Painting the Wheels

wi0v

wi0v

Senior Member
I am just starting and have sand blasted the wheels in my new blaster cabinet. Now I have to paint them. Have been putting on heavy primer to fill the pits, and that is working fine.

Now I am ready to put on the color but can't seem to get the gun to paint behind the long spokes near the center of the hub. I am using a small touch up gun and it will not spray around the corner. How did you guys do it?
 
I used a spray gun at my friends body shop in a paint booth and kept rolling the wheel on a long thin table so you can shoot both sides. It takes time and pray for no runs.
 
You should take the time to build a painting jig that allows you to mount the wheel on a hub that you can spin by hand, or better year powered by an electric motor. Painting the back side of the spokes first works best for me, than paint he front, and rim last. Keep watching for runs, if you see one sometimes you can get it to roll back if it is on a hub fixture.
 
I built a rotating device using a surplus 15 rpm motor hooked by a belt to an old sickle grinder. With this device you can only paint one wheel at a time, but you can really pour the paint to it and keep checking for coverage. I let it run until the wheel is dry.
 
The simplist way is to run a pipe through the wheels and put the pipe netween two saw-horses. You can turn them, by hand, as you need to.
MIKE :)
 
You really need to spin the wheel while painting. I built a wheel spinner out of an old brake drum for the base, some 2" pipe an old spindle & hub and some other misc fittings. I paint the inside of the wheel where the tube goes first then the back side and finish with the front. If you catch a run early you can usually blow it out with air while your spinning the wheel. It's not as difficult a task with the right equipment. I also use a normal spray gun with a large pattern.
 
Howsoever you decide to do it, construct yer apparatus at chest level so you can see what you are doing and are not bent over constantly.
 
I paint them flat on a wire cage, backs and inside rim first till I am happy. Let that flash off and turn them face up and do the fronts, let that flash and then stand them and roll them to make sure the hub area is well coated adding if necessary. spray the spokes from many angles and you will get good coverage.
 
FL&WVMIKE said:
The simplist way is to run a pipe through the wheels and put the pipe netween two saw-horses. You can turn them, by hand, as you need to.
MIKE :)
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This is exactly how I have done it for years. To get the rear of the long spoke I put it in round spray and go in from the rear and catch the rear of the spoke. it works well but will take some practice. Sometimes you load the hub area if not very careful. I rotate by hand so I am in control.
Ken:D
 
Lots of good advice and suggestions, so now all that is left is for me to go do it. Thanks,
 
I just finished mine hang a them from a hook and the spray booth off a peice of wire with a knot thoug the valve stem hole then you can spin them round and get all egdes nice and clearley if you set it up on a pipe or bolt it to an old hub on a pipe there will be ares that you cant get the most difficult thing is getting behind the long spokes in the front use high presure and high Volum with a wide fan and keep your gun moving.
 
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