Why are Black Fox weathervanes powdercoated?

Everyone has at somepoint come across a bit of metalwork that is faded, rusty, and with multiple layers of paint peeling, whether it be a house sign, hanging basket bracket or weathervane. It can make a whole area look and feel run down and neglected, so it really is worth buying metalwork that is designed to last in the first place, rather than replaced after two years which it seems the internet is full of these days!

I wanted to write a series of blog posts explaning the technical side of creating weathervanes and hanging signs, so our customers know exactly why when they buy from us, they are getting the best quality available for anywhere near the price. To do that, I need to explain exactly what is powdercoating?

Powdercoating is a process of metal finishing where dry powder is given a negative charge and sprayed through a gun. The object to be powdercoated, for example a weathervane or swinging sign, is hung and given a positive charge, so the particles of paint are attracted to it. The piece is then baked in an oven at 180 degrees for around 20 minutes, creating a hard, solid finish. The photo below shows a bespoke weathervane (Alice in Wonderland design) hung up and being sprayed with powder.

Advantages of powder coated weathervanes

• It is extremely hard wearing and durable - it is used in all sorts of industrial applications. It does not fade as easily as wet paint, and does not scratch or chip easily, avoiding the need for messy touch ups.
• Very low maintenance in that it does not need a re coat after a few years like many wet paint finishes would.
• It is also available in pretty much any colour you could ever want, plus a variety of textures. Check out the beautiful blue we've used for these custom shop signs!

• From our point of view, powder coating is a quick process because it is applied in one coat and there is no waiting around for it to dry.
•  After the initial set up, it is also relatively inexpensive compared to decent quality wet paints.
• It does not give off toxic fumes like some paints can.

Have a look at the two images below; we re created an old house sign that had been brush painted repeatedly over several years. Apparently it was in the deeds of the house that this exact design of sign must remain, so we needed to create an exact replica. You can see that the layers of paint have obscured a lot of the detail - it was difficult to work out how it should look when creating the new design!

 

The main disadvantage of powdercoating our weathervanes and hanging signs is that you need specialist equipment, which can be expensive for the initial outlay.

The only problem with powdercoated weathervanes from our customers point of view is that you cannot mix colours in the same way you can with wet paints. As a result there are literally hundreds of different colours available, but they are sold in quite large quantities, so if you wanted an unusual colour that your powdercoater does not stock, it could end up being expensive as you'd effectively be paying for the whole bag.

If you want to discuss a weathervane or sign design, or find out further techincal information about our metalwork, feel free to contact Black Fox Metalcraft today!