Powdercoat or High Temp paint for light project???

I built a pair of dual CREE bike lights (one for the helmet, one for the handlebar). They are currently raw Al but I would like to paint them black. I know that powdercoat will be durable but I don't know if I can find someone that can do a no-heat coating. I picked up a can of high temp matte black paint that looks very good on a sample piece but I don't know if it will be as durable.

HAIII is out of the question. The light is built and I don't want to disassemble it.

Are there any other coating I should consider? Any other advice on powdercoat vs. high temp paint?

eh.... get a heat conductive paint?(is there such thing?)

Duracoat.

Agree with the Duracoat. But for quick, cheap and surprisingly durable, you might try a coat of hard gloss followed by a clearcoat of satin.

Yes, Duracoat. :twothumbs My signature flashlight below is Duracoat'ed OD green.

If you are looking for a readily available and cheap solution, You might want to consider Epoxy Appliance Spray Paint from your local hardware store. I've used it on a couple projects and it gives a nice glossy finish that has been pretty durable so far. The one caution is to wait at least a day, preferably three, between coats. When I tried to do a second coat before the first had fully cured, I got little bubbles in the new coat. The only solution was to let it finish curing and then sand it off and start with a fresh coat. The other drawback is limited color selection, but since you want black that's not an issue here.

Maybe I'm crazy... (probably)
What about Plasicote? You know, that rubberized coating? Tape off what you don't want coated then dip.

JimmyM said:

Maybe I'm crazy... (probably)
What about Plasicote? You know, that rubberized coating? Tape off what you don't want coated then dip.

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Plasticote is junk when it comes to durability.

Is Duracoat available to the DIY'er? Where can I get some more information on it.

My preferred finish for the lights is a matte black. The appliance paint sounds like a good idea but I want a matte finish.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Lumbee1 said:

Is Duracoat available to the DIY'er? Where can I get some more information on it.

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Check out lauerweaponry.com. I'm a DIY'er and I started out with one of their starter kits. I got so hooked that I ended up getting a compressor at a local hobby shop.

grnamin said:

Check out lauerweaponry.com. I'm a DIY'er and I started out with one of their starter kits. I got so hooked that I ended up getting a compressor at a local hobby shop.

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Dude, that's cool! Now I'm just looking for a reason to try it.

The can of paint I bought cost 1/10th of the Duracoat kit. I think I will try painting the lights first. If it doesn't work out, I can always sand it off and apply Duracoat later.

You might try a coat of satin clear or auto clearcoat over the paint. Works better for me. You can get the auto clear coat in a small spray can in the touch-up paint area of an auto parts store.

Any powder coat requires heating to 350 - 400 degrees to cure the powder, Duracoat is probably your best option

will said:

Any powder coat requires heating to 350 - 400 degrees to cure the powder, Duracoat is probably your best option

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They can cure powdercoat with UV light now.

Lumbee1 said:

They can cure powdercoat with UV light now.

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I have not seen any UV curable powders available to the home market. They are fairly new and are intended for plastic and wood substrates.

I would be curious to see who sells UV curable powder, and what is the minimum amount to purchase..