Ok, So I'm finally getting around to getting the rims on the Fat Bob powder coated but I have got a few questions and have gotten some conflicting info from a few different shops.

1. What type of Powder coat should be used on the aluminum rims for best durability, chemical resistance as well as color and gloss hold out?
Polyester?... Epoxy? etc.......need specific info on this.

2.One shop is telling me you must media blast before coating, another says that blasting the cast aluminum rims is a bad idea because it can warp the wheels if not dome carefully and recommend hand prepping with a solvent wash and scotchbrite......who is correct?

 

Bump.......would this do better in a different section of the forum?

 

ALWAYS BLAST no questions asked! sounds like your coaters are not sure what they are doing... besides there is a clear coat you have to remove first, we use a chemical strip for that then bast then lay powder

 

Actually there is no clear coat on the Fat Bob rims, that's why they are pitting and look like ***.

 

all the ones that i have had in the shop had a clear on it... when we outgassed them a yellowing created on all of them (very common for clears)... we then blast it off... i have been told it is just a sealant... but either way we still blast them and remove it.

 

Any recommendation on the specific type of powder to use?

Going for a black Anodized but I want to make sure the shop is using the correct type for the application as well.
I know more than the average bear about paints and finishing but not so much about powder.

 

There is no powder we have seen that gives a black anodized look in a single stage form. Any powders that duplicate anodized colors are always topcoats/translucents..need to be shot either over polished aluminum, chrome, or a chrome powder basecoat.

TGIC/poly is your most common resin makeup and is fine. epoxy powders are not UV resistant, but have higher chem resistance..they are more for indoor industrial type use.

bro to be honest, if these guys can't answer these questions for you, you are working with the wrong people..send the wheels to us and they will be done 100% right...stripped, blasted, and coated..

 

Thanks for the offer but I'm a ways from Chicago....

I have not picked a local shop yet, thats what I'm doing here trying to narrow it down.

 

Pack them up and ship them, we have regular customers 2-3K miles from our shop.

I'll say no more, I promise..but shipping the parts to an expert is far better than giving them to someone that's questionable just to stay local

If you need anything else answered, happy to help.