Going through withdrawls!

[brasstackminis]

I didn't have any idea that my little project would get so big and take so long! While I really don't want to be a cart horder, I wish I had a spare cart to drive my boy in!

I could ground drive him but it is soooo hot. UGH! I just want to have a magic wand to wave over my cart and "poof" it is ready to go! I know it will be worth it in the end, but sheesh! The kicker is that if it was all put together, I porbably would not be driving him because it is so blessed hot out there! It is just because I can't that I want to so bad!

So for the metal frame part...should I just prime and paint it with rustoleum or pay to have it powder coated??? Decisions, decisions!

So until the cart is done, we will longe (the sprinkler makes it bareable)



Starbuck is such a mover! I didn't realize until I looked at these pictures how much hock action he was using! No wonder he was wanting to jump instead of trot these!

 

[Raine Ranch Minis]

WOW THAT IS COOL PICTURES!!!!!!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Now, now. There is no such thing as a "cart hoarder." We are all cart collectors!

And there's nothing wrong with that.

Weather sucks all over the country. I'm looking out at a day that once again looks like October with the rain, gray skies and cold temps and sighing as it's now been almost ten months of this crap and we'll be headed back into at least another seven months of it shortly. I'm praying that at least August has a little sunshine! Otherwise I'm moving over the mountains, rattlesnakes or not.

Leia

 

[RhineStone]

So for the metal frame part...should I just prime and paint it with rustoleum or pay to have it powder coated??? Decisions, decisions!

Powder coat. Without a doubt. Finish will last A LOT longer. Springs should be done taken apart (if they come apart), though. The first flex of powdercoated springs breaks the "paint".

Myrna

 

[Matthijs]

Powder coat is very expensive, I would not think most EE carts are worth that kind of expense. IMHO your best bet is to enjoy the cart as is and if you want to continue invest in a better cart that is already powder-coated. Our first cart was in need of a paint job so I decided to do it myself, cost was at least $200.00 on spray bombs and new tires. We only used it 6 months before we decided we had to upgrade for other reasons than the paint. Now we have a Pacific smart cart a wooden road cart and a Hyperbike, all three well worth the dough we paid. These are cart # 4,5 and 6

PS we only got into this one year ago. And heck yes it is worth it!!

 

[RhineStone]

I didn't know it was just an EE. Yes, I wouldn't spend more on the cart than it was worth. I thought the OP had ordered the cart from somewhere and was waiting for it.

However, if you think you are going to keep it for the rest of its life, I might still powdercoat.

Myrna

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I didn't know it was just an EE. Yes, I wouldn't spend more on the cart than it was worth. I thought the OP had ordered the cart from somewhere and was waiting for it.

This is the cart she's redoing the wooden floorboards and adding wooden wheels to, remember?

Leia

 

[brasstackminis]

[]Yes I am redoing an EE cart, however most of the cart is not metal. It already had wooden shaves and floor. Here is a picture of half of the "frame" that I was thinking of powder coating. I still have not gotten a quote to see how much it will cost yet, but I have a company name now!

I got the cart for free...sort of. I traded a puppy for it so...not sure if I have gone over the deep end on modifing it.

Powder coat. Without a doubt. Finish will last A LOT longer. Springs should be done taken apart (if they come apart), though. The first flex of powdercoated springs breaks the "paint".

Myrna, do you think tha these "c springs" should not be powder coated?? It is hard to see but the suspension for the seat is in that picture...

 

[Carriage]

I would concur that powdercoat would not a good solution for the springs.

However it doesn't need to be expensive for the rest of the parts. My experience has been that if you take your parts in for powder-coat (I use two for different purposes)that unless you are selecting a color that is not shot much, you simply wait until they are shooting your color and then your parts are batched with the rest. This way you avoid a set-up fee to shoot a specific color. It is the separate color set-up that cost significantly more and why there are few two or more colored carts.

Whats gonna kill this industry more than they are being strangled now and drive up the price, are new epa "guidelines" that insist on cleaner stack values. The average retrofit will be around $150,000. This will simply put more coaters out of business because they already have thin margins. This in turn creates an artificial shortage of powder-coaters. This in turn drives the price for coating dramatically up and will also dramatically slow down cycle times. Is the new epa "guideline" necessary? No, but the goal of stifling small business will be achieved.

Bb ( who is waiting for a batch to be finished...)

 

[RhineStone]

This is the cart she's redoing the wooden floorboards and adding wooden wheels to, remember?

I have been on here so little recently with going to four shows in the last five weeks, that I can't keep up with what everyone is doing. I'd be outside (instead of on here) right now driving my new pony (she's AWESOME! I have to get better photos before I post them to the world) if it wasn't so blasted hot.

Anywhere where the metal itself is meant to bend would be a bad thing to powdercoat. We have our springs painted with flexer in the automotive paint, like they use on car bumpers. This makes the paint more pliable and less likely to crack.

I would just use some good gloss paint on those springs.

We have a local company do our powdercoating. Yes, basic black is pretty reasonable, because they do it all the time. We pretty much only powdercoat the metal on our "natural" wood vehicles because the painted ones are done at the body shop. Automotive paint will last a lot longer than your average Rustoleum, but that is one reason why it is SO much more expensive. Comparing the two is apples and oranges.

Myrna

 

[Matthijs]

Obviously I was just assuming something here.

After seeing the picture I have to agree with Myrna. My apologies for speaking uninformed. It does not look like a whole lot of steel to powder-coat. Sure would get a few quotes for that job as it looks like a nice sturdy frame. I am sure they would be able to advise on how to treat the springs. And with the addition of wooden wheels its gonna look great.

HHHMMMM what color? Looking forward to see the pictures of your finished cart

PS It does not look at all like the one I tried to revive, this is way more cart.