powdercoating question

[Magnus]

i located some wheels for my car...  wheels that i've been looking for that i love... and for a real good price.  problem is, they are chrome...  are there any issues with getting them powdercoated black?  the wheels are 18", and the car is an '01 Porsche Carrera 2. 

does the chrome need to be stripped as part of the powdercoating process?  i guess i need to find a powdercoater local to northern new jersey.  i wonder how much it would cost me...

[Shortie]

I believe you'd need to have them sandblasted before powdercoating, but I'm not positive if that's the protocol with removing chrome. PM ducpainter or red baron- I'm sure they'd know.

[red baron]

I believe you'd need to have them sandblasted before powdercoating, but I'm not positive if that's the protocol with removing chrome. PM ducpainter or red baron- I'm sure they'd know.

+1

[Shortie]

You can probably save yourself some money by prepping them yourself or having a friend with blasting capabilities do it for you, however make sure you use the proper blasting medium so you dont pit/dimple the crap out of the base metal. Or if you're more comfortable just leaving it to the pros I'm sure you can find a shop that will prep them as well as coat them for you.

[Magnus]

thanks for the input.  unfortunatley i don't know anyone with "blasting capabilities" but i guess i'll check the yellow pages and see if i can get a quote.  if it's going to cost me another 1k or more to get them the way i want them, then it's not really worth it.

[red baron]

thanks for the input.  unfortunatley i don't know anyone with "blasting capabilities"

Ask the powdercoater first. He might even offer the service.

not likely to hit the 1k mark

[Monsterlover]

Where I am, a set of 4 wheels is about $300.  That's with them blasting all of them, masking what shouldn't get coated, and coating/baking them.

Blasting should be part of the service.  It's the only way they can be sure the prep work is done correctly.

If the coating flaked the coater will say the blaster didn't do it right, and the blaster will say the coating was bad.  No way to be sure

[Magnus]

Hmm..  that's not bad, not bad at all.  I have also read that powdercoating wheels that were not originally "designed" to be powdercoated is a bad idea, something about the heat applied during the process degrades the integrity of the wheel?  Any truth to that? 

Also, does that same theory apply to anodizing?  How is anodizing different from powdercoating?  I understood anodizing to be a chemical process, but no heat... not sure if that's true or not.  Also, certain anodized finishes do not retain their color very well over time? 

Thanks!

[Monsterlover]

Ill just comment on what I know personally.

The heat won't effect anything.  It's only 400-450 degrees (well, it will effect anything rubber, like cush drives)  That's not hot enough to do anything to steel or aluminum.

Powdercoating uses electro static to make the powder "stick" to the wheel.  The wheel is charged one way (+ or -, not sure which) and the nozzle of the gun is charged the other way.

Anodizing works in a similar manor.  The quick explanation on that is the aluminum (can not do steels like this) is charged one way, and is submerged in a bath that is charged the other way.  Particles in the bath "replace" particles of aluminum on the work piece.  The work piece is the anode (hence anod-izing)

Black will definitely degrade.  TJR178 has a bunch of cycle cat stuff that constantly faded to purple.  He had that stuff coated black for a permanent fix.

Don't know about other colors though.

[ducpainter]

Blasting chrome off a wheel might cost a bit more.

My experience is many coaters sub the blasting out which raises the end user cost.

[Magnus]

i was told by one of these wheel makers that hard anodizing resists color deterioration better than regular anodizing.

the opinion on whether or not it's a good idea to powder coat aluminum wheels seems to be split...  some say it's a bad idea, others say that at powder coating temps (400 degrees) it's not hot enough to cause any damage.  i wonder if it matters if the wheel is a single piece or a 2 or 3 piece wheel?

[Monsterlover]

I've done aluminum monster wheels and they came out fine.  aluminum begins to melt at somewhere around 1100 degrees or so.  no worries, mon!

[Magnus]

thanks monsterlover...   here's the wording from a wheel maker.  plenty of people say it's okay, plenty say it's bad.  although in my research, it appears science is on your side!

If the powder coater gets the center too hot it will bring it out of
its T6 condition and significantly weaken the part. Anodizing is done with
chemicals not heat.

[Bun-bun]

Another thing to be aware of is the condition of the wheels.
Powdercoat and oily parts don't mix.
I was interested in having my boat motors powdercoated to resist rust, and I was told that the powdercoater would have to bake the motors overnight to remove the oil from the surfaces of the motor, or the powdercoat would flake off. Something about the oil molecules sneaking in between the steel molecules?
Just an FYI.

[ducpainter]

Another thing to be aware of is the condition of the wheels.
Powdercoat and oily parts don't mix.
I was interested in having my boat motors powdercoated to resist rust, and I was told that the powdercoater would have to bake the motors overnight to remove the oil from the surfaces of the motor, or the powdercoat would flake off. Something about the oil molecules sneaking in between the steel molecules?
Just an FYI.

That is true of any coating.

Powder is just paint without the solvent.

Paint and oil...bad juju.