painting wheels

[German guy]

Any suggestions regarding powder coating wheels rather than painting? Seems that powder coating tends to chip more while paint may be a bit more elastic. On the other hand paint looks a bit less uniform. Does powder coating tend to spider web due to stress at the lug nuts? I am planning to do one or the other over the winter layup season.

 

[ronn]

all depends on what you want. painting is easier and easily changed. powder coating is more expensive and needs to be cleaned 110% properly or you get the chips.

Ive only painted and happy with the results.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Any suggestions regarding powder coating wheels rather than painting? Seems that powder coating tends to chip more while paint may be a bit more elastic. On the other hand paint looks a bit less uniform. Does powder coating tend to spider web due to stress at the lug nuts? I am planning to do one or the other over the winter layup season.

Powderpainting is a way to coat an object at less costs. You pay for what you get. Powderpaint does not chip any easier than sprayed paint, ...and visa-versa. It is the Mil thickness and the adhesion of the product that dictates that.

An experienced painter that has gun control can make the surface finish very uniform. Wheels are typically very labor intensive to restore due to pitting that should be repaired. So it really boils down to what YOUR expectations and goals are.

 

[Y-Blockhead]

Powderpaint does not chip any easier than sprayed paint, ...and visa-versa.

This is true. The difference in my experience is chipped paint is easier to repair than chipping powder coating. Once powder coat is chipped, it seems to "lift" around the chip, coming off in bigger chunks.

I'm not a fan of powder coating.

 

[The Art Doctor]

Powder, since it goes on with electrostatic attraction, has the ability to deposit in areas where a line of sight spray could never go evenly. Its a great way to do wire wheels and not have dry spots and skips.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Powder, since it goes on with electrostatic attraction, has the ability to deposit in areas where a line of sight spray could never go evenly. Its a great way to do wire wheels and not have dry spots and skips.

This has not been our experiences. Too much affects this such as the amperage of the gun, the distance the gun is held from the area needing to be coated, the size mass of the object you are coating, the distance between the application area to the negative ground, etc. Yes, it may be attract the powder statically in one area very well but in another area, it will have a very weak ground field to attract the powder to.

Fifteen to twenty years ago when the fad of Powdercoating was the rage in the restoration world, -and because everyone wanted it, I invested in an oven and guns where we started powderpainting the chassis pieces in-house using Tiger-Drylac powders. As I go back and look at vehicles we restored during that time and compare it to vehicles where we used PPG Concept paint, the longevity, color fastness, and overall appearance is night & day between how the Concept still looks good and the powderpainted pieces look 'tired'. Powderpaint was never intended to be anything more than a quick industrial coating process designed to be eco friendly in the manufacturing world.