Making aluminum look like magnesium??? [Archive]

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Kerry

01-19-2004, 11:31 PM

Root helped me treat the magnesium wheels and they came out absolutely gorgous. Thanks Root!!!!

The shiny aluminum will look wrong with them. What's a good, durable paint to use on my aluminum five spokes (front) that'll match magnesium (rear)? Is there any other solution other than paint?

old beet

01-19-2004, 11:41 PM

Spray with wheel cleaner that says not for alum wheels, and don't rinse it off..........OLDBEET

Unkl Ian

01-20-2004, 12:06 AM

Did you use the proper Fancy Chemical Shit(tm) for the Magnesium wheels ?
Alodine ? Is that the name?
It should work on Aluminum too.But you won't get a 100% match cause the base color is different.
Test it on something else first,just make sure there is no clear Lacquer on the Aluminum.

cheaterslick

01-20-2004, 12:32 AM

Bury em in the garden for six months.

dadseh

01-20-2004, 04:52 AM

Would it be to obvious to paint all four wheels the same??
DADSEH

Phil1934

01-20-2004, 05:28 AM

Long ago I had bought an amplifier with crud encrusted aluminum knobs. I tossed them in a cup of bleach and it was foaming away. Then it hit me it was eating them! It left them with a nice gray finish, though.

Kerry

01-20-2004, 08:59 AM

The magnesium wheels were treated with a Dow7 process. I've heard about Alodine but was informed that it wouldn't give me the right color. I'm not going to paint the mags. They look to good now.

Deuce Rails

01-20-2004, 09:13 AM

You could get a great color match by anodizing the aluminum wheels. Find a good anodizer and he can match virtually any color.

Fat Hack

01-20-2004, 09:19 AM

Or powder coating, perhaps. Lots of metal colors available???

k-member

01-20-2004, 01:42 PM

Please explain the "Dow 7 process". I like that goldish look on the magnesium wheel.

Kerry

01-20-2004, 09:13 PM

Here's a description of the DOW7 process plagerized straight from Roothawg.

"See, Magnesium can't be treated with say alodine. It will turn black. There is a coating I mixed up to put on my wheels. It was a conversion coating...industrial name is dow7 treatment. It's a mixture of Calcium Sulfate and Chromic acid. 1 ounce per gallon of each. Leave it in for the color desired. The longer you leave it the darker it gets. "