I have two steel wheels I'm thinking of using on a project that I'd like to powdercoat. Both have some surface rust which I'm sure will result in pitting. Does powdercoating help fill small pits any better than paint?
Most places blast them before they coat them.If its surface rust that shouldn't be a problem if you can get them sand blasted.
As far as I know they all do that but if there are pits in the metal the powdercoating won't fill and smooth them over, they will show up in the finished product. I have a set of 32 Chev 18 inchers headed for the powder coater now and am afraid that they won't be as slick as I would like them to be.
i have seen running boards that were powdercoated over rust pits and you could see them really easy, they had a flat black textured surface and it still really showed, i have heard of fillers you can use that stand up to the heat.
I have wheels that I have to do down the road and talked to alot of people about paint vs. powdercoating and I've been told by many that the powdercoating can chip off when removing hubcaps, etc...so you might just want to stick with paint.
Lead (or bondo) and primer work fine under paint....but they might be to traditional for you to use on your project.
fat50 is right, Allmetal filler is what to use. I worked in a powder shop for a few years back in the day, works like a charm. It was the only thing we found that would stand up to the heat of the curing process.
If you want to get a pit-free finish, you can fill the pits after blasting with the regular JB Weld. Not the JB Quick (only good to 300 degrees). The regular is good to 600 degrees and holds up fine.
like paint, the powder will show whats underneath. there are high build primers that flow out well & fill pits which can then be sanded to give a smooth shape for the final color coat to be applied. powder coating was invented in 1953... therefor traditional
have them blasted (powder coater should be able to do this) then while making sure to keep them clean from any grease or contaminates (ie: wear latex gloves) use jb weld or allmetal to fill any imperfections. The thing about these 2 products is 1) they can withstand the baking process, 2) they can conduct the static electricity needed for the powder to stick to the part. Most powder coat shops are familiar with JB weld, some say they have never tried all metal but it works good. also remember to let the fillers fully cure before having them coated.
I have read that both the Allmetal and regular JB weld will work to fill defects and hold up fine. I remember something about running it through a heat cycle first though ?
I just had rims coated, one had some bad pitting - I used a small die grinder with 2" sanding disc to level off the pits in the worst areas, then followed it with Scotchbrite 2" pads. Finished rim looks great, the powder filled in the minor pits that were left.
My powdercoater told me to use JB Weld for stuff like that , I think powder does hide stuff a little better .
Take a look at Steelaloy product. It will fill the pits and at temps used in powder coating it will work great! Not super cheap, but a half pound will go a long way! http://www.alumaloy.net/frames/steelaloy1.htm
Depends on how much powdercoat they apply. With several coats it might, depends on the depth of the pits.
Powder coating tends to smooth out imperfections more than paint, but that varies with how heavily it is applied. Applied in appropriate thickness it will not hide anything more then the smallest irregularities. With adequate surface preparation a high-temp epoxy can serve as a filler for powder coat. But.... the epoxy can fail, especially when applied over more than a very small area. For anything more than small imperfections and pinholes it's best to metal finish the area smooth rather than filling it. Where metal finishing alone isn't appropriate, building up with brazing or welding may be needed. Some powder coaters skimp on surface preparation. The surface should be media blasted or left tough ground. Just prior to coating the part should be thoroughly cleaned. At a minimum, cleaning should be done with a strong solvent. Some powder coaters have cleaning and/or etching tanks.
I would be upset if I was having a million dollar car built and they started with pitted wheels. I'm just saying.
I use a product called "High Temp Lab Metal " and it holds up to the 400 degree powder coater ovens etc.... Good stuff....sands like metal........
PM my man Tim and ask him. . .I seem to recall him using JB Weld on an OT project but my memory is foggy at best! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/member.php?u=13883
We run a powder coat shop and do a lot of rims. Steel rims that are pitted we dont even mess with fillers, we use a high build primer powder coat first sand if needed before final coat and lay down 2-3 coats of finish powder coat, been doing this process for years without fail!
Id love to hear from more who may have experience with "high build primer powdercoat" whats it like to paint over?
I had a lot of areas on my project where I did use a small amount of JB weld and came out great . I just had a set of wheels 16x4 done with small pit areas and you cannot tell they were there after the powder coating was done. Frenchy
One of the higher end shops that I worked for (they are Alliance members and might have sold Ryan a car) had a '32 frame powdercoated. It came back with all of the pits showing. Sanded it filled it with glaze, finished it to a really high quality. Painted it. Looked so good. I would imagine you could do the same to the wheels.
I have some chromed bumpers that have pretty bad pits that I would like to get powdercoated, any idea on what the process would be for them? Can you sandblast the chrome off or do I have to go to a chromer and have the chrome/copper electrolytically removed?
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