Appropriate Finish for Wheels

[themaces]

Our rebuilt wheels have just been delivered for our 1925 Chummy but I’m undecided on how best to finish them.  After they were last done - around 30 years ago - I just used Smoothrite but powder coating now appears to be recommended; however, notwithstanding it’s durability, I’m concerned this might look too plasticky.

Any thoughts, opinions and advice would be most welcome.

Chris

[Ian Williams]

Personally after refinishing numerous sets of wheels I agree that powder coating looks plasticky, my preference today is for 2K over a LOW build primer, that last point being important, I use a thin black primer. the 2K is extremely durable and finishes well, being chemically hardened you do not suffer dry spray like you do with solvent borne paints, the finish is not too thick which is the problem with powder coated wheels. A couple of further points, you can adjust the level of gloss which particularly helpful on a car where you are retaining a lot of originality, around 80% gloss works well in this respect. If your wheels are not in great condition and have a lot of rust pitting go for powder coating it may look plasticky but covers a multitude of sins which 2K will not.

[AustinWood]

What's 2K?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I have no experience of plastic coated wheels but have used powder coated ones for several decades now.

It is extremely durable, comes in a variety of finishes, colours and thickness. I can reccomend it as a very suitable coating.

[Ian Williams]

Two pack, in other words chemically hardened not solvent borne, you do not get the shrinkage or dry spray that you suffer with the latter, you must use the correct mask and cover your exposed skin, but with sensible precautions it is safe for home use. I find that it is best to use it on a warm day so the parts can be put in the sun to dry, otherwise you will need to close up the garage with a heater inside to speed the process.

[Duncan Grimmond]

In my experience powder coating is totally dependent on the preparation. I have had a range of quality varying from embarrassingly crap to top notch and variations in quality between half a dozen items in the same batch. If you choose powder coating go by recommendation, not price.
If you need to tighten up any spoke nipples you will damage the coating and allow water to get in which may be drawn in further by capillary action and rust away out of sight.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Very true Duncan, I have a very good and long established relationship with the guys I use. They do exactly what I ask them to and I know the price once it is completed to my satisfaction.

[Ian Williams]

Hmmm, it seems we may be discussing different finishes/products, the powder coating that I have encountered both in the UK and in NZ has been a plastic type material, it is softer than paint and prone to damage and peeling, stove enamelling, which I believe was the original finish, is different and extremely durable. Rory I trust and respect your opinion but as I have said the powder coating I have experienced has been a plasticky finish which neither looks right nor particularly durable, it is not a hard finish like paint or stoving. I should add that I have used four different companies over the years, all have been powder coaters not stove enamelers, and although some have been better than others all have the failings I describe. I wonder if you have been getting wheels stove enamelled rather than powder coated?

[Duncan Grimmond]

As a matter of interest, how were the wheels treated originally? Were they stove enamelled rims which were built onto painted drums with painted/plain spokes?
I might be tempted to have a good quality powder coated rim and then have them rebuilt onto painted or stoved drums with galvanized or painted spokes.
This is obviously too late for Chris, so perhaps red oxide primer and good quality black spray paint? At least with the old fashioned method you are in control and can re-paint if chipped.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I understand Ian, everyone has different experiences.

My own experience is that the wheels on all of our cars are powder coated, the cars are used well, as you know, and none have ever suffered peeling or another type of damage other than normal wear and tear. It is possible to achieve a less than gloss finish although almost every single one we have had done is high gloss.

The process we use is powder coating, not stove enamelling.

This one was done two weeks ago:


   

And this one in 1999. It has been used over 70000 miles since: