Aluminum wheel painting.

[lovebill1951]

'78 stock alum / mag wheels. My plan is to have them media blasted and then use DuriColor etching primer and gloss black paint. Paint the whole wheel solid black. Then take them to the local Yamaha and have tires mounted. My question is, should I do something so the tire install doesn't scratch or rub the paint on the rims, or is this just something not to worry about. Thank you.

 

[angus67]

tape off the tire, and paint after the tire goes on.

 

[Ghetto]

I would powdercoat myself.

 

[stuntdouble]

are you worried about the rim being scratched when the tire is being mounted? if so, your local shop should be able to mount the tire without damaging the finish of the wheel. i worked (part time) in a custom bike shop when i was in the military and we were able to mount tires without scratching chrome and painted finishes. just have to be patient and careful.

 

[lovebill1951]

Thanks for the replys. Yes, I was worried that tire rubbing or the steel spoons would scratch the paint. I'm sure the shop will be careful but shit happens. I didn't want to set myself up for failure.

 

[danno]

I would powdercoat myself.

Ouch! That sounds painfull!

 

[kent_in_kc]

You should be fine whether you paint before or after mounting the tire. Just talk to the guy doing the tire work.

If you mask the tire, get wide tape and 'overmask', overlapping the rim. Then take a razor knife and follow the bead seam around the edge of the rim. Peel the tape off the rim and you're ready to spray. BTW, blasting is nice, no doubt, but really you'd be okay just cleaning the rim good with acetone, then applying the etching primer and top coat.

Powder coating is good too but a quality paint rivals its durability and paint gets the corners and crevices better than powder (because of the Faraday effect).

And, here I go again, when you get through painting and air drying, let the rims bake in the sun for a day. It makes a difference.

Good luck and post some pics of the result!

 

[Bigzakdaddy]

Please don't powdercoat yourself...weird, uncomfortable for everyone...



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[PetesPonies]

Its all about the installer. I use to teach tire changing and still have tire machines in my own shop. The average individual makes mistakes. Its esay to do. And yes everyone will make some blemish on a wheel at some time or another. BUT . . if you deal with a place that cares and does things correctly you have a good probability of having the tires mounted and balanced without damage.

 

[Cornish Pixie]

I would powdercoat myself.

What colour? Colour choice will make such a difference to how you look after the job is finished.

 

[I am Carbon]

If you paint let the paint cure for at least a week before mounting tires,curing time makes all the diff , don,t forget to use primer ,Ed

 

[slingshot]

Brake caliper paint will work.

 

[Marvelicious]

I would powdercoat myself.

The powder won't be so bad, but the oven is going to SUCK!

 

[Capt_Zoom]

I used the duplicolor satin black wheel coating on mine. Have one done and it went on pretty well. I used acetone to clean it, then hit it with some 400grit sand paper cleaned, blew it off, cleaned with acetone again. Then painted. I also installed the new wheel bearings before hand and taped them off. I was more worried about messing up the paint installing the bearings than the tire. Installed the tire afterward.

If you install the tire afterward you can just take a ratchet strap and put it around the wheel to hang it. That way your not going through the hub or center to mess up your paint application.

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheelCoating/

 

[beaver]

sand them down, first coat of primer and use epoxy spray paint. i did mine in afew hours. they came out great!

 

[angus67]

uh..guys.....he did it two years ago. please look at the dates of the original post

 

[AussieHard]

uh..guys.....he did it two years ago. please look at the dates of the original post

oh well still useful info! Maybe some new tech updates since then.