For those who want the look of a typical 40s translucent cast wheel, here's how I do it. Some knowledge and a lil painting talent helps, and to keep it short we'll assume that we have a ready to paint steering wheel. I repair all types of wheels with JB KWIK brand epoxy and have em out there over 16 years old without fail. To prime and paint I use a broom stick through the center hole and in this case the milk crate on the back side of the table was there for balance. Hey, it worked for me! So, on with the painted/"cast" wheel: This one's a "banjo" style Packard steering wheel. I started with a white base... after the white I applied 2 coats of PPG white pearl. Don't overdo this portion or you'll get a "metallic" wheel... I mixed up a "candy" or transparent brown mid-coat using PPG Midas Gold and a transparent black to get a rich tone... once applied it begins to come around... don't forget to slowly spin the wheel and coat it evenly on both sides... the mid coat dries darker so a lil extra time between coats will net the final look. I waited 15-20 mins between the last 2 coats for the final look... Some dos and dont's... Don't overdo the pearl, and don't mix the pearl in the mid coat. Don't forget to slowly spin the wheel as you coat both sides. Do start from the back side of the "finger grip" area with all steps. Do mix the mid coat in the clear coat if desired for a more natural look. Do give the final coat plenty of dry time as they tend to darken once fully flashed out. Don't panic if the finger grip area looks light and dark in places...it's supposed to. So that's it. Actually very simple if you take your time and don't get greedy. The candy coat tricks the eyes into seeing that translucent plastic look over the white pearl. Gold pearl looks good too.This works really well in most any color. In restoration we do mostly these ivory, or "bone" colored wheels, but I have done a blue in a Mopar muscle car with equal success. I think some imagination may bring about the red lucite look from the early Lincoln Continentals but I'm not there yet. I had some pretty seasoned collectors look it over recently and they couldn't tell what was done. One ol guy thought we got luck and got an NOS wheel. Good luck with this. If you want that look, this is it for low$$$.
You're my hero for the day! Ragdoll and I have mad plans to begin playing with wheels for an arts and crafts day. =]
Hero of the day? Hell. Hero of the month. Thanks for the tech. I hope you don't mind me asking questions if I have any when we attempt this ourselves. Great Tech!
No sweat. Ask away when you're ready. That's what we do here, right? This works really well and some of these wheels are up around $500-$600 re-cast. Some even more. This one was a re-cast and had cracked around the spokes. I found that under the breaks the company didn't etch or grind on the stainless for adhesion. It was doomed from the start! Good luck and post it when you get it done.
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