Question about clear coating powered coated enclosures

[ThatDude]

Hello. I am looking for feedback from folks who use spray clear coat over their powered coated enclosures. For those who use spray clear coat like your basic Kylon clear coat or rattle can clear you get from your local hardware store, do you use any type of adhesion promoter or clear primer before clear coating the enclosure? If you do not, do you have any issues with the clear coat flaking or cracking long term? I want to try clear coating over some oil paint marker art I put on a powder coated enclosure but I am worried it won't hold up long term. Thanks in advance.

 

[Erik S]

I spray clear on all my enclosures to lock in posca paint-pen lettering.

I don't do any kind of adhesion promoter. The only prep I do is a careful degreasing with alcohol before I letter them, then I only handle them with rubber gloves on until they're clear-coated.

The only durability problem I've had was with clear-coating the bottom plates, so now I just spray the top and the sides. These wire stands make the process a lot easier.

 

[ThatDude]

I spray clear on all my enclosures to lock in posca paint-pen lettering.

I don't do any kind of adhesion promoter. The only prep I do is a careful degreasing with alcohol before I letter them, then I only handle them with rubber gloves on until they're clear-coated.

The only durability problem I've had was with clear-coating the bottom plates, so now I just spray the top and the sides. These wire stands make the process a lot easier.

Thanks Erik! I plan on just doing just the top and sides of the enclosure. Were the bottom plates an issue because they are a high contact area that gets rubbed a lot?

 

[Erik S]

Thanks Erik! I plan on just doing just the top and sides of the enclosure. Were the bottom plates an issue because they are a high contact area that gets rubbed a lot?

Exactly. I think I had one get scratched on a concrete floor, and then a couple that I was keeping in a drawer sitting on a piece of yoga mat got partially stuck to the yoga mat. The clear coat didn't peel, but it picked up the bumpy pattern of the mat.

 

[ThatDude]

Exactly. I think I had one get scratched on a concrete floor, and then a couple that I was keeping in a drawer sitting on a piece of yoga mat got partially stuck to the yoga mat. The clear coat didn't peel, but it picked up the bumpy pattern of the mat.

That makes sense. Thanks for replying.