Refurbing Alloys

[d-9 0]

Ive just got round to starting to refurb an old set of alloys, most of the wheels have got pretty bad curbing on them, I was planning on taking it back with a flap wheel and smoothing out anything thats left with filler, but what sort of filler should I use?

 

Do I have to use acid etch primer on alloy or does normal primer work ok?

 

 

Whats the general procedure for painting (like do i rub it down after priming or after painting or both?), and should I laquer on top of gloss white?

 

Also whats the best place to buy paint from, I dont really like buying rattle tins from halfords as it seems a bit of an expensive way to do it.

 

 

thanks

[mbayley77 0]

I have done mine by hand. Things i done were....

 

1. rub down wheel with wet and dry / scothbrite / brillo pad wrapped around a drill bit for getting in those roundy places & a file for getting rid of those nastie kerb marks on the edge of the rim.

 

2. Make sure its ultra clean and also is ultra dry - i leave mine near a radiator over night which makes em nice and warm for when you spray them too

 

3. I used etch primer (recommended to me by a spraying company for alloys) a coat applied well shouldnt need rubbing down although any runs or rough areas may need a light rub with some fine wet and dry. (600 grit or so)

 

4. I used dark grey for my paint and found a single coat or at most 2 coats covered the wheel fine but your white may need more! (hence one large can of paint covered 3 wheels)

 

5. Finished off with 4 coats of clear lacquer. This equates to a complete can of lacquer per wheel. but brings up a lovely finish.

 

As for cost the etch primer is expensive at about 15 quid a large can.

paint was 3 quid a can and lacquer was the same.

not sure if your white paint would need lacquer but may well be worth getting one which does as lacquer is a harder substance than paint itself so will not stone chip so bad.

 

Doa search there are loads of threads on the subject and photos (including mine) of the outcome.

 

Remember though the more work you put into preperation the better the finish will be.

[Paintguy 0]

Remember though the more work you put into preperation the better the finish will be.

The most important bit of advice of the lot

 

 

Just to expand a liitle on the above; I'd rather not use any filler on wheels, and would prefer to sand/grind out the scuffs where possible, even if it means taking the rim down a little, but if there are some minor bits left, I'd use a fine filler such as Top Stop Gold. Always do your filler work before applying the etch primer.

 

Filling over the top of any primer (except epoxy) is not considered good practice, but it's an absolute no-no with etch. I'm no paint chemist, but I understand that if you apply filler on top of etch, the acid in the primer can prevent the filler from curing properly.

 

Personally I use an etch primer first, then use a thicker (high build) primer over the top to even out any irregularities, sanding it back with 600 or 800 Wet & Dry paper, before painting.

 

There's not real need to apply lacquer after your gloss white, but as said above, it may offer a little extra protection. I'd concentrate on getting the white right first, you can always lacquer them up later, after a light sanding.

[mbayley77 0]

my wheels.

 

clicky

[d-9 0]

Ahh cheers for that guys :-)

 

That all lines up pretty well with what I thought, I was planning on trying to sand out as much of the kurbing as possible, and keep the filling a far way away from the rim.

 

Preperation doesnt really bother me, years of woodwork means i have no problems sanding stuff, besides i can do most of that indoors wheras the painting has to be done in the rather cold garage!

 

After Ive painted it, what do I use to take out any surface inperfections like dust?

[Paintguy 0]

Normally you'd sand out any dust etc with a fine paper 1500/2000 and polish back up with a rubbing compound like Farecla G3. But even with a few coats of aerosol paint you won't have lots of build (thickness) so you'll have to take it easy so as not to cut right through to the primer.

[d-9 0]

lol ive learnt my lesson with being oh so gentle after rubbing the primer off my mirrors the other day, but i'll get some even gentler paper and some rubbing compound.

 

thanks

 

I presume when im spraying i shouldnt do it almost 0 degree temps?

[Paintguy 0]

I presume when im spraying i shouldnt do it almost 0 degree temps?

lol, slightly warmer would be better

 

I'll not get too technical, but actually it's the temp of the paint and the wheels that matter more than air temp. Keep them inside the house until the last minute if you can. You could always sit the cans in some warm (not hot) water for a few minutes as well.

 

As for where to get the paint, you could try this. I don't know how it works out price-wise compard to Halfords, but those Power Cans give a really good finish,