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I have a few sets of genuine 10" Mag Minilites that appear to be in good shape.
What's the process for sealing them before use and who does this? Thanks

I'm no expert on this but my own involvement seems to show up two different schools of thought: Powder coating or Chromate followed by wet spray.

I used a company in Yorkshire (powder coating) for my mini lites (can look up the details) the chromate I will use for a set of BBS wheel centres who are based in Kent...

I´ve heard good things about this company, but have no personal experience.

http://tpcs-magnesium-refurbs.co.uk/

I had some and took them to Glasurit-Beck, the paint suppliers locally. They paint from new and refurbished alloy wheels for Concoorde and Navy helicopters that are subject to constant salt water bombardment. They would de-gas in the oven, bead blast the old ones being refurbished then zinc chromate primer and a wet spray, baked on.

On a road car, they would degas, bead blast and use a non toxic primer then colour

My personal experience is not to Powder Coat Magnesium due to the potential for corrosion to continue to exist & grow / track under that Powder Coating this corrosion is seen as white powder & can break out anywhere on the wheel .. any existing Power Coat is horrible stuff to get removed from a Mag. Minilite Wheel.
After researching with a local company who Paint Light Aircraft they advised that any paint finish on Magnesium Alloy needs to be able to breath & suggested I contacted "LAS Aerospace UK" to buy their "Alocrom 1200" this is a surface coat comes as a two pack.. mix as directed & i brushed direct onto the Mag; Wheel clean surface .. this stuff is a light liquid & when dry has a yellowish tinge .. cost to buy my Alocrom 1200 was circa £100.
Then over coat the Alocrom with Primer with a Top Coat ..in my case in a Satin Gold finish.. 3 years on these Mag Minilights look as good as the day this was carried out & happy there is no bleed through corrosion evident & the Wheel Nut Washers have not penetrated the surface finish .. that was my original issue with these (what were) Powder Coated Wheels .
Might not be to everyone,s way of painting Mag; Wheels but seem,s to have worked out ok.

A few years ago now i went thru the process of chromating my Tec-Del Minilites. The process required the electrically conductive application of Alodine. The is the 1um oxygen barrier magnesium requires in order to resist corrosion. The process leaves the wheels a honey colour after about 25minutes immersion.
https://www.kemalmfg.com/alodine-finish ... m%20alloys.

Yep, Mini63 has got it in one. That's just what HGlasurit-Beck did to mine - but I'd forgotten the ALODINE word that they used. And it did leave the wheels a very pale, wishy washy pale yellow colour. But once they were painted silver they looked fantastic. Wish I still had them

Thanks for that mini63

The very worst thing you can do to a magnesium casting of any sort is powder coat it. Chromate (or similar) and wet paint is the ONLY option.

This might work
https://avioparts.com/product/coatings/ ... chnologies;)
they also do a touch in pen for damage to magnesium coatings.
https://avioparts.com/product/coatings/ ... chnologies
ps I do have an account with them ....nice guys.... talk to Javier
T

i would definitely go with Mini63's suggestion ...Alochrom seals and neutralises the surface, before the primer is applied, its very important for the entire process to be done correctly and very thoroughly ,and certainly not powder coated afterwards..(I'd look at companies with aerospace experience)