stove enamelling
 

ok ive got my wheels can anyone recommend anywhere in the south east/london area to get them stove enamelled?

iwould not get them stove enamelled get them powder coated i had mine done for £30 each at aplace near bovingdon just off the a41

That is completely contrary to what I was advised (the place in question could do either). I have a set old steels that I have had powdercoated, and another that were stove enamelled & lacquered, and the finish on the later is much higher quality and proven itself to be far longer lasting. The powdercoated wheels are on a car that is barely used, whereas the stove enamelled ones are on my everyday car.

im with 222s on this one, i had a set of wheels stoved 20 years ago and they still look great! powder coating will look good but can peel away and crack.
So for me stoving is still the best. the place i had them done before is now gone :(

Bummer!

Just had the rims for the freeebie Amazon powder coated.
They have been lacquered as well by the same company.
Hopefully this will be adequate enough to last a few years.
Perhaps I'll stick another coat on there to guard against stone chipping...

Hi - I looked-up stove enamelling 'cause I wasn't sure what it was. It is paint, which is specially hardened at 120 degrees (special paint?). Well, I stumbled across a site which seems to favour powder-coating. , stating it is more durable, if less able to acheive a glossy finish. That is what I would have thought, but basically only because I know of many people who have wanted to do it up right, and powder-coated.

So, what about that??

James

Powder coat companies will argue that their finish is the best but there probably isn't much in it. Wheels have a pretty tough time so being able to touch up the odd scrape and chip is useful. Kerbs, tyre fitters, and popping off the hub caps or early type trim rings, especially, can take their toll. A clear top coat, if painted also makes things more difficult. Generally "our" wheel rims are getting a bit past it and most will have some rusting beteen the centre and the rim. This is very difficult to remove, even with a better than average blasting. Paint will tend to get into this join better than powdercoat I think. If your wheels are done at the local paint shop, a good coat of 2 pack primer put through the oven with the temp well up and followed by the colour of choice, should give a very durable finish.
Obviously the best time to do it is when fitting a set of new tyres. Get your tyre man to take off the old ones and give you back the rims. Spend a bit of time with a file (hammer!) making the edges as smooth as possible and if you can clean out the centre to rim join with an old wood chisel thats good too because the blaster won't do this. Check them over again after blasting and fix any remaining flaws before they go for painting.
The above also true if they go for powder coating. Make sure they do a primer coat first. If the price is cheap that might not be included and durability/finish will be compromised.
Quite a few years ago I had a set of Amazon wheels powder coated by a decidedly low tech company. I'm sure they weren't primed and the coating between the centre and rim was full of bubbles. I was told it was due to the rust. Fair enough. I soaked the joint inside and out with waxoyl, wiped of the outside after fitting and the wheels did last well, helped by the Volvo GT type full trims. I think I'll stick with ordinary paint. It maybe a bit softer than stoving or powdercoat but easy to get done anywhere.

I was going to attach the link, but you may be right, meaning the ability to do fix-ups. Another plus I saw was the ability to match paint colours.

Yeah, what a pain - the rust issue. I sandblasted my set of spare rims (using the chrome wirewheels), then tried to get the rust out of the gap between the center section and the outer one. I even repeatedly treated it with Metal Ready (phosphate iron oxide conversion). They just sat beside the garage with a garbage can lid on top for the summer, and when I checked them 3 months later the rust was back. Pretty hard to see, but it is there.

So, powder coat may be more durable, but not bulletproof, and then it is impossible to fix?

Guys;

If paint or PC is the better finish is arguable to no end...what is not is the preparation under each just as with bodywork...mediablasted is always the best as it completely removes old paint (which may not be holding on so good having been undermined by rust, or just have a poor adhesion with the primer)and it leaves a toothy surface ideally suited to holding on to the new coating...BUT, the blasting process also exposes new metal on the surface just looking to react, so it is important to neutralize the surface before applying the new coatings...a phosphate wash will do this...self-etching primer saves this step...there's many variables...all which need to be considered and addressed if you want a coating which will last...

Cheers from Connecticut!

Self-Etching Primer: I believe that stuff will cause you to grow three heads, won't it?? :err:

I used it on the undercarriage of my car before coating with truck-bed liner, but used supplied-air, as no filters can get that stuff (zinc-chromate, I believe).

I'm so fed-up after my previous efforts, which were exhaustive (EXCEPT I think the shop was a little cold when I painted them). I'd like to hear from guys who have powder-coated their rims - I know it is cheaper than having them sprayed, and if you only want silver.... do they last? What-about on gravel roads? Right-now, living in NY I can get-along fine with just one set of rims (no snow-tires needed), but if I end-up using those spare rims, I'm not going to tolerate any rust.