George writes:
> Does anyone have any experience with repainting historic steel sash,
> industrial-type, windows frames using an electro-static painting process?
> This is in an occupied building and I am looking to create a durable finish
> in a timely manner.

Just last month at the National Window Preservation Summit in Kentucky, 
Jim Turner from Detroit, was demonstrating steel window preservation. He 
was hand brushing paint that he described at "direct to metal" paint. 
While it took time for the paint to dry, I would say that the work went 
very expeditiously although we were not doing time trials.

"powder coating" or electro-static process must be done in the factory 
using specialized equipment that is costly. Usually the work is jobbed 
out to a company that specializes in it. The metal sash and frames would 
have to be removed from the building and taken to the shop.

Everyone seems to think that "powder coating" is an indicator of very 
durable paint. The term describes the method of the application of the 
paint, but, as with any other application method, it is the paint itself 
that provides the durability and there are many paint products with 
varying characteristics. The method was developed as a high-speed 
production method for factory-produced goods that are highly consistent 
in their conditions. The refurbishing of older windows is fundamentally 
different in that conditions that are highly variable. It is a process 
of hand-craft creation that depends on the worker's knowledge and skill 
and the ability to respond to the variable conditions.

John Leeke
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com

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