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Has Anyone Had Their X Metals Custom Painted Or Powder Coated?

My Brown Juliet is a really dark coffee color. Had I not known the JBR serial I'd believe it was a Carbon Juliet

3egybese.jpg


WOW! I'm usually not a fan of brown, but those look killer! Thanks for posting the pic!
 
I have dis-assembled and re-assembled them. Made a tool for the pins too. I know you can paint them and it will hold up like any properly prepared paint job. You get out what you put in. That is not a normal thought process in most anymore, hence the reason places like walleva and vl are able to churn out stuff. I recently bought some of the walleva 24k gold polar lenses out of curiosity, and for any of you who are buying this stuff up, think twice. I will post up a thread soon to clarify.

Back on topic, if you want the coating to be most durable, powder coating is recommended. You can apparently anodize them
as I have personally seen a pair done, although the anodizer I have used for paintball gear said it has to be almost pure titanium and X Metal is an alloy of 9 metals from what they told us at the Co-Pilot event. So i have yet to do one, but have a perfect pair to take in for such a treatment. If you want exotic, there are plenty of paint choices you can do. Keep us posted on what route you take and good luck
 
check out a website called duracoat,we use this stuff to paint guns,it is an oven cured epoxy.resistant to any salts or chemicals.they sell a kit with an airbrush included and you pick the color.you need help let me know.
 
I deal with a ton of anodizing and powder coating for my business. I'd personally stay away from the anodizing here, we ended up switching to powder coat everywhere as the anodize tends to scratch when you breathe on it. If you hit it with your fingernail it will scratch no problem. I would think some well gelled hair would scratch it. Powder coat is plenty durable though, don't see why there'd be any issues doing it here. Key is finding a good shop. I know from experience there's good shops, and very BAD shops out there. Bubbling, orange peel, build up in corner area, these are the kind of problems that can (and will) happen. A good shop will know how to avoid these issues though. You'll want to prep them properly, a smooth finish is not ideal, so you'll want to rough them up some, and more important than anything they need to be VERY clean. Most shops will have a cleaning process, but on really critical pieces we generally clean the parts here first as well, with high purity alcohol and rubber gloves to avoid finger oils. Also, there will typically be runoff or paint build up around the areas where the piece being finished is held, so you'll want to make sure they know to hold the pieces in inconspicuous spots (like where earsocks/nose buds go). Then there's the issue with masking. Although powder coat is usually a thin coating (2-5 thousandths), coating places like inside of lense grooves and coupler/gasket areas will definately want to be avoided, not sure what the best way to proceed there will be. Maybe some sort of silicon or rtv caulk that can easily be removed after might be route to explore. You'll need something that can hold up to the baking temperatures (400 Deg F +). Best bet would be to discuss this with your shop. Having everything coated and then sanding these areas after would work, but then that's extra work that might be avoided.

Cardinal, Dupont, and Sherwin Williams are typical brands, try googling local powder coat shops in your area, they should be able to provide you with sample books of these brands so you can see what your finish options are. Good luck.
 
I have dis-assembled and re-assembled them. Made a tool for the pins too. I know you can paint them and it will hold up like any properly prepared paint job. You get out what you put in. That is not a normal thought process in most anymore, hence the reason places like walleva and vl are able to churn out stuff. I recently bought some of the walleva 24k gold polar lenses out of curiosity, and for any of you who are buying this stuff up, think twice. I will post up a thread soon to clarify.

Back on topic, if you want the coating to be most durable, powder coating is recommended. You can apparently anodize them
as I have personally seen a pair done, although the anodizer I have used for paintball gear said it has to be almost pure titanium and X Metal is an alloy of 9 metals from what they told us at the Co-Pilot event. So i have yet to do one, but have a perfect pair to take in for such a treatment. If you want exotic, there are plenty of paint choices you can do. Keep us posted on what route you take and good luck

Hey there Doc! I have spoken with your a few times on Facebook, regarding my XX. I would like to do a gold/silver two-tone polished colour look, but I know you told me that you are not currently doing this.

Right now my XX are at Oakley, (hopefully) getting the lose bridge serviced; I doubt they will be doing anything about the gold coming off. How much are your fees to dis/re-assemble the frames so that I could have them painted, etc.?

Thanks Doc!
 
check out a website called duracoat,we use this stuff to paint guns,it is an oven cured epoxy.resistant to any salts or chemicals.they sell a kit with an airbrush included and you pick the color.you need help let me know.


I deal with a ton of anodizing and powder coating for my business. I'd personally stay away from the anodizing here, we ended up switching to powder coat everywhere as the anodize tends to scratch when you breathe on it. If you hit it with your fingernail it will scratch no problem. I would think some well gelled hair would scratch it. Powder coat is plenty durable though, don't see why there'd be any issues doing it here. Key is finding a good shop. I know from experience there's good shops, and very BAD shops out there. Bubbling, orange peel, build up in corner area, these are the kind of problems that can (and will) happen. A good shop will know how to avoid these issues though. You'll want to prep them properly, a smooth finish is not ideal, so you'll want to rough them up some, and more important than anything they need to be VERY clean. Most shops will have a cleaning process, but on really critical pieces we generally clean the parts here first as well, with high purity alcohol and rubber gloves to avoid finger oils. Also, there will typically be runoff or paint build up around the areas where the piece being finished is held, so you'll want to make sure they know to hold the pieces in inconspicuous spots (like where earsocks/nose buds go). Then there's the issue with masking. Although powder coat is usually a thin coating (2-5 thousandths), coating places like inside of lense grooves and coupler/gasket areas will definately want to be avoided, not sure what the best way to proceed there will be. Maybe some sort of silicon or rtv caulk that can easily be removed after might be route to explore. You'll need something that can hold up to the baking temperatures (400 Deg F +). Best bet would be to discuss this with your shop. Having everything coated and then sanding these areas after would work, but then that's extra work that might be avoided.

Cardinal, Dupont, and Sherwin Williams are typical brands, try googling local powder coat shops in your area, they should be able to provide you with sample books of these brands so you can see what your finish options are. Good luck.


Well I thought I'd Zombie this thread since my XX are looking worse for wear.

I want to do a chrome gold on the ears and nose and the orbs a mat black. Do you guys know if there is a chrome powder coat? If not, what would you think the best method would be for a gold chrome?

Another question... would someone here be able to do this for me?

Thanks guys!

MB³
 

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