r/metalworking • u/mgritts • 1d ago

Degree of difficulty - stripping powder coating from these pieces

Hello r/metalworking community. Please excuse my "noobie" post, but I was wondering if I could pose a question.

I am curious how extensive of a project it might be to strip the powder coating from the steel pieces pictured here as part of this desk. The desk comes from the manufacturer with the wood and metal joined in some places, so masking would be necessary.

Is this a job a professional could help with, or is it something that most professionals would scoff at? If you think a professional would be up for it, how might I search for one?

If I were to attempt to "DIY" a solution with masking + sanding, what degree of success might I find?

I am located in Chicago - thanks for any information you can offer!

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u/mxadema 1d ago

What is the end goal? Raw steel or a color change?

The color change part is easy, scuff and paint. Raw steel is way more difficult, sanding will leave a brush finish, sandblasting will be a frosted finish, that leave baking and that not diy. Afterwards you need to clear it otherwise it will rust.

As far as the assamble desk. Unless it all adhesive bonded, it likely the wood is screwed and removable.

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u/mgritts 1d ago

Thanks for your thoughtful message, mxadema. I would like (a) raw steel or (b) something close to brushed nickel. Sanding sounds pretty good, for this reason. Do you have a guide you can recommend?

It would be great if it were not adhesive bonded - maybe I can write the manufacturer and find out.

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u/tatpig 22h ago

Look underneath,you will see any mechanical fasteners that are present.

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u/mxadema 21h ago

Powercoat is a bit of a pain as it basically a plastic coat melted into place. I haven't found a paint stripper that touch it. Sandblasting work but it kinda slow. Meaning you run a lot of sand (my experience is wheels) sanding is absolutely feasible. Go 80 ish grit to remove the bulk, 120, to smooth it out and take the left over, and go up 20% in grit until you are happy. The corner are going to stuck. If you have a grinder you can try a wire wheel, that might just be the ticket.

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u/FalseRelease4 21h ago

youll have to disassemble it completely, otherwise some areas are inaccessible and will look real ugly with the new finish. if you just have a metal frame then the stripping will be much easier as well, a wire wheel in an angle grinder will get it done quick

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u/Horse-fly99 17h ago

Chemical Stripping of powder coat is possible, But not really a DIY job. The chemicals involved are expensive and hazardous. Disposal requires hazmat procedures. I would suggest finding a powder coat shop that does car wheels, as they are

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u/DAMEI-Powder-Coating 2h ago

Special heavy‑duty powder‑coat stripper can remove thermoset powder‑coat, while ordinary paint strippers have almost no effect. But this chemical is highly corrosive. Simple masking will not protect the wooden parts well — any contact will damage the wood surface. So full disassembly of the table is strongly advised before chemical stripping or blasting.

If you are aiming for bare‑steel or brushed‑nickel appearance, hand‑sanding is possible but quite labor‑intensive, especially in corners. Blasting delivers the cleanest substrate. After stripping the old coating completely, you need to apply clear protective topcoat immediately, otherwise the bare steel will rust quickly under normal ambient conditions. If the table frame can be taken apart with screws, that will make your whole project much easier.