How to paint wheels?

[andrewclaycomb]

Could somebody do a write up for me? I've got a second set of wheels that need to be cleaned up but are functionally perfect. And after this summer I will want new tires, so I saw this as an opportunity to clean this second set of wheels up and paint them. I'm thinking about doing a red "lip" and gloss black everywhere else on the wheel. Any advice on the process?

[Agemax]

find your nearest powder coating company mate. painting them is a waste of time as it wont last a good summer before they need doing again

[Tom MLC]

I did these. I have some close-ups somewhere. I'll try to find 'em



They came from an '82 or '83 GS1100. Before putting them on this '78 I decided to paint 'em red. Procedurally, I used scotchbrite & paint thinner to clean all the road grime off. I did not try to remove the clearcoat. Then I just patiently masked everything off.

Paint was standard rattle can enamel from the hardware store. I did a couple of coats, with curing time in my wifes oven in between (caught some hell for that!). No clear coat over the top. I wasn't sure how durable the paint job would be. But after 1 year, lots of road time, and many wash jobs, I don't see any defects.

BTW, I don't use any harsh chemicals such as wheelbrite or stuff like that. I clean the wheels with hand cleaner goo and my fingers.

This was really a low-budget experiment that turned out well for me. I'll try to find the close-ups. They're prolly on my computer at home.

[posplayr]

Tom

If those are GS1100 wheels then they are 83 wheels v.s. 82. The 82 GS1100 still had the older style star crossed pattern. That is probably the main way to tell the 82 v.s .83 1100.

If I do mone it will likely be with Por-15 black and clear coat but not in the immediate future.

Posplayr

I have both kinds of wheels on my two bikes but prefer the 83 wheels.

[renobruce]

I used paint stripper on both the painted portion and bare aluminum portion of the wheel. Then I polished the outer rim and spokes. The portion to be painted was then thoroughly cleaned with MEK, masked, etched primed, then painted with engine enamel. so far they are holding up excellent.

[posplayr]

Nice

again, you keep pushing the bar up so high .

So what did you use to polish the wheels?
Did you then clear coat them?
I assume you did the work with the old tires mounted.

Inquiring minds want to know?

Posplayr

[srsupertrap]

Instead of using engine enamel I would highly recommend the special order VHT Wheel paint. Its expensive but just like their header paint it lasts.

http://www.caswellplating.com/vht/vht_spec.htm

[renobruce]

again, you keep pushing the bar up so high .

So what did you use to polish the wheels?
Did you then clear coat them?
I assume you did the work with the old tires mounted.

Inquiring minds want to know?

Posplayr

The wheels I polished like the rest of the stuff... sanded progressively up to 2000 grit and polished with Mother's with a buff on a drill. It took a while to get the machining marks of the rims and spokes!

I did not clear coat them. I polish them by hand once in a while and they still look great.

And yes, I did the work while they were mounted with the old tires.

I am not trying to show a high standard for my work. In fact, anything and everything I have done to my bike can easily be duplicated by anyone. I'm not saying that it wasn't alot of work, but most everything was done with common tools and products, and done at a reasonable cost. If you can afford to do the labor yourself, you can have nice looking results at a low cost. :-D

[renobruce]

Instead of using engine enamel I would highly recommend the special order VHT Wheel paint. Its expensive but just like their header paint it lasts.

http://www.caswellplating.com/vht/vht_spec.htm

I'm sure there are better paints to use than I did. I just happened to have the gloss black paint left over from painting my project engine. So far I have no complaints. It still shines up nice and has not flaked at all. I figured if the paint was durable enough for an engine, it should hold up well on a wheel.

But keep in mind that I don't drive my bikes every day, use them as commuters, or ride in bad weather. My bikes are toys. So if you ride alot or in bad conditions, or are near salt water, you may want to use a better paint or get them powder coated.

[Steven Conlan]

Paint Over Rust

posplayr - you mentioned going to use Por - 15. I have seen the results of using Por products and I am about to order a kit for a car engine I am rebuilding. Have you used thier products often and can you give me your opinion on its quality? Just like to hear opinions before buying. Thanks

[Tom MLC]

Found my pics. Before I show 'em to you, I must say I had my doubts about the outcome. I heard many opinions from lots of folks here that had me setting low expectations.

I did not powder coat. I did not use special paint. I did not prep like Bruce. I know he's a polish freak. Bruce is my best GSR buddy, and he knows I totally admire his efforts & results. I didn't want to do any of that. Frankly, I wanted to see what the results would be if I went totally low budget & low labor. Then I could let everyone know how right they were.

Yet with all the advice going against me, I did it anyway. Maybe that's the Irish in me. Once again, preped with paint thinner & scotchbrite. Painted with rattle can enamel and low heat curing. So far I am not disappointed with the results. You must decide on your own if the effort is worth it.

Here's a few in process close-ups.

[renobruce]

I'm not a Polish freak, I'm Scottish freak. :-D

[Tom MLC]

I'm not a Polish freak, I'm Scottish freak. :-D

With a name like Bruce? How original!

[Steve]

How to paint the wheels?

First, you get the kid to use the wire wheel to clean them up.


Gotta use a smaller brush to get into the corners.


Fully-prepped wheel looks like this:


I then started polishing the rim to make clean-up easier.

[Steve]

I did not get a pictue of the masking before painting. I only masked the inner surface of the rim, and tried not to paint past it.


I let the paint dry overnight, then used a single-edge razor to scrape the paint away from the sides of the spokes.


Here is a closer shot of scraping the edge.


The bike is still pretty much in pieces, waiting for parts to come in, so I don't have any decent pictures of the completed wheels.


.