Nut Plates

[MNFlyboy]

Got a bunch of steel ones to get painted, trying to find an easier way than putting down chicken wire between pieces of lumber and doing them one side at a time. Anyone know of an easier way to do 100's of them at a time?

 

[Roger Roger]

Curious, why are you painting nutplates?

 

[MNFlyboy]

Big project. The plates we have now are silver/stainless or something, and we're coating them with a graphite coating, but it takes forever the way we do it now. Someone mentioned a tumbler of sorts, but I can't find one . . . .

 

[Roger Roger]

You know you can buy them with a nice lubricant coating on them.
But really, I have no idea.

 

[Itchy]

On an industrial scale, you are looking at an electrostatic process or similar?

 

[MNFlyboy]

something simple, but yeah on an industrial scale

 

[RICHARD5]

Stainless or nickle plated don't require a coating. So the painting must be for cosmetic reasons. You could dip or spray. I don't see how you wouldn't be chasing threads.

If this is industrial scale, it behooves you to build a tumbler. They are very simple.

Oh...the "silver/stainless" is too shiny? Perhaps change the patina with vinegar or some noncorrosive reagent.