Powder coating of alloy rims

[Whitmore]

I found a place in Colorado , thanks to GiesJ that says they can powder coat my OEM alloy rims for $100 bucks, I am seriously considering doing this in Black and want some feed back from you guys on this, they say they heat them up to 400 degrees and it wont hurt them ... ... ... ... ... . what do you think ... ... ..... Kevin

 

[WyoJim]

I think if I run I won't get as wet from the rain.

 

[GiesJ]

Kev -

The engineer in me sees no problem heating alloy (I suspect you mean Aluminum of some type) to 400°F. Aluminum has a melting point of about 660°C or about 1220°F but the annealing point is as low as about 662°F. I say do it. I think black wheels with black lug nuts would be bad.

If they can do this in a day or half day see how much you would save if you just drove down instead of shipping, I'll go to CO with you.

later

J

 

[Dkevdog]

I have a friend who does powder coat and sandblast, I've said it before, he does alloy all the time. No problems.



kev

 

[Whitmore]

Great info guys

OK another Q, how will the coating hold up to the abuse of a wheel, IE rock chips and tire machines things like that, the guy down there said that it could handle it but how about first hand experiences???

Jason , I like your idea and if I do this we just mite make a ROAD TRIP , the guy acted like it wouldnt be a fast turnover though but we will work it out... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Kevin

 

[GiesJ]

Kevin -

the only reason I knew about powder coating down in Ft Collins area was that some friends of mine that are big into offroading always talk about how sweet it would be to have a frame powder coated - I suspect that it would hold up well...

I work in the materials industry and got the following from powdercoating.org:



Powder coating is an advanced method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials and products that are used by both industries and consumers. The powder used for the process is a mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which is sprayed onto a surface to be coated. The charged powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded surfaces until heated and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven. The result is a uniform, durable, high-quality, and attractive finish. Powder coating is the fastest-growing finishing technology in North America, representing over 10% of all industrial finishing applications.



Two words Whit - Road Trip.

 

[GiesJ]

From the same site I foud this:

The automotive industry uses powder coating on wheels, bumpers, hubcaps, door handles, decorative trim and accent parts, truck beds, radiators, filters, and numerous engine parts. A clean powder topcoat has been developed to protect auto bodies. BMW and Volvo are using it on their new model cars, and GM, Ford, and Chrysler have formed a consortium to test this technique on their production lines.

later!

 

[BRobertson]

There is a guy in Casper that does powder coatings. He does the Revolver shackles and used to coat gun cases for us when we owned Bear Track Cases.

His name is Paul Van Hees.

Bob

 

[BRobertson]

I would recommend that they do a color coat and then clear coat, that makes it VERY tough.

He did my Warn winch mount for me when I was down there and it is 4 years old and been on 2 trucks and is still like new!!!

Bob

 

[Whitmore]

BRobertson

Casper is only 100 miles from me , is this a business or does he do it outa his garage? Kevvin

 

[BRobertson]

He has large shop on his property. He also does the coating for the furniture factory at the Casper airport.

His # was 235-6054

Bob

 

[Whitmore]

Bob

I called Paul in Casper, he sounds like a fine man, I told him I was referred by you and he said where is he at ? when I told him Alaska he acted surprised,anyhow he said he would bead blast them, powdercoat them and then do a clear coat for $80 each, is this a good price? I want them pretty bad, solid black so they match my Ranchand bumpers, then I will put the chrome OEM caps back on ... ... ... ... ..... Kevin

 

[BRobertson]

Paul does good work!!!

I haven't seen him for a couple of years. I guess he would't know that we sold our business down there and came back home!!!

Bob

 

[BRobertson]

By the way, that is probably a real fair price, because just the bead blasting of a wheel is a real hassle!!!

When he clear coats over it he is basically doing them twice.

A lot of our alum. cases that he did for us went to Africa, Russia, Ak. , etc on the airlines and the coatings stood up very well, so wheels shouldn't be a problem!!!!!!!

Bob

 

[JR2]

Bob -

Did you ever get that extra set of wheels you had coated??



JR2

 

[BRobertson]

John,

I decided to keep them shiny for contrast.

I am still going to check on coating a bumper (i. e. UTE bullbar) when I can get to Anchorage.

I'll let you know what I discover.

I coated my fabricated rear bumper with Herculiner and it came out nice!!

Bob

 

[Whitmore]

thanks Bob

I think I have decided to do it so its just a matter of when... ..... Kevin

 

[Goddard]

powder coating is really tuff. t is what is used on all the dirt late model race car frames that i know of and holds up very well under those conditions.

 

[GiesJ]

Kev -

did you ever do this? Could you resend the name of the Powder coating shop in Ft Collins, I've missplaced it. Thanks and if you have done this, how bout some pics?

J

 

[Whitmore]

All the contact info is at work , I will find it and let you know who it was, I still aint got it done yet but still want too, I kinda blew up my turbo and had to use my wheel money for that



cheers, Kevin