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Powder Coating 101
Powder coating is a terrific way to achieve uniform and long lasting color on the surface of metal. This virtual course will provide instruction on setting up powder coating for a home or shared studio and powder application using electrostatic spray deposition (ESD). Curriculum will cover the introductory information needed for students to get started with setup and application methodology, tips on how to fabricate for the process, and surface altering techniques. There will be time allotted for questions and problem solving for personal projects at the end of the class.
For more information about virtual courses, visit our Virtual Course FAQ page.
Please read the Materials & Tools tab!
Meet the instructor
Laura Wood is a full-time jewelry artist living in Asheville, North Carolina. Laura's creative practice began in dance and shifted to contemporary jewelry in college, at University of Georgia, where she was introduced to jewelry and metalsmithing. A performative arts background continues to influence her work. Sculptural forms are thoughtfully engineered for the body and are intended to contribute to a daily experience.
Her jewelry is represented in galleries and exhibitions nationally and internationally and has been exhibited in widely celebrated craft expositions. Her work is among the permanent collections of the Gregg Museum of Art at North Carolina State University, The Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin, The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC and The Enamel Arts Foundation in Los Angeles, CA. Publications include, 500 Paper Objects, Lark Crafts, Behind the Brooch, Schiffer Publishing, American Craft ,and Metalsmith Magazine.
Most recently, Laura completed a three-year term in the resident artist program at Penland School of Craft (2017-2020). She is the founding voice of the annual ECU Symposium (2010) and is a co-founder of Jewelry Edition (2012), a creative project aimed at facilitating the growth of jewelry artists. She earned a BFA from the University of Georgia (2007) and an MFA in metal design from East Carolina University (2011).
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name (in red) to be redirected to a page where you can find the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. Due to the variety of items needed for the powder coating process, the instructor recommends taking the course prior to investing in all items referenced below.
Metal/raw materials:
- any metal that does not contain tin/lead - scraps or other
Powder coat (quantities and colors are up to the student):
- Eastwood powder - sample kit (Eastwood)
- Eastwood powder (Eastwood)
- Prismatic powder (Prismatic)
- Powder Buy the Pound (Powder Buy The Pound)
Powder coating tools (note that vacuum items will be discussed but are optional for the process):
- 1 x powder coating gun (Eastwood - suggested, or Harbor)
- 1 x In-Line filter - if not getting Eastwood gun kit (Amazon)
- 1 x air compressor - any that reaches 90PSI (Hardware Store)
- 1 x orange polyester tape (Powder Buy The Pound)
- 1 x steel wire or bar stock (Hardware Store)
- 1 x 1lb copper wire - 20g or 22g (Rio Grande)
- 1 x extra powder jars - must match gun brand (Eastwood)
- 1 x toaster oven - must reach 400° (Target)
- 1 x shop vacuum - 9 gallon suggested (Hardware Store - kit)
- 1 x vacuum filter - if getting non-kit vacuum (Hardware Store)
- 1 x vacuum bags - to fit your vacuum size (Hardware Store)
- 1 x large plastic bin - depending on your needs size up/down
Hand tools:
- 1 x rotary tool - flex shaft, micro motor, etc. (Rio Grande)
- 1 x round nose pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x long needle nose pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x flat nose pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x snips / flush cutters (Rio Grande)
- 1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
- 1 x pack saw blades - 3/0, 4/0 (Rio Grande)
- 1 x burlife / bee's wax (Rio Grande)
- 1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
- 1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Amazon)
- 1 x sanding sticks / paint stirs (Rio Grande)
- 1 x 3M buff wheel - medium - for buffing machine (Rio Grande)
- 1 x 3M buff wheel - fine - for buffing machine (Rio Grande)
- 1 x polishing wheel - for buffing machine (Rio Grande)
- 1 x rouge polishing compound (Rio Grande)
- 1 x cratex cone (Rio Grande)
- 1 x medium grit polishing cone (Rio Grande)
- 1 x fine grit polishing cone (Rio Grande)
- 1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)
- 1 x brass bristle brush (Rio Grande)
- 1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)
- 1 x drill bits - any between #50-#60 or drill index (Rio Grande)
- 1 x liquid hand soap - for cleaning metal
Other/miscellaneous items:
- basic torch setup - if you plan to fabricate prior to coating
- denatured alcohol
- particulate dust mask / respirator
- eye protection
- aluminum foil
- scissors - small sewing variety
- Sharpie
- drill bits
- magic eraser
- box cutter and new blade
- duct tape
- hand towels
- paper towel or microfiber towel