Painting cover of PC-3 plate chokes

[FraGGleR]

I haven't found a definitive answer searching, so here it is:  Can I paint the covers of the plate chokes? 

[jimiclow]

The chokes don't have covers. Do you mean the brackets? You can remove the varnish with acetone and paint.

[Paul Birkeland]

Yeah, you can paint the plate chokes, masked or not.

The varnish on the outside of the frame doesn't have to be there, we will sometimes brush it off carefully with a wire brush before painting.

Soaking the plate choke in any kind of solvent will remove the varnish that we do want to be there, so I wouldn't recommend that.

The best results I've gotten were from taping off everything but the channel frame, then spray painting.

-PB

[FraGGleR]

Yes, I meant the brackets.  Thanks, I have some steel wool that I can use to remove the varnish in the appropriate areas.  Normal spray paint should be fine, right?  I don't need high heat paint?

[Paul Birkeland]

I haven't noticed any need for high heat paint.  If you want to paint the stack of one of our power transformers, I'd suggest the Rustoleum BBQ paint (thanks for the tip jrebman), but the plate chokes run fairly cool.

The toughest finish overall should come from an epoxy based paint, but the finish quality isn't always exciting.

-PB

[FraGGleR]

Please see attached picture for what I think is some rust that I wanted to paint over.  Will this be ok?  Some anti-rust primer and then probably just some matte black spray paint.  I don't think heat will be an issue, but I don't want to mess with anything electrically.  Thanks.

[Paul Birkeland]

I'm not sure you need the primer, I'd just spray right over it.  IMO, BBQ paint is a good product for this.

-PB

[4krow]

Dam! Now I gotta spray MY chokes. But seriously,  if you would like to try it, Rust-O-lium makes a cool truck bed liner spray that, while it is a joke for trucks, it is a very durable coating. I sprayed my Quickie with it and will do so again in the future. It is not glossy, and has a nice fine granual texture.

[FraGGleR]

What is the max temperature that the transformer might get?  I don't have anything but a meat thermometer to check.

The paint I already have on hand is good up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Paul Joppa]

In normal use, none of our iron should get above 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). That's a design goal; I have not run around measuring everything. For what it's worth, it takes 2 to 3 hours for everything to come to its full operating temperature. Normal means 68F (20C) room temperature and adequate air circulation.

[FraGGleR]

Great, thank you Paul.

[denti alligator]

I wanted to paint my MQ choke frames today but gave up trying to mask around them. Any suggestions?

Can I paint the black part of the chokes, too? What about the base of the transformer? I might try to do all these at once, but masking the plate between the chokes and the transformer will be a pain.

[Loquah]

I wanted to paint my MQ choke frames today but gave up trying to mask around them. Any suggestions?

Can I paint the black part of the chokes, too? What about the base of the transformer? I might try to do all these at once, but masking the plate between the chokes and the transformer will be a pain.

Yeah, the masking is a pain. I found it easier using small bits of tape for the tricky bits (like at the corners of the bracket) and then multiple layers of tape to seal the rest.

I did wonder if the bracket could be removed, but wasn't brave enough to try.

[Paul Birkeland]

I did wonder if the bracket could be removed, but wasn't brave enough to try.

You risk having the whole thing come apart if you start removing the channel frame, especially on gapped iron (plate chokes and series feed output transformers). 

[Loquah]

I did wonder if the bracket could be removed, but wasn't brave enough to try.

You risk having the whole thing come apart if you start removing the channel frame, especially on gapped iron (plate chokes and series feed output transformers).

Phew. Glad I was a wuss and didn't try.