Not sure where else to put this. So if a Mod wants to move I won't feel bad.
I am trying to help my LGS out. The owners had a falling out and one of them left. The guy still there has a much better business sense but the one who left was the guy who did their Cerakoting.
To put it mildly the setup is a mess. The room is an old bathroom in the warehouse section of the building with a small vent fan and some lights installed.
No HVAC hookups, no real airflow. And all the Cerakote has been stored on shelves in that room.
Most of it is expired I am sure but there is a LOT of it, and I am hoping it can be salvaged.
So her are my thoughts.
First for the Cerakote:
- Cerakote should be filtered using fine mesh paint filters to remove any impurities from sitting so long. I know they say it expires however paint doesn't really expire. What you really get is the pigment settling and the VOCs evaporating.
- Replace all hardener since this can go bad.
- Use small Marbles in each bottle to help mix. This is a common sense thing but they have not been doing it.
- Test all current bottles for color correctness
- From this point forward store all Cerakote in refrigerator
Am I missing anything here? Anything else we can do to salvage it?
Now for the paint booth:
- Set up crossflow air system. Ducted airflow would be preferred but other alternatives are possible using I know. I was thinking some high powered fans bringing in fresh air and another exhausting the air to the outside.
- Install ductwork connected to current HVAC system. If that isn't possible we could alternatively use portable or window style AC unit to control temp and humidity. Currently the humidity is a real issue along with the heat.
- Make sure room has Positive air pressure. I assume this is as important as it would be for other types of painting.
- Set up seperate area for parts to hang without concern of overspray and particulates getting on them.
Once again is there anything I am missing here? These are good people and helping them is important to me so I want to make sure we get it right.
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