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Thread Number: 57439
/ Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
Where to have DW racks recoated |
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| Post# 797988 12/7/2014 at 22:39 (3,419 days old) by Travis () | ||
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I have this nearly new 1954 GE dishwasher. Unfortunately, the coating on the racks is detiorating from age, not rust. Where can they be recoated? I want them new and sexy like the rest of the dishwasher. | ||
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| Post# 798016 , Reply# 1 12/8/2014 at 00:03 (3,419 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
Travis:
You would think that remanufacturing dishwasher racks would be a nice little business for someone, but if it is, I haven't found it yet.
Here's a link to a PlastiDip.com page (in PDF format) that mentions a couple of things that might make a DIY reconditioning feasible. For one, it mentions a new clear product that can be colored using tints that come with it. For another, it mentions large sizes available for industrial use. Might be worth looking into. In case you aren't familiar with PlastiDip, it's a self-curing plastic compound that you dip things into to coat them. Tool handles are a common use; PlastiDip leaves a rubbery coating on them that reminds me very much of DW rack coatings. PlastiDip also makes ReRack, a compound designed expressly for dishwasher racks, but that product seems to come only in white. Seems to me that if you could get a sufficient quantity of PlastiDip and color it to match what you have, you could dip the racks yourself. I dunno. But it might be worth investigating further. CLICK HERE TO GO TO danemodsandy's LINK | ||
Post# 798116 , Reply# 4 12/8/2014 at 10:23 (3,419 days old) by combo52  (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Recoating and Rebuilding DW Racks
Is probably not a cost effective thing to do. First you have to get all the old coating off, my guess that the best way to do this is by burning it off, then you would have to bead blast or rock tumble the metal clean of ash, rust and other residue. Also most people don't get around to worrying about replacing DW racks till there are badly rusted and sections are missing, which would require time consuming repairs and welding.
Travis, you may be able to re-coat your racks with several coats of marine epoxy paint. | ||
| Post# 798132 , Reply# 6 12/8/2014 at 11:42 (3,419 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
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This is Why.... | ||
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Post# 798193 , Reply# 7 12/8/2014 at 18:55 (3,419 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Residential DW Racks
All plastic would not work well, commercial racks do not have nearly the usable space and plastic would also wear out and you would have the same replacement problems [ ever seen silver-ware baskets with the bottoms busted out ] No if they really wanted home DW racks to last much longer they would be made of Stainless Steel or brass wire and then coated with vinyl or nylon. In the early 50s GE had some DW racks that were brass and chrome plated.
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| Post# 798198 , Reply# 8 12/8/2014 at 19:12 (3,419 days old) by funktionalart (Rison, AR) | ||
I might recommend talking with...
a powder coating company. They may have a good referral for you.
As mentioned above, racks would have to be totally stripped first. There are plenty of companies around who do dip-n-strip for painted/coated metals and furniture as well. Once you're down to a bare metal rack frame, and have the metal chemically prepped for it's new coating, a powder coating company may be willing to dip/spray for you using the proper coating material--which will likely be poly/vinyl based i.e.; those cheap wall-hung soap racks you can buy to hang in your shower. It's worth investigating for having done on a vintage piece like this. Most larger towns and cities have somebody who does this sort of work--though a dishwasher rack-specific job MAY be new to them....and they might try and tell you it can't be done....but we all know that EVERYTHING is possible if you are diligent and dedicated enough. | ||
| Post# 798337 , Reply# 10 12/9/2014 at 22:10 (3,417 days old) by Travis () | ||
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So far... One company told me no and to go to Home Depot and buy something to spray on. Another company uses something that is cured by heat. It's $135 to start. I'll get a better handle on the cost soon. I would kinda like to use this thing some. | ||
| Post# 798417 , Reply# 11 12/10/2014 at 12:13 (3,417 days old) by lamont () | ||
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Sounds like this could be a nice cottage industry for someone.......Maybe even me. :) | ||
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Post# 798449 , Reply# 12 12/10/2014 at 16:13 (3,417 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN) |
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I think if I were to do this I'd likely choose polyester powdercoating. I think it has the best likely hood of holding up for a good long while. The only rub with powder coating is that it is hard and slick unlike the vinyl. I don't think it would harm any surfaces but it would be slippery. Would want to remove any sharp edges from the ends of the tines too since the powder layer will be a bit thinner.
You would have to get your existing racks perfectly clean. Bead blasting followed by a hot alkaline dip would do it. The powder coat vendor most likely could provide this service. If I was going through all this trouble I'd probably have the racks zinc electroplated under the powder coating for extra insurance. Vinyl coating would be best handled by dipping the entire rack. Spraying I'd worry about the material flowing in around the welds. Any tiny porosity and it will fail in short order. If the manufacturers wanted the racks to last forever they would make them from stainless wire as John suggested. It would probably be good if they were still coated though to minimize wear or scratching on dishes and prevent things from creeping around as much. Its not a matter of planned obsolescence or the "throwaway society" that racks aren't lifetime durable. This is really proper engineering, there is no point in making racks that would outlive the machine several times over, unless perhaps it didn't increase cost at all. Obviously our view of the dishwasher world here in AW is slightly different as most all of us have machines that are at double (or more) their design life. I do agree that today's machines need to be designed for longer lifespans though, but would people buy them for the increased cost? | ||
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