Powdercoating wheels

[JHZR2]

Hi,

what is involved in getting a good powdercoating job done on a set of older wheels? What kind of pre-prepping can I do myself? what kind of a shop does the powdercoating job? not an auto body shop, right?

Also, what is the best way to let a vehicle don without its wheels on? Cinderblocks under the rotors? jack stands under the suspension arms? I dont want to damage anything.

Thanks!

JMH

 

[gtx510]

what kind of car? does it have a frame or subframe you can put jackstands under?

pretty clean. they might beadblast them?
look in your local yellowpages for 'Coatings'. www.superpages.com

 

[JHZR2]

older BMW and MB - both pristine.

Ive yet to be comfortable putting jackstands on subframes, which is what Im working with...

Thanks!

JMH

 

[alreadygone]

Jack stands out near ends of lower suspension arms should never cause a problem. Use cinder blocks on your improvised gym set, or build wife a flower bed. Never put under car!!!

GTX's recomendation is dead on. Check as many as possible, prices vary from high to OUTRAGEOUS!!

Bob

 

[bdcardinal]

i would strongly suggest having the wheels bead or sand blasted prior to powder coating. this will bring them down to bare metal and make the final outcome of the job a lot better.

 

[WalterMitty]

If they are steel wheels, grit blasting (with steel grit) is the most effective surface prep for powder coating. Steel shot blasting is the next best choice, but does not provide as good an anchor profile as grit.

The grit blasting should be followed with a phosphate conversion coating. Zinc phosphate is best, but is getting harder to find because of waste disposal issues. Iron phosphate is more common and will do a good job.

Once the parts have had a good phosphate treatment, usually with a non-chromate sealer (although the old heavy metal is still best) the part is ready for powder coating. They must be coated immediately after conversion coating. Any delays between these steps will permit the formation of rust on the unprotected surfaces. This will defeat all prep efforts.

Shop for a coating with a high pencil hardness rating. Wheels have a pretty tough environment to survive, so get as close to a 5H rating (or better!) as you can to reduce damage due to wheel mounting, balance weights and etc.

I would avoid Sand Blasting. This method contains high amounts of free silica that will embed in the steel surface and degrade coating adhesion. Glass bead blasting is a good surface treatment for processes other than powder coating, e.g. beadblasting stainless steel to give a uniform satin finish.

Aluminum oxide grit would be a good substitution for the steel grit, but may be more expensive.

 

[JHZR2]

thanks for all of the info... Im actually doing alloy wheels.

I guess that grit blasting and watnot will do better than repainting, right?

I like the concept of powdercoating, and will likely go that route - but can anyone inform me of the pros/cons of a professional painting job for alloy wheels?

Thanks,

JMH

 

[Kestas]

No, but I can mention one caveat with powdercoating. They use heat to cure the coating. One has to be careful heating alloy wheels. They are made of an aluminum alloy that is solution-treated, quenched, and aged. This heat-treatment imparts maximum strength to the metal. If the powder-coating treatment overheats the part, the aluminum can overage and lose its strength.

 

[ikeepmychevytoo]

Quote:

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Once the parts have had a good phosphate treatment, usually with a non-chromate sealer (although the old heavy metal is still best) the part is ready for powder coating.

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How about two component epoxy primer?

 

[WalterMitty]

Quote:

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How about two component epoxy primer?

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I do not know. I have no experience with two component epoxy primers and powder coating

 

[GMorg]

process overview:

http://www.finishing.com/Library/pennisi/powder.html