Safety Yellow Rails

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Those won't stay yellow for long if used as a launch rail.
 
You'd think it'd be easy to clean, though.

I wouldn't think that powder coat is very easy to clean because of surface roughness...I would imagine wiping down the shiny surface of bare aluminum would be easier.
 
Because powdercoat is baked on, it is usually pretty smooth. And it is much more chemical resistant than anodizing, so if you needed to use heavy cleaners or an abrasive, it'd handle it.
 
I powder coated some conduit to use on my launch tower. Came out smooth and bright yellow until I used it. Now it's got black splotches on it and the powder coat has burned off at the bottom. I'm thinking that's what will happen with those rails too. I wipe them down after each launch, but the splotches are burnt into the coating. It's still smooth though, and that was why I did it.
 
Sorry: but you are WAY off the mark Tominus!
Yes powdercoated products are baked in an 220-450deg F over. However; that is WAY below the heat produced by even our BP Motors let alone the APCP propellant which burn much hotter. Chemically; Clear anodizing would be 2 or 3 times as heat protecting of the Raw Aluminum 8020 rail as ANY powder coated paint.
 
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Wayco's evidence to the contrary of my thought. I understand powdercoats are applied at "low" temps. I figured the flash heat, rather than a continuous burn, could be handled.
 
Buy one and test and either prove or disprove the naysayers. How much does it add to a rail in cost?
 
I'd be the first guy to fly a nasty smokey off one of those things. Might even use ACME rail guides too.
 
I wonder how think the powder coat is? I fore see a possible clearence problem with the buttons not sliding properly, or even getting bound up.

Eric
 
Perhaps Wayco could post a picture of his results. I would expect to get similar results. As for the thickness causing a problem, the web indicates the coating is 2 mils thick. Not nearly enough to cause a problem. You might have to clean a little more often.

I would think it would look cool, but I could also be very wrong. If you want a yellow rail, then go for it.
 
Here you go:

002%205.jpg

This is the worst of it, right at the base of the rods. The hole on the top one is where the blast shield attaches. The dark black marks are where the K454 left it's mark.

003%205.jpg

The rest of the rods are marked and have some smudges, but the powdercoat is still smooth. I wiped these down with wet wipes after the launch. No trouble cleaning them up, just left some marks. I have the tower built with 10 ft. conduit now, and am considering having them powdercoated also, just depends on the price I get.


015.jpg
 
Hm. I might just get some yellow rail. The location of the burns doesn't surprise me. I thought from your description, that they were up the length of the tubing. Should make for an interesting experiment...
 
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