DIY Powder Coated Yeti Cups

My wife wanted to buy a powder coated Yeti off Etsy for $65 dollars. I suggested we make our own with a harbor freight powder coating system ($52).

Powder coating works by electrostatically charging paint particles so they stick to metal objects. I created a base out of an electrical box extension, cover plate, and a piece of wood wrapped in foil. This is what you attach your GROUND wire to.

The footswitch controls when the tip of the spray nozzle is energized.

Powder coating uses very low air pressure (between 10-20 psi). I read online that a sweet spot is when you blow your hand the skin barley moves in.

Powder coating is extremely forgiving and easy to clean up. A simple cardboard box makes a great spray booth.

This is my first time ever powder coating and the results were amazing. I found the angle of the sprayer made a huge difference (spray with the top of the hopper parallel to the ground).

The basic process is:

1. Ground your object with the alligator clip.
2. Step on the foot pedal to energize the tip.
3. Point the nozzle of the sprayer about 8-10 inches from the object being coated.
4. Squeeze the trigger to apply smooth even coats.
5. When it's completely covered move over to the oven.

You shouldn’t use your kitchen oven to cook the paint. We got an old toaster oven and turned it on it’s size so the stainless steel cups would fit.

I called a local powder coating shop and asked to buy a few ounces of hot pink. They ended up giving me this whole bag they had leftover from another job.

We had a lot of fun doing this, and with absolutely no experience got very good results. Highly recommended DIY project!