Im trying to decide what the most economical way of refurbing my steel wheels would be, and what the best type of finish would last the longest.
So far I have been quoted £75 for soda blasting a set of 5, but then when I add up the cost of paint + time etc im not sure if it would be best to get them powder coated? Ive heard mixed opinions abouts powder coating, some people saying that they last well, others saying they've had experiences of the paint flaking off.
Does anyone have any preferences whether it is better to powder coat or spray in 2k? And what sort of price I should expect to pay for powder coating?
Matty I had my rev rims shotblasted and powder coated and will
not being powder coating again wheel weights chip it. Powder
coating doesn't go in all the nooks very heavily either
I prefer powder coating and stick on balance weights. Blasting and coating a set of 4 costs 100-150. If your wheels are very pitted more coating will have to be applied which results in a 'thick' looking finish and the coating is more likely to chip off. There's a great place here in Castleford Yorkshire called Midas Touch that does a fantastic job, not only on wheels but suspension parts, chroming, zinc etc.
But, if your wheels are in very poor condition and need a large amount of prep you might be better getting them blasted and do the prep and paint yourself. Double up on the paint and you'll have some left to freshen them up every once in a while.
If you decide to get them powder coated take all the weights off yourself and hammer/file out and imperfections in the rim, don't assume they will do that for you.
It all depends on your powder coater, if he is good & gets a well stuck thin-ish layer of powder on PC is definitely the way to go. If you have a powder coater who doesn't clean the wheels off after blasting & slathers the powder on it will probably drop off.
My choice would be good powder coating over paint, but paint over bad powder coating.
One problem with powder coating is that it melts when it gets hot. Normal brake heat is not enough to melt it, but I had a faulty handbrake cable on the Moke which stopped one side from fully releasing. It wasn't locked on enough to be felt when driving, but it only took one trip to soften and melt the powdercoating on that wheel. The worst area was where the wheel was in contact with the face of the brake drum. It ended up stuck to the drum and pulled away in long strands like melted cheese when I took the wheel off. I don't think paint would have done that.
The other problem I've had is that where the Moke wheels flex on their spokes (I have 13" sunraysias which resemble weller 8 spoke wheels) the powder coating has cracked. Thats less likely with a smaller diameter un-spoked wheel but I think I'd go for two-pack paint next time.
Some people say that the advantage of paint is that you can touch up chips in it, but the powder coater that did my wheels also sells matching pressure packs of paint, you just paint over any chips, exactly like paint.
Powder coating can be either themosetting or themoplastic. The stuck Moke wheels sound like a themoplastic powder may have been used. (not a good choice)
If powder coating chips off, it is almost always a result of poor prep and/or poor curing. It can also be more prone to chipping if applied to thickly. Typically all that is required is about .003" cured film thickness
Sand blasting provides a good initial surface prep, but it is also important that the substrate be fully cleaned. Most decent powder coaters will have a 3 to 7 stage wash system that utilizes cleaners, iron or zinc phosphate, and rinses.
Just like with liquid paint, prep is everything.
It is the case that powder coating will have a difficult time penetrating deep recesses due to the faraday cage effect of electrostatics, but a good coater will be able to typically overcome this by gun voltage and air settings.
Powder coating isn't necessarily any better or worse than liquid painting, it is just another way (hopefully)to a desired end result.
i have always for it easier to get them blasted and powder coated, my local blaster, will blaster and powder coat for £15 a wheel, and also can hot zinc it first for and extra charge
so by the the time you strip them and pay for paint its worth the money.
1 thing is once they have been blasted before they powder coast make they get all the grit out the groove between the inner rim and main body of the wheel, i had a set of wheels done, and they did not get it out and in places where it had greit it bridged the powder coat across and it look bad
I spoke to a local guy today that has been recommended to me, and he said he'd blast them, zinc prime and either powder coat or paint them for £30 a wheel, which doesn't sound too bad.
He said that he doesn't recommend them to be powder coated, because you can't get it into the area where the two parts join together. Does this sound feasable? He siad he'd do which ever I choose but he can't guarantee that he can get complete coverage if I go down the powder coat route.
