Your wheel painting technique

[Great Lakes Greg]

My powder coat guy is out of business and I find myself in the position where I am going to have to paint some wheels. I have access to a wheel spinner and may build my own as well. So, how do you get in behind the spoke at the hub end? Any other tips on painting wheels, and kindly describe your home built wheel spinners if you have one.

 

[biggieou]

Where are you located? I just has my wheels powder coated and couldn't be happier with the results.

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[Great Lakes Greg]

I am in Jackson. There are other powder coat guys around, but their color chips are nowhere near Tacoma Cream. The place I used to go to had a stash of the right shade from the now defunct ModelAwheelcolors.com. A search on this site says Tiger RAL 1001 is a match, but it looks light brown to me. I would feel better just painting the right color.

 

[1931 flamingo]

Years ago (60's) three of us painted the wheels on my 32 4 door sedan with brushes in the back of the barracks. Red rustoleum on mounted wheels, oh yeah and at least a case of beer...........Came out good. One of the cars I wish I still had

 

[biggieou]

I am in Jackson. There are other powder coat guys around, but their color chips are nowhere near Tacoma Cream. The place I used to go to had a stash of the right shade from the now defunct ModelAwheelcolors.com. A search on this site says Tiger RAL 1001 is a match, but it looks light brown to me. I would feel better just painting the right color.

Jackson, Ohio? My wheels are Tacoma Cream. Really happy with the results. I'll post a pic, but I don't think the pic does the true color justice. They look much more yellow in the pic then they are in person. I got the powder from modelawheelcolors.com

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[wrndln]

I have seen wheels slid onto a long pipe for painting. Then as the wheels are painted (both sides), you turn the wheels by only touching the place where the tires go. It looks like it would work well. I have 2 sets of 21" wheels that were powdercoated, but I am going to paint the next set. I plan to paint my wheel using the pipe method, even though our local club as a wheel rotator. The main problem with a rotator, like our club has in the tool loan program, is it only does one wheel at a time. With a long pipe, after painting a wheel, you can drag the painted wheel off to the side with a hook and paint more wheels on the pipe. The problem with powdercoating is most wheels have dings and flaws that need "filling". Supposedly J-B Weld is good to 500 to 600 degrees, but some of the J-B Weld sagged when the powdercoated wheels were baked, even though I told the powdercoater to cure them at the lowest possible temperature.
Rusty Nelson

 

[Afordman31]

My powder coat guy is out of business and I find myself in the position where I am going to have to paint some wheels. I have access to a wheel spinner and may build my own as well. So, how do you get in behind the spoke at the hub end? Any other tips on painting wheels, and kindly describe your home built wheel spinners if you have one.

This is the technique I used to paint my wheels. I got the information from the Restorer book shown in the picture, page 23.
The wheel spinner is made out of scraps of wood, a thrust bearing, and a 1/4 inch bolt.
So far this was used on 10 Model A wheels and 5 1935 Ford wheels for my speedster.
You will see in the picture that there is seven different positions to paint a wheel. The first day paint the part of the rim that the inner tube touches and the inside of the hub. The next day when the paint is dry you can set the wheel on the spinner and turn it by touching the part where the tube covers. Then do the sequence shown in the picture. There is seven different positions to spray a wheel. I also made metal plugs to drop in the holes so you won't paint where the wheel lugs touch.
Hope this puts some light on your post!

 

[Chris Haynes]

http://www.modelawheelcolors.com/

 

[Hoogah]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I hesitate to post these photos because this is the most unprofessional get up imaginable, but this is how I sprayed my "new" spare wheel with a rattle can.
(. . . . ducks for cover!)

 

[Keith True]

The problem I always have with the idea of using a spinner is that I can only do one wheel at a time.I would have to guess,and mix up the DP 40 to shoot one wheel.Then do it all over four more times.Then for color go through the same thing again.I think that Restorer article was written when you could mix up some primer,use some,then put a piece of masking tape over the vent hole in the cup.Shake the cup the next day,pull the tape off and use it.Same thing with color.The last couple dozen wheels I painted I did on a long steel rod.I slide a half dozen wheels on a 20 foot piece of round bar stock and lay it between two stepladders.I spin them as needed with my finger.You do have to steer them as you spin,a one inch diameter bar will sag a lot with a few wheels on it.The little marring on the insides of the wheels from the bar seem to fill themselves in.

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

I am in Jackson.

Jackson, Alabama
Jackson, California
Jackson, Georgia
Jackson, Idaho
Jackson, Indiana
Jackson, Ripley County, Indiana
Jackson, Kentucky
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson, Maine
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Missouri
Jackson, Nebraska
Jackson, New Hampshire
Jackson, Camden County, New Jersey
Jackson, New York
Jackson, North Carolina
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Jackson, Rhode Island
Jackson, South Carolina
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Washington
Jackson, Wisconsin (disambiguation)
Jackson, Wyoming

 

[TomballMottershaw]

Missed... Jackson county Texas hehe.

 

[Afordman31]

Jackson, Alabama
Jackson, California
Jackson, Georgia
Jackson, Idaho
Jackson, Indiana
Jackson, Ripley County, Indiana
Jackson, Kentucky
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson, Maine
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Missouri
Jackson, Nebraska
Jackson, New Hampshire
Jackson, Camden County, New Jersey
Jackson, New York
Jackson, North Carolina
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Jackson, Rhode Island
Jackson, South Carolina
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Washington
Jackson, Wisconsin (disambiguation)
Jackson, Wyoming

Easy to figure out, Great Lakes Greg

 

[jwilliams81]

http://www.modelawheelcolors.com/

Have you bought from them or used them?

I tried to buy powder from them and they took my money and didn't send me product. I called for 2 months leaving messages and emails. I finally filed a complaint with Paypal to get a refund. Then filed a report with the state attorney general.

If you used them and had great results I'm glad. But I didn't and wouldn't steer people to the company. My 2 cents.

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Easy to figure out, Great Lakes Greg

Good point.

We're down to...

Jackson, Wisconsin
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson, Pennsylvania
Jackson, New York
Jackson, Indiana

 

[biggieou]

Have you bought from them or used them?

I tried to buy powder from them and they took my money and didn't send me product. I called for 2 months leaving messages and emails. I finally filed a complaint with Paypal to get a refund. Then filed a report with the state attorney general.

If you used them and had great results I'm glad. But I didn't and wouldn't steer people to the company. My 2 cents.

I literally posted in here that I did. Great product.

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[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Use the trigger handle on your spray can & the GOOD spray tips that makes a true FAN shaped spray!
In our REALLY POOR times, & poor wheels, Chief burned off the hard tires & the paint, on a bonfire. Then with a WIDE, CURLY old brush, I'd dab that old roofing tar from a silver, no label can, into the hidden areas, then "smooth" it out all over. Looked pretty good & didn't CHIP or RUST!
Bill W. (My spray can jobs looked as GOOD as POWDER COATING!)

 

[Fred K-OR]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I hesitate to post these photos because this is the most unprofessional get up imaginable, but this is how I sprayed my "new" spare wheel with a rattle can.
(. . . . ducks for cover!)

I did almost the same thing as you did. Works great. Here is a picture.

 

[Hunter]

I concur with Rusty and Keith. I had borrowed a variable speed motor with a gear box and spend days building a contraction that would spin the wheels for me as I sprayed. What a total waste of time. I found that having them spin at a constant rate just didn't work for me.

So - I got a long piece of pipe and suspended it between two ladders like Keith. I spun the wheels by putting my fingers on the part of the wheel where the tire liners go. This worked well as I could go forwards, backwards, or just stop rotating them and take a look before proceeding.

It seems like painting wheels would be very difficult, but once you do one or two wheels you will wonder why you were worried about painting them.

Hunter

 

[3.6rs]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I hesitate to post these photos because this is the most unprofessional get up imaginable, but this is how I sprayed my "new" spare wheel with a rattle can.
(. . . . ducks for cover!)

Simple, cheap and quick set up, but very effective !