Powdercoating Wheels-Bad Idea?

[monsta]

You need somebody who knows what they are doing.  I know a guy who had his Kawasaki wheels powder coated and when he got them back the bearings were no longer a press fit but just slid in loosely.  The heat treatment must have changed some of the wheel's dimensions.

If you powdercoat you will need to replace the bearings..
they heat to about 200C (you do the conversion..) so all bearings and seals will need to be removed prior.
You dont want bearing grease to run out on the job..
And because to remove the bearings you need to tap the inner race its advisable to get new ones.

with painting you just need to mask up, so no new bearings needed.

[Bill in OKC]

If you powdercoat you will need to replace the bearings..
they heat to about 200C (you do the conversion..) so all bearings and seals will need to be removed prior.
You dont want bearing grease to run out on the job..
And because to remove the bearings you need to tap the inner race its advisable to get new ones.

with painting you just need to mask up, so no new bearings needed.

Bearings were removed - replacement bearings fit differently because of the warped aluminum.  I assume someone who knows what they are doing won't overheat the wheels or leave the wheels in the oven too long.

[ducatiz]

Bearings were removed - replacement bearings fit differently because of the warped aluminum.  I assume someone who knows what they are doing won't overheat the wheels or leave the wheels in the oven too long.

that really sucks, I hope they got their wheels bought.

[ducpainter]

In my experience it's the way some coaters remove old paint that does the damage and not the process itself. Aluminum should not be damaged at the temps required to cure powder.

I'm a painter and like liquid finishes. I think they have better gloss, and the choice of color is unlimited.

Powder is actually no more durable...any coating can be damaged... but when you get the part back it is completely cured whereas paint takes a period of time to cure.

[pitbull]

FWIW, when I rebuilt my GF's 2000 900ie last winter, I bought an old silver rear wheel. I decided to try and spray can paint it myself with the idea that if it looked crappy I'd go and get it professionally done.  A little sanding and a few careful coats of paint along with a clearcoat and it looks a perfect match to the front.

[GBusa]

You could also leave the wheel lips silver and just coat the inner portion and then not worry so much about tire changes messing the lips up.
How about spokes in black and rim done red matched to your frame.
Lots of options and no worries if ya photo shop it first.
GB

[DucatiBastard]

is a two-tone possible with powder?  I was thinking about his with my wheels, black with a red or orange stripe. 

Can you do one color (the base black) then mask and do another on top (the accent stripe)? 

[ducpainter]

is a two-tone possible with powder?  I was thinking about his with my wheels, black with a red or orange stripe. 

Can you do one color (the base black) then mask and do another on top (the accent stripe)? 

Yes, but I think they mask the bare metal first do one color/cure and then rinse repeat for the second.

[koko64]

That settles it.
I'm gonna paint my wheels myself when I think the current paint is no longer 'servicable'.
Or at least get the frame and wheels done by a pro during the next big bore rebuild in five or so years time. It will have 80,000 kms on the motor then.

[COP TZR]

FWIW, when I rebuilt my GF's 2000 900ie last winter, I bought an old silver rear wheel. I decided to try and spray can paint it myself with the idea that if it looked crappy I'd go and get it professionally done.  A little sanding and a few careful coats of paint along with a clearcoat and it looks a perfect match to the front.

What kind of spray paint did you use & clear coat?  I'm tempted to do a little DIY myself here on the cheap.

[He Man]

As DP said, some coaters will bake the paint off.
some people will use an extremely abrasive material like sand to blast it off.

The good ones will have a big tank and just do a chemical dip.

Theres not enough heat for enough time to do much damage to aluminum.

if you left it at 400 degrees for maybe more than an hour, you might start seeing some effects. Generally speaking if you pay for a good PCer to strip and recoat it, your not that far from the cost of a good painter to just paint it without stripping.

between spray painting and powdercoating and using professional paints, the only real difference is durability and chemical resistance.

they can all look good if done properly. And they can all look like crap if done improperly. but if its wheels, especially the rear wheel, which in my opinion gets way more chemical attacks than the front, it will look like crap unless you use professional stuff.

think about it, you get chain cleaner on it, chain lube on it. Brake dust, brake fluid, dirt and grim (the front rotors tend to protect the front, and the front wheel also cuts the road grime then it gets thrown into the rear wheel).

the PC on my rear wheel has been chewed up from all these chemical attacks, even the OEM paint was bubbling at some point and that stuff is REALLY tough.

i PCed my own wheels btw.

[Barney]

thats hot

that is serious!  what is it and who wants to trade me it for an 1100evo??

[carbmon]

In my experience it's the way some coaters remove old paint that does the damage and not the process itself. Aluminum should not be damaged at the temps required to cure powder.

I'm a painter and like liquid finishes. I think they have better gloss, and the choice of color is unlimited.

Powder is actually no more durable...any coating can be damaged... but when you get the part back it is completely cured whereas paint takes a period of time to cure.

100% agree with all those comments. 

Too many PC'ers go nuts with really aggressive blasting media or chemical dips to make the strip job go faster (and cheaper).  Look for loss of definition on detail edges of examples of work.

Oh, (and I appreciate so far everyone has been talking abut aluminum) if you have magnesium wheels that a PC'er says are "no problem to prep and coat" .... run, don't walk, to the nearest exit.

[pitbull]

What kind of spray paint did you use & clear coat?  I'm tempted to do a little DIY myself here on the cheap.

It was 3 or 4 years ago now, I can't even remember the name of it, but it was a very common brand of auto touch-up paint I picked up at parts source or Canadian tire (here in Canada)

It's held up really well over that time, with no noticeable chips or scratches.

Honestly, if anybody could screw up a spray paint job, it would be me and it went really easy. The only thing I made sure of was to paint it on a sunny day, about 70 degrees with very low humidity. I think ducpainter may have suggested that to me. We had a few days in a row of hot and sunny with low humidity, so I let it sit out in the sun for a few days in the hopes it would cure fast and hard.

I'm not sure it made it any more durable or not, but it's held up well.

[COP TZR]

It was 3 or 4 years ago now, I can't even remember the name of it, but it was a very common brand of auto touch-up paint I picked up at parts source or Canadian tire (here in Canada)

Where abouts in Canada are you?  Are you in Toronto?  If so we should hook up for a ride.  I organize DUCATI DAY RIDES about twice a month.

Was the paint VHT brand by chance?  Did you use a clear coat?