>Cool, thanks for the info. I may just go that route. I jsut wasn't sure
>how powder coating would work with alloy wheels seeing as they need to be
>electrically conductive in order to get the powder to stick to them prior
to
Umm, Eric? Aluminum alloy is an excellent conductor of electricity. :)
>baking. And speaking of baking I also wonder if that would affect the
>integrity of the aluminum wheels. At what temperature do they normally
>bake/cure powder coated items?
The temperature and duration at temperature for baking the powder coating
is considerably below that where I'd even start worrying about
metallurgical changes to the base metal. Keep in mind that powdercoating
is becoming increasingly common at the OEM level because it's tough/chip
resistant, economical, and ecologically sound (no solvents, any powder
overspray is collected, filtered, and reused). OEMs are powdercoating
major structural parts (like frames) and yes, road wheels.
>I also may see if my friend Mike has a bead blaster that I could utilize
to
>prep the surface once I degrease them. I'll probably just use the local
>power wash and lots of quarters to degrease them after I cut the junk
tires
>off of them.
I don't know if I'd hit alloy wheels with anything stronger than, say,
baking soda from a blast gun. Beading, even walnut shells could really do
a number on the metal's surface finish, requiring polishing before
re-coating.
Jim Crider
|