High temp/header paint for use in steel mill

[rd400guy]

I work in a steel mill, and we have some off-spec ingot molds that we need to identify. We still want to use the molds, but due to a manufacturing error on the part of our supplier, our standard hot-top boards don't fit.

We want to paint the molds (or part of the molds) with some sort of high temperature paint, to clearly distinguish the off-size molds from the standard molds. A google search brought up the standard grill paint, but I think this won't suffice. After further investigation, I found "header paint" for exahaust headers. Would this be sufficient for our application?

The molds are cast iron, and some sections reach very high temperatures after teeming (glowing cherry red). There are other parts that don't see temperatures this extreme, and we will probably apply the paint there.

I figured I'd ask the experts here before I recommend this to my boss, in case it fails. Thanks in advance.

Ben

 

[boo1]

metal tag?

 

[rd400guy]

Metal tag wouldn't last due to a somewhat abusive method of ingot stripping. Depending on the location of the tag, there may be some other mold storage/handling issues that would cause damage or loss of the tag. Also, there might be some problems with visibility depending on the size of the tag.

A good idea, but it probably wouldn't work for our shop.

 

[boo1]

Can u weld an identification number on them?

 

[rhodie]

Put 'em through a PVD or anodize process, maybe? I envision the problem of residual moisture in an ingot mold to be a bad one, so you'd might need to chemically modify the outer layer of metal rather than cover it up with another layer.

 

[rd400guy]

Thanks for the replies guys. The major problem is that we have over 200 of this type of mold in our inventory, and about 40 of them are the "oversize" ones we want to segregate. All of the molds have a serial number with different numbering conventions from a total of 5 suppliers. So we need some VERY SIMPLE and QUICK way of identifying the molds versus our standard molds. As for any coating process other than painting, cost is a major issue. We don't want to spend more than a dollar per mold (even that might be too much) just so the guys on the floor can tell whether or not it's oversize.

We've decided to try the header paint, as further investigation has shown it to be fairly cheap and simple to apply in-house, and should last for our application. After shooting the molds in use, the hottest section was right around 1200F. The area we're thinking of painting was only around 800F. Plus, the paint offers us a variety of colors, so we can pick a color that will be readily identifiable in all lighting conditions, indoors or outdoors, day or night. If anyone's interested, I'll post how the trials go.

Ben

 

[Maui]

Paint wears off eventually. The best choice is to use a device for creating permanent identification markings on the molds. For example, your bar finish department most likely has a device for stamping or forming identification marking on the ends of large round bars. This device resembles a hand-held dot matrix printer. Due to the most recent developments in this particular type of technology, a computer interface permits letters of various sizes and fonts to be formed on the steel surface. Just set it up to stamp whatever you want onto the mold surface. Check with the bar finish department.


Maui

 

[frawolle]

Try SermeTel 409 black or 1465 yellow. They are ceramic paints that will take your temps. Supplier is SermaTech. The coatings weren't listed on the website last time I looked. But you can get them.

 

[tmtresearch]

See also:

http://www.coating4ind.com

and

http://www.vanwestrum.com/xylar.htm