[dfrank]

If you really want powder coating you can galvanize the metal before the powder coating. That is what we do when a customer wants powder coating for something that is outside all the time. Then again we do a lot of just galvanized railings and beams and all kinds of structural steel in galvanizing. If you are going to paint over galvanizing then it CAN NOT be quenched at the end of the galvanizing process or the paint will flake off no matter what unless it sits long enough for the zinc to absorb the aluminum top coat. That is why galvanizing turns dark gray after a while. If you really want the ultimate in rust proofing then galvanizing is the way to go. Like I said in my earlier post my plan when I restore my truck soon is to sand blast the frame the have it galvanized WITHOUT being quenched then brush blasted and then finally a two part epoxy paint in satin black. It will NEVER rust.

On a side not if you want to have axles or anything with bearings inside blasted before paint then use walnut shell blasting media. If the walnut shells happen to get into the axles somehow then they will just disintegrate and cause no harm to the bearings. Sand on the other hand will do numbers to bearings if it gets into them.

If you are powder coating anything with bearings and seals then it has to be completely disassembled prior to the powder coating or the baking process will dry out and ruin the seals and cause any grease inside to melt out and run the powder coating.

Powder coating also has to be freshly sand blasted before the process with NO flash rusting or the powder coating has a very likely possibility to start chipping and flaking off or for rust to form underneath of it.

If anyone has any questions on rustproofing steel or anything to do with galvanizing or powder coating just send me a pm and I can talk to you about it. I have a good bit of experience with these processes from all the steel we do for the customers of our company.