Powder coating or similar?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
[I will ask this over in the pets forum but it's a bit quiet over there]

My budgies live in a large elderly birdcage. I have a shiny new cage for them but frankly none of us like it - the birds simply don't like change but the new cage is smaller than the old one and a lot of the new features aren't improvements in my opinion.

The only real problem with the old cage is that over the years the wire bars have lost their protective coating and started to rust or discolour in places. Not terribly hygienic and possibly unsafe for the birds. Anyway I was wondering if there was some way to get the bars recoated. I know that metal objects can be powder coated but I don't know if that is suitable treatment for a wire cage.

Any thoughts? Is there something else I could try - perhaps a clear varnish?

Thanks!
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
The main problem is geting the cage cleaned up and de-rusted. Many years ago I worked in a powder coating plant as a summer job and powder coating wire objects wasn't a problem providing that they were grease and rust free.

Your best bet is to contact a local powder coating plant and ask them for advice.
 
OP
OP
annedonnelly

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
Thanks Vernon. I remember when my car wheels were powder coated they were sand-blasted first to clean them up. That's not going to work with the cage - it'd be blasted to pieces.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Thanks Vernon. I remember when my car wheels were powder coated they were sand-blasted first to clean them up. That's not going to work with the cage - it'd be blasted to pieces.

Unless you have a cage made of 36swg wire it's unlikely to disintegrate. There's a whole range of abrasives that can be used. Ring around if only to confirm your doubts. You might be pleasantly surprised.
 

TVC

Guest
Do you know anyone who works in an Engineering company? If you turn up at a powder coaters, or electroplaters they will charge a ransom, however, they are always willing to do foreigners for good customers. My old Production Manager restored a car, and he got most of the stuff stripped and replated for nothing.
 
OP
OP
annedonnelly

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
Do you know anyone who works in an Engineering company? If you turn up at a powder coaters, or electroplaters they will charge a ransom, however, they are always willing to do foreigners for good customers. My old Production Manager restored a car, and he got most of the stuff stripped and replated for nothing.

I had a car restored on a similar basis :smile: Sadly I don't have those contacts any longer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TVC
I would have it nickel plated. Nice, shiney, silver, just like new. Powder coating, although a tough covering tends to chip easily. Most places that do this will chemically dip them before they are plated to remove the rust and grease. You should be able to turn up and get it done for beer tokens, they will just put it in with a batch from another customer.
 

mark st1

Plastic Manc
Location
Leafy Berkshire
My Mrs works in a pet shop and also owns 7 noisy annoying chatty parrots. She says old rusty cages should not be used they also cant really be treated with anything that is safe for the parrots to be around. Either the whole powder coated thingy that others suggest or. Stick with the new cage and hope they/you take a shine to it.
 
The cage would have been plated from new (normally a very thin coating which is why it rusted) Having the cage dipped and replated will be just like a new cage.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
My worry would be if it was powder coated would be the birds chipping it off and swallowing it, I also would say nickel plating could be the way.
 
Top Bottom