High temp clear for bare copper

C

CopperWulf

New Member
I manufacture copper products, and sometimes I clear coat them. In the past I've had a local shop do the clear, but that's not an option anymore. I've done some painting over the years, and I'd like to clear coat these myself.

I weld these things up, and then polish them to a mirror finish, then wipe them down multiple times, and he shoots them. This is not a typical paint prep, as I can't do any scuffing of the copper, and even a normal cleaner will discolor and streak the copper. The copper must show a mirror reflection before it's clear coated.

I'm not sure what clear coat he was using, but I've had probably 50 of these out there for at least 5 years being used nearly every day and no complaints about the clear coming off.

I need a clear that can handle at least 250F degrees, higher would be better.

Any suggestions on what to use?
 
well you have 2 options. #1 apply spi adhesion promoter then clearcoat it with regular clear. i have done this on polished copper on a motorcycle with no issues. #2 get clear4chrome from alsa. its expensive stuff and doesnt quite spray as well as a regular clear so i would not use just that. i would get that, mix it and reduce it down and shoot a single coat of that like an adhesion promoter then apply regular spi clear coat over it. both ways will hold up to your temps you want. a third possibility is i believe ceracoat finally came out with a ceramic clearcoat that is for chrome. you will need to look in to that though. not sure if it needs a high temp bake or not.
 
Thanks Jim. I like #1, that's what I was looking for.

Which clear would you recommend? I'm not going to cut and buff or touch it in any way after shooting it. A little orange peel is fine, but I'd prefer none of course.

I'm also not setup for baking, I'd prefer to air dry in a heated space, probably 70F
 
4000 or 5000 is your choice. Neither of these will need ad pro IF you clean with 700-1
Architects spec this for copper on multi-million dollar houses.
Clean w 700 grey pad or polish.
Clean 700
Wait 60 mins after drying.
Spray 2 or more coats of clear.
Ait dry buff next day or later depending on number of coats.
 
Barry said:
4000 or 5000 is your choice. Neither of these will need ad pro IF you clean with 700-1
Architects spec this for copper on multi-million dollar houses.
Clean w 700 grey pad or polish.
Clean 700
Wait 60 mins after drying.
Spray 2 or more coats of clear.
Ait dry buff next day or later depending on number of coats.
Click to expand...
I was going to say that Barry would ring in on this one, what with the direct experience in non-automotive applications, and sure enough, here he is...
 
CopperWulf said:
I manufacture copper products, and sometimes I clear coat them. In the past I've had a local shop do the clear, but that's not an option anymore. I've done some painting over the years, and I'd like to clear coat these myself.

I weld these things up, and then polish them to a mirror finish, then wipe them down multiple times, and he shoots them. This is not a typical paint prep, as I can't do any scuffing of the copper, and even a normal cleaner will discolor and streak the copper. The copper must show a mirror reflection before it's clear coated.

I'm not sure what clear coat he was using, but I've had probably 50 of these out there for at least 5 years being used nearly every day and no complaints about the clear coming off.

I need a clear that can handle at least 250F degrees, higher would be better.

Any suggestions on what to use?
Click to expand...
I find this very interesting, would you mind showing a picture of what you make?
 
Barry said:
4000 or 5000 is your choice. Neither of these will need ad pro IF you clean with 700-1
Architects spec this for copper on multi-million dollar houses.
Clean w 700 grey pad or polish.
Clean 700
Wait 60 mins after drying.
Spray 2 or more coats of clear.
Ait dry buff next day or later depending on number of coats.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help. I'm a little confused, do you mean I should clean with 700-1 using a grey scotch brite, Or that I should polish it with 700-1 on a buffing pad?

Then clean again with 700-1, let it dry, shoot, etc.

I won't be able to buff it out after shooting, there's way too many sharp corners and I'd just be asking to blow through. I'm okay with a little bit of orange peel.

here's some pictures of what I make:

I almost forgot, some of these will not be polished at all. Some people like the look of the welds, so I offer some items without polish. This means I can't touch the copper at any time without soft gloves on, and can't scuff them in any way. I can wipe them down, but nothing that will discolor it.

The last picture is of the clear coat that the local guy had shot. You can see the orange peel, I'd like to get my clear to lay on smoother than that without a cut and buff.
 

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rdransman said:
Do the revenooers cause you any problems, what with some of this stuff looking like still parts? o_Oo_Oo_O
Click to expand...
Good eye. Not just look like. ;)

The first picture is a 5 gallon electric alcohol. 190+ proof in one run.

The second picture is 2 sets of essential oil stills, for lavender, things of that nature.

The other pics are of just household utensil holders.

Not sure if it's okay to post my website here, if not I'll take it down.

www.columbiacopperworks.com

ColumbiaCopperWorks

ColumbiaCopperWorks
www.columbiacopperworks.com www.columbiacopperworks.com

The stills themselves aren't illegal, at least not in most areas of the USA. Some places do have different license requirements, and it's up to the customer to get that sorted out. In most of the USA, it's legal to at the very least make alcohol for fuel. You can get a free permit to make up to 10,000 gallons per year of fuel.

These days there's so many micro-distilleries popping up that states are practically begging for new businesses to open up. Legally obviously.

There's a few links on my website that talk about my dad being a bootlegger and getting caught back in the '60s though. He's quite the guy.

Myself, I just make the equipment. I let my dad have all the crazy stories from before I was born.
 
CopperWulf said:
Good eye. Not just look like. ;)

The first picture is a 5 gallon electric alcohol. 190+ proof in one run.

The second picture is 2 sets of essential oil stills, for lavender, things of that nature.

The other pics are of just household utensil holders.

Not sure if it's okay to post my website here, if not I'll take it down.

www.columbiacopperworks.com

ColumbiaCopperWorks

ColumbiaCopperWorks
www.columbiacopperworks.com www.columbiacopperworks.com

The stills themselves aren't illegal, at least not in most areas of the USA. Some places do have different license requirements, and it's up to the customer to get that sorted out. In most of the USA, it's legal to at the very least make alcohol for fuel. You can get a free permit to make up to 10,000 gallons per year of fuel.

These days there's so many micro-distilleries popping up that states are practically begging for new businesses to open up. Legally obviously.

There's a few links on my website that talk about my dad being a bootlegger and getting caught back in the '60s though. He's quite the guy.

Myself, I just make the equipment. I let my dad have all the crazy stories from before I was born.
Click to expand...
VERY Cool! All I need is another hobby and I'll probably kill myself before the wife does!
 
What is your opinions on the last picture of the orange peel? To my mind it's a bit rough, but am I expecting too much without a cut and buff?

I'm not saying I'll do any better at first, although I have shot a few things I'm not an expert.
 
CopperWulf said:
What is your opinions on the last picture of the orange peel? To my mind it's a bit rough, but am I expecting too much without a cut and buff?

I'm not saying I'll do any better at first, although I have shot a few things I'm not an expert.
Click to expand...
When you get a gun, you and I can talk and get your system right, and then we do a spray test.
Nothing to it.
 
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