear cast the pieces with amazing clear cast. I don't have and colorants yet. I will need to draw a vacuum to eliminate the air from the voids and then use pressure to drive the clear cast into the voids.


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## pssherman (May 26, 2021)

Here are a couple of pics of a mesa pen made from one of the bubbled blanks.


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