What to Do Before You Drop Parts at a Powder Coating Shop in New Jersey

1. Start with a Quick Conversation

Before you break out the wrenches, it’s smart to touch base with the shop you’re using.

At Rusty Lions, we offer full-service metal finishing—powder coating, Cerakote, paint, welding, sandblasting, stripping, and restorations. But every job is a little different, so a short conversation helps set expectations on customer prep powder coating tasks, like:

• Do you need to fully strip old paint, or will the shop sandblast it?
• Should you remove all bushings and bearings, or can they stay in?
• Are there tight tolerances (like mating surfaces or threads) that absolutely must be masked?
• What turnaround time are you working with?

IA five-minute call or email can literally save hours of rework or delays later on.

2. Disassembly: How Far Should You Go?

NHere’s where a lot of people either don’t do enough or go way too far.

General disassembly tips

For most powder coating jobs, you’ll want to:

• Remove rubber seals, gaskets, O-rings, and plastic parts
• Pull bearings, bushings, and pressed-in parts that can’t handle heat
• Strip off stickers, decals, labels, and foam padding
• Take apart complex assemblies into individual components whenever practical

This is one of the most important masking and disassembly tips: If it can melt, burn, or outgas at 375–400°F (typical curing temperature), it shouldn’t go into the oven.

Label everything

Disassembly is easy. Reassembly not always.

To make your life easier:

• Use zip-top bags for bolts and small hardware
• Label bags with a marker (“Front left wheel hardware”, “Seat bracket bolts”, etc.)
• Take a few quick photos before you pull everything apart

Your future self will thank you when it’s time to bolt your newly coated parts back together.

3. Cleaning & Degreasing: Give the Coater a Head Start

Good powder coating starts with a clean surface. Shops like Rusty Lions will still clean, blast, and prep your parts, but if you knock out the heavy grease and grime before drop-off, everything goes faster and more smoothly.

Simple cleaning steps you can do at home

• Wipe off heavy grease with rags or paper towels
• Use a degreaser that’s safe for metal (no need to get fancy)
• Pay attention to oily areas like engine covers, suspension parts, and wheel hubs
• Rinse and dry thoroughly so there’s no residue or standing water

Avoid spraying silicone-based products or wax on parts that will be coated. Those can cause fish-eyes and adhesion issues later.

4. Rust, Old Paint, and Previous Coatings

You don’t have to bring in components that are sparkling naked metal (that’s what sandblasting is for), but it does help to understand where your obligation ends and the shop’s begins.

At Rusty Lions, we offer in-house sandblasting and stripping to remove rust, old paint, and failed coatings, and to create the right profile for powder to mechanically bond to the surface.

Here’s what you can do on your end:

• Knock off loose, flaky rust with a wire brush if it’s easy
• Don’t worry about deeply pitted areas—the blaster will handle that
• If someone has already tried a DIY coating that’s peeling, let the shop know so they can plan the stripping time

What you shouldn’t do is cover rust or old paint with body filler or strange primers before powder coating unless the coater has specifically approved the product. Many fillers and primers can’t handle the bake temperature and will cause issues under the powder.

Masking: What’s Your Job vs. the Shop’s?

“Masking” simply means protecting the areas that shouldn’t be coated—like threads, mating surfaces, grounding areas, or specific faces that need to stay bare.

Professional powder coaters use high-temperature tape, silicone caps, and plugs that can stand up to curing temperatures without leaving residue.

Your role in masking as the customer

You don’t need to go out and buy a box of special caps and tape. For most jobs, your part of customer prep powder coating is:

• Clearly telling us which areas must not be coated
• Marking critical surfaces with a Sharpie or masking tape just for identification (we’ll remove it before actual masking)
• Providing drawings or reference photos for more complex parts

What you should not do is mask everything yourself with painter’s tape from the garage. Regular tape will burn, melt, and leave adhesive residue in the oven, and it won’t survive blasting.

If you’re not sure what has to be masked, just ask. We'd rather spend a few minutes looking over your parts at Rusty Lions than guess and risk coating something that should have been kept bare.

6. Be Realistic About Damage and Expectations

Powder coating works wonders, but it’s not magic.

Deep pits from rust, gouges, welding slag, or old grinder marks will still be apparent under the coating unless there’s other prep work needed (such metal repair or smoothing).

Before you drop your parts off:

• Take a close look and decide what “good enough” means for you
• Mention any damage you know is there so we’re on the same page
• If you need a show-quality finish, say that up front so we can quote the proper level of prep

Honest expectations on both sides lead to much happier results.

7. Plan the Drop-Off: New Jersey Logistics

If you’re in North Jersey, you’re probably not driving across three states with your parts - but you still want to pack and transport them safely.

Rusty Lions is located at 12 Cork Hill Road, Suite 8, Franklin, NJ 07416, and we serve customers all over the region, including Wayne, Paterson, Mahwah, Parsippany, Sussex County, Sparta, and Newton.

A few simple tips:

• Use blankets, moving pads, or cardboard between parts so they don’t bang into each other
• Secure small items in boxes or bins so nothing flies around in the vehicle
• Bring a written list of all parts you’re dropping off
• Have your contact info and any color codes or special instructions ready

If you’re not sure whether your item is a good candidate for powder, you can always send photos or stop by for a quick look before you commit.

8. Your Simple Powder Coating Checklist

Here’s a quick powder coating checklist you can run through before you pull out of the driveway:

• 1. Talk to the shop

  ○ Confirm what prep they handle vs. what you’re doing

  ○ Discuss masking requirements and tolerance-critical areas

• 2. Disassemble

  ○ Remove rubber, plastic, seals, and gaskets

  ○ Pull bearings and bushings that can’t handle heat

  ○ Bag and label all hardware

• 3. Clean

  ○ Wipe off heavy grease and grime

  ○ Lightly degrease parts and dry thoroughly

• 4. Rust & old coatings

  ○ Knock off loose rust if easy

  ○ Leave heavy stripping and blasting to the professionals

• 5. Masking & instructions

  ○ Mark or clearly describe no-coat areas

  ○ Provide photos or drawings if needed

• 6. Pack & transport

  ○ Protect parts from banging into each other

  ○ Make a list of everything you’re dropping off

Go down that list and you’ll feel a lot more confident that your parts are truly ready for powder coating.

Ready to Get Your Parts Coated in New Jersey?

The good news is that you don't have to do everything if you're looking for how to get parts ready for powder coating in NJ. A good shop will guide you on what makes sense for you to handle and what’s better left to the pros.

At Rusty Lions, our team has over 20 years of powder coating and metal finishing experience in New Jersey, handling everything from custom car builds to architectural metal, outdoor furniture, and one-off restoration projects.

We'll take care of the cleaning, blasting, masking, and applying a long-lasting, beautiful finish. Just bring us your components as ready as you can.

If you’ve got a project in mind and want specific masking and disassembly tips or help building your own powder coating checklist, just reach out:

• Phone: 347-613-8103 / 973-459-8515
• Email: info@rustylions.com

Let’s get those parts ready for powder and back on the road, in the yard, or on display where they belong.