Sand blasting and powder coating in Wrexham

Here at HNP we predominantly design and create beautiful house signs. But on occasion we get requests that we just can’t refuse.

Take a look at our latest bespoke project, brought into us by a lovely gentleman who goes by the name of ‘Big Al.’

He brought us this beautifully cut, heavy, steel dragon that he tells us he found in his garage.

Original Dragon

We were delighted to be asked to sand blast, powder coat and paint such a beautiful piece, because we were taken aback by the detail.

We could see that someone had gone to great lengths to create an absolute gem of a piece.

The team couldn’t wait to get started.

Sand Blasting

First of all, Darren got the dragon into the fire breathing sand blaster (It doesn’t really blast fire, I just wanted to get fire breathing in here somewhere).

The sand blaster was used to clean down the dragon to bare metal, this makes it easier to work with when it comes to powder coating.

Sand Blasted Dragon

How the Sand blaster works

Sand blasting works by firing very fine sand particles through an air powered pressure gun at a surface (usually metal) that needs cleaning down to bare material. It is also used to engrave.

At HNP we have 2 sand blasters.

Neil and Mustafa (2 of our skilled craftsmen) were calling one of them the 'red'  sand blaster. I was laughed at when I asked why it was called the 'red' sand blaster. To which they replied "because that's what colour it is"

Forgive me lads, for thinking that maybe, just maybe, there might have been some fancy, magic red sand or something.

*pfft*

The red sand blaster is used for extremely delicate material such as glass, it is much finer and I'm told is more like a powder. This makes it more difficult to break the glass with the pressure of the sand blaster.

We also have a blue sand blaster. Because that's what colour it is. The sand is thicker and can cut through stronger materials i.e granite and slate for a beautiful engraved effect.

Powder Coating

Simon with his ‘metal’ skills (I tried to make a joke, I failed miserably) was awesome with the powder coating.

Powder coated Dragon

How powder coating works

The powder coating process is brilliant and very science-y. It’s put through a process called Electrostatic Spray Deposition (ESD).

First the product is heated to 200 degrees C in a huge oven.

Once this is done it gets taken out and hung on a metal bar that has an earth cable running through it.

When he’s ready, Simon arms himself with the powder coating gun, like a powder coating jedi, which is used to spray the product with the powder coating solution.

The powder coater finishes the circuit and the product acts as a magnet, the solution is drawn to the surface and sticks, forming a smooth black surface.

The product gets a couple of even coats, back and front to ensure maximum coverage.

Once all this is done, the product is put back in the oven and baked at 220 degrees C for around 10 minutes. Once it has cooled it is ready for the next step.

Painting

For all of our metal products here at HNP, we use enamel paint to get a solid, glossy finish.

So, finally the paint is sprayed on to give it a perfectly smooth, even finish with a stunning shine.

The paint takes a week to dry because it is so thick and hard wearing, it’s placed on a frame of shelves where it can dry naturally and cannot get damaged.

A stunning Welsh Dragon

When we presented this gorgeous dragon to its owner. He responded with one word.

“Wow”

Red Dragon Painted

And that is a response we love! Because we know that we’ve done a good job as a result.

I can see why. Just look at it! I personally was made up with this, I think it is absolutely wonderful.

He then proceeded to say…

“Can I stroke it?”

Of course, it’s yours sir.

But you can see what I’m getting at. He loved it, he was impressed, he was bewildered by that stunning red, glossy finish, as were we.

What else can we do?

So, as you have seen here, we are able to sand blast and powder coat a Welsh Dragon in the space of a week.

What else can we do?

Having had a chat with Simon, Neil and Mustafa they came to the conclusion that the biggest item we could sand blast would probably be a bike frame.

So if you need sand blasting and powder coating in Wrexham, give us a call or send us a message and tell us what you need, if we can help, we will.