Powder coating business gives people their money's worth

When people visit Darkhorse Powder and Ceramic Coating, co-owner Chad Fassler wants to make sure they get their money’s worth.

“If people come in here and give me their part, and they are willing to give me their hard-earned money to get their parts worked on, we owe it to them to give them the best work possible,” said Fassler, 41, of Dixon. “We want to keep them happy.”

Darkhorse Powder and Ceramic Coating, 610 Nachusa Ave., has been in Dixon for a little more than a year.

“I thought there was a need for powder coating, and no one else is really doing this around here,” Fassler said. “I love the work, so it was a no-brainer.”

The company specializes in both powder and ceramic coating.

Powder coating, a free-flowing, dry powder, is applied electrostatically and cured under heat. As the powder heats up, it creates a skin or hard finish that is much stronger and more durable than conventional paint, Fassler said.

“We do a lot of wheels, car and truck parts and bike parts,” he said. “We have pretty much seen everything.”

Ceramic coating is a spray-on finish that’s infused with heat-insulating ceramics. High-temperature ceramic coatings are designed to withstand temperatures up to 1,800 degrees.

Ceramic coating can be used on exhaust manifolds or motorcycle pipes, among other things.

Fassler owns the business with Ian Smith of Sheffield. The two met on a musicians website.

“We started writing heavy metal music together, but once we began getting serious with powder coating, we jumped right into this,” Fassler said.

Smith, 22, said he has been learning about powder coating from Fassler.

“Before me and him started doing this together, I never got into any of this stuff,” Smith said.

Fassler, who also used to paint cars for a living, said he decided to use the name Darkhorse because he said incoming business owners are like underdogs.

“When you start a business up, people wonder if you will make it, and the name Darkhorse was fitting,” he said. “A new business in today’s economy is not really something people are doing, but I thought this would be a good opportunity.”

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