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illusion x tower powder coating issue


svnfightsvn

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So I have been removing all the chrome badges, etc from my BU to have them powdercoated. They have started pitting and look like crap.

However one of the badges/emblems on the base of my Illusion X towner didn't want to come off easily and when it finally did, it took a bunch of the black powdercoating with it. I now have a large area on the base with exposed metal :(

I also have a spot near the top of the base where the powdercoating cracked while I was trying to remove the emblem. Is there any way to fix this without taking off the entire tower and having it re-powdercoated?

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If you do a search on Illusion-X towers I think you'll find they are fiberglass and some tend to crack. What you're seeing cracked is the gel coat. I think.

I plan to remove and powder coat the stupid badges as well. I was going to do wrinkle red. What color are you doing?

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They are definitely not fiberglass. Metal for sure. I'm doing mine in a chrome or grey

I am not a powder coater so I cannot give advice about the repair. Unfortunately METCRAFT went belly up on the back of what you are experiencing with their products. This I am afraid is standard. Good news is the replacement badges are stainless. As for the tower, i am a do it right sort of person. If the repair is possible but not guaranteed take it off and do the lot.

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I'm not worried about replacement badges as I'm going to get the originals powder coated but I did NOT want to have to take off the entire tower to get it done as well. Does anyone have some ideas how I can fix these small issues? Can I scrape it, sand it and apply some primer filler and touch up paint?

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That sure looks like an aluminum casting to me. The way it is corroded it looks like it has been around salty air. Everything looks like that around my place. It could have come in at the screw holes, or just one little void in the finish.

I personally have never liked powder coating because it always ends up peeling off. If cost is no object and you don't ever want to do it again, disassemble it, strip all the powder coat off, clean it up, have a chromate conversion film (e.g. Alodyne) put on it, and then have it sprayed with a quality marine paint such as Awlgrip. Having the same shop do both is a plus, because they probably won't handle the parts between steps.

It looks like just enough pain that I'd probably just go boating, but that's just me. :)

Just Gary

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It's just corroding under the powder coat, either from poor prep or moisture getting under the powder coat and reacting with the aluminum. In a way you're lucky that it's below the joint on the tower so a repair can be easily accomplished. Try and leave whatever is above the joint alone or you'll just multiply your repair area... Anyway, use a putty knife to peel back the loose material and get to an area where it's still adhering to the aluminum casting. If it has a bunch of the white oxidation use a wire wheel or brush to get down to clean aluminum. Then sand the bare aluminum with 80 grit sand paper and feather the edge of the remaining powder coat. Now to get a smooth appearance like the stock tower you'll have to use a good quality primer filler from a body supply shop or a thin coat of body filler. Sand, reapply and repeat until you attain a smooth finish and then prime it and paint it. The paint should also come from a body supply store as you'll have trouble getting a quality finish from a spray can.

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