Things to remember about DIY powder coating:
1. Don't make your first attempt on an important part of your car. Practice on scrap steel and aluminum (which needs more/different prep), old brackets and small stuff you can easily blast again until your results meet your expectations; powder is generally harder to remove than paint is, and is especially tasking on larger parts like a wheel.
2. The same powder can look different on steel than it does on aluminum. Ambient temperature, humidity and barometric pressure are all taken into consideration by pros because it affects results.
3. When coating more than one of something (such as a set of wheels), your results will be more consistent when all of the parts can be sprayed and cured at about the same time in the same conditions. Sure, you can coat four wheels in an oven the same size as the one in your kitchen eventually. But how are you going to hang it so it doesn't touch anything? Laying it on an oven rack will leave some lovely grids on the back side, now preserved for years.
Or when a big storm rolls in between Number 2 and Number 3 and the humidity spikes from 48% to 92% ... and your
Rallye Silver turns out substantially less shiny than Number 1 and 2 were. Keep in mind a steel wheel will take at least a half hour to come up to curing temperature (maybe longer), and then you'll have to wait for it to cool off before you can take it out of the oven for the next one or suffer the possibility that the shine will turn matte.
4. Though some may disagree, I believe that once the part is washed, it should not be touched again with anything until raw powder covers it. Wiping otherwise blasted/washed/dried metal with anything afterwards (such as acetone) is just asking for floaties, lint or embedded defects, and some unexpected / unwanted results if you're using translucent candy powders.
5. YouTube and online forums will give you an idea of how things basically work, but keep one thing in mind while watching / reading them. Those who have the time to create instructional videos or spend countless hours bringing newbies "up to speed" in powder groups every day are most likely not very busy actually doing work for customers. In most cases I've found the groups more like The Blind Leading The Blind, passing along rumors and insufficient and/or downright bad advice because they don't have the experience needed to properly teach anyone.
6. Don't invest a ton of money into equipment at the outset. A compressor, a cheap hobby kit, a means to blast what you want to coat, and a used Craig's List oven as recommended by our friend Pish is ideal because you'll figure out almost immediately whether you love powder coating or hate it. Far too many the last decade have fallen for Eastwood's "
Start Your Own Business for $100!" BS, quit their day job, buy the best of everything without having a clue wtf they're doing, open a shop practicing on other people's metal, and then -- six months later, when costly unpaid rework outnumbers the new customers, they have a 1-star rating on FaceBook and the 26 people they worked for have told 26,000 people how sucky they are -- they sell everything at a quarter of the market value and call their old boss.
7. Basically speaking, anyone can do it. Getting really good at it is harder and takes time.
Hit me up if I can help with any other questions
@MRGTX! Shipping from Connecticut would be a killer but I can maybe help you find someone local who is qualified enough. Good luck!
