TackleTour

I got a fluid bed around Christmas time this year and have been using it since. I've gotten it down pretty well but this week I've run into an issue and I have no clue what to do. All the other colors I've used work very well with the fluid bed and I haven't had any issues. Until this week I went to use black for the first time and it didn't seem to like me. I had a lot of over splash I guess you could call it. when I was done half my desk was also black because of how much came out the top. So I added more powder coat and tried again since I didn't have much in it the first time. I did this three more times until I had the equivalent of 1.5 jars in the fluid bed which is well more than I've used with any of my other colors. Even with this it still had a lot of over spill. I messed with regulator and everything. I can't seem to get the nice bubbling fluid bed effect with this color and I don't know what else to try but it's become a really big PITA to due any black powder coating. Any thoughts?

Play around with different filter media: coffee filters, brown paper lunch bags, construction paper, etc.
I find certain colors tend to get a better bubbling effect with certain media as opposed to others. One color I cannot get down is white.
Play around with the amount of air that the powder gets as well. Hope all goes well.

I bought this fluid bed set up and didn't build it, they all have the same "filter" on the bottom. Its just the black thatI can't seem to get to work well. Any other options?

What brand fluid bed did you buy? I assume it comes with an attachment that you put your powder in?
If so, I'd recommend building another tube attachment with different filter media and see which works best for you.
Different brands of paint of the same color work better with certain media. It's luck of the draw

Alright looks like that's my only option, maybe a small project for this weekend

There should be a petcock or valve to adjust the air flow, what you do is tighten it down to choke off all the air, then slowly open until the powder "boils" without a dust cloud. Black powder needs very little air to make it fluidize so if you close the valve or petcock a bit you'll be fine.

smalljaw wrote: There should be a petcock or valve to adjust the air flow, what you do is tighten it down to choke off all the air, then slowly open until the powder "boils" without a dust cloud. Black powder needs very little air to make it fluidize so if you close the valve or petcock a bit you'll be fine.

Already tried that one unfortunately, I've adjusted the air just about every way I could

11kalnmitc wrote:

smalljaw wrote: There should be a petcock or valve to adjust the air flow, what you do is tighten it down to choke off all the air, then slowly open until the powder "boils" without a dust cloud. Black powder needs very little air to make it fluidize so if you close the valve or petcock a bit you'll be fine.

Already tried that one unfortunately, I've adjusted the air just about every way I could

You have to seriously watch, choke off the air and then just barely open the valve and look in the cup and give it a few seconds and watch for the boil, if it doesn't boil then give another very small turn and then watch and wait, give it 10 seconds, trust me, there is a very fine line where it will fluidize and then become a dust cloud and it is just a small turn. I've been making tackle for more than 16 years and I've been using a fluid bed for 9 years and black always would make a dust cloud if you used too much air, it is maybe a 1/8" turn of the valve that will get it right but you need to go slow, when you get the boil back off the air and see when it stops and then go back to where you get the boil, then you won't have a cloud of dust but as long as you can control the air there is a setting that will work, trust me you just have to go in very small increments.

smalljaw wrote: You have to seriously watch, choke off the air and then just barely open the valve and look in the cup and give it a few seconds and watch for the boil, if it doesn't boil then give another very small turn and then watch and wait, give it 10 seconds, trust me, there is a very fine line where it will fluidize and then become a dust cloud and it is just a small turn. I've been making tackle for more than 16 years and I've been using a fluid bed for 9 years and black always would make a dust cloud if you used too much air, it is maybe a 1/8" turn of the valve that will get it right but you need to go slow, when you get the boil back off the air and see when it stops and then go back to where you get the boil, then you won't have a cloud of dust but as long as you can control the air there is a setting that will work, trust me you just have to go in very small increments.

Alright, this weekend when I start another batch I'll give it a shot. I wasn't waiting very long between increases in the air. probably because all my other colors I just turn up until they start boiling and then let it settle. Then again black seems to be another puzzle all together. I'll try smaller increments

Black powder paint just seems to flow much easier than other colors. Green pumpkin for me is the hardest to get a good flow. Try adding a price of printer paper orma coffee filter on top of your current filter.

Black gives me fits too. Don't forget to give it a stir now and then either. It seems to help calm it down.

Been some time since I've posted here. Don't recall where I found this info, but if you don't mind some shine to your black and white jigs, I've found adding clear to these colors seems to allow them to flow better. A little goes a long way. GL all

Since your black probably already is glossy, adding clear gloss should help liquefy the black powder. If you are looking for some contact me.

cadman wrote:Since your black probably already is glossy, adding clear gloss should help liquefy the black powder. If you are looking for some contact me.

Will adding the clear gloss affect the coverage?

mark poulson wrote:

cadman wrote:Since your black probably already is glossy, adding clear gloss should help liquefy the black powder. If you are looking for some contact me.

Will adding the clear gloss affect the coverage?

It will make the powder paint more fluid. You will have to do a ratio of powder paint versus clear powder paint. Naturally you can't do 50/50. You have to start in small batches write down your ratio and then once you find what works, multiply out your ratios for bigger quantity for your fluid bed. The guys that buy my clear says it works all the time to fluff up the powder in the fluid bed. I have used it as well with some hard to work with powders and it is like night and day. Every powder paint needs different clear gloss ratios for it to work. So again, trial and error is the key.