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i have not been here to long but have seen quite a few threads with people asking about how to paint wheels or where to get them done so thought that maybe this might come in handy aswell as giving people the chance to save some money etc with most companys looking at silly money for wheel refurbs.
When it comes to painting wheels it seems most people are miss lead in to thinking they have to take all the old paint off and start all over again from the metal surface but this is not true in most cases
one good reason not to use a wire wheel on your wheels (its not impossible to get a good finish after but its just a lot of work)
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well ill start the refurb photos from the wheel being back down to the metal but im taking a wild guess and saying none of your wheels are going to be in as bad shape as the above and will start the write up from the old surface paint prep.
Stage One: - surface prep (if your starting from metal surface start from Stage Two)
If you have a wheel with some paint that is peeling off or kerb marks you can make them good with out all the hard work of taking the wheel back to the metal. if you have some paint that is peeling off the first thing to do is pick the lose edges off and then you can use some 320 grit paper to feather edges out. kerb marks can be filled with etheir a light weight car body filler or wheel filler depends on what you can get hold off but they are both just as good and should be finished off with 320 grit paper. If you have a good clean set of wheels and are just wanting to change the colour then you just need to use the 320 grit paper or some preping pads/automotive scotch-brite to remove the shine from the old paint surface
Stage Two: - cleaning and primer
once you have finished your surface prep use some alcohol wipes if you have some to remove any dust or grease from the surface.
For people just changing the colour of their wheels or for people who have just done some filler work and left the old paint surface there you just need to apply 2 or 3 coats of normal primer. Once the primer is dry apply a guide coat of black to help with the flatting back of the primer (will help you to be able to see when all the orange peel from the paint surface has gone aswell as the high spots). you can get paint in spray cans that is meant for guid coating only but its not cheap and a standard can of matt black will do the same job when sprayed from a distance to get the look of the photo below.
for people who started with a metal surface you will need to apply 2 layers of zinc primer or acid etch primer and then if you want to you can apply your normal over the top of that but you dont have. Once the primer is dry apply a guide coat of black to help with the flatting back of the primer (will help you to be able to see when all the orange peel from the paint surface has gone aswell as the high spots) . you can get paint in spray cans that is meant for guid coating only but its not cheap and a standard can of matt black will do the same job when sprayed from a distance to get the look of the photo below.
Zinc primer and Acid Etch primer eat into the metal surface giving you a good base to start with. both of the above primers dont like to go over old paint and can cause a reaction.
photo of wheel in primer and guide coat on (this is what your aiming to get with the guide coat)
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Stage 3: - making use of the guide coat and cleaning
People using Metallic or Pearl paint you will need to flat back your primer untill all the black guide coat has gone using 800 grit paper
people using a solid paint (non metallic) you will need to flat back your primer untill all the black guide coat has gone. using paper in the range of 500 grit to 800 grit
then use your alcohol wipes to clean the surface again
Stage 4: - apply your paint colour
most people i have seen paint apply to much colour to a wheel or the surface they are painting. you only need to apply enough paint so that the surface is the same shade of colour all over. most of the time 2 coats is enough for a non metallic colour and 3 for metallic but apply more if needed.
Stage 5: - Lacquer
when you come to putting your lacquer on you want to apply it in thin coats. apply 1 or 2 coats at a time allowing the first coat to go tacky before applying the second. the more lacquer you use the better its going to be but apply lacquer with out an oven takes a lot of time. i apply 6 or 7 coats of lacquer but you can apply more as it will give you the option at a later date if needed to compound them up and restore the look.
once your lacquer is dry its time to flat back to remove the orange peel which will give you a better shine and look than the spray can or spray gun finish. when flatting back the lacquer you have no need to use a guide coat as the lacquer that has been touched by the sandpaper will have no shine to it and the lacquer thats not been touched by the sandpaper will still have shine to it so you just need to flat back until the surface is dull. flat back using 1500 or 2000 grit wet and dry
stage 6: - compounding and polishing
if you choose to flat back your lacquer then you will need to use a compound in order to remove the sandpaper marks left from when you flatted the lacquer.
before polishing and sealing the wheels up your best to wait a day or two if you can for the paint to hardern and go off completely if you dont have time to wait then its not the end of the world as by now the paint should be hard enough to polish and seal up.
i think i have covered everything but any question feel free to ask.
a few photos of some of my work using the same info from the guide. so you should be able to get results like these im sure
these 2 photos were of the wheels that got the wire wheel treatment that i got left to sort out
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When it comes to painting wheels it seems most people are miss lead in to thinking they have to take all the old paint off and start all over again from the metal surface but this is not true in most cases
one good reason not to use a wire wheel on your wheels (its not impossible to get a good finish after but its just a lot of work)
well ill start the refurb photos from the wheel being back down to the metal but im taking a wild guess and saying none of your wheels are going to be in as bad shape as the above and will start the write up from the old surface paint prep.
Stage One: - surface prep (if your starting from metal surface start from Stage Two)
If you have a wheel with some paint that is peeling off or kerb marks you can make them good with out all the hard work of taking the wheel back to the metal. if you have some paint that is peeling off the first thing to do is pick the lose edges off and then you can use some 320 grit paper to feather edges out. kerb marks can be filled with etheir a light weight car body filler or wheel filler depends on what you can get hold off but they are both just as good and should be finished off with 320 grit paper. If you have a good clean set of wheels and are just wanting to change the colour then you just need to use the 320 grit paper or some preping pads/automotive scotch-brite to remove the shine from the old paint surface
Stage Two: - cleaning and primer
once you have finished your surface prep use some alcohol wipes if you have some to remove any dust or grease from the surface.
For people just changing the colour of their wheels or for people who have just done some filler work and left the old paint surface there you just need to apply 2 or 3 coats of normal primer. Once the primer is dry apply a guide coat of black to help with the flatting back of the primer (will help you to be able to see when all the orange peel from the paint surface has gone aswell as the high spots). you can get paint in spray cans that is meant for guid coating only but its not cheap and a standard can of matt black will do the same job when sprayed from a distance to get the look of the photo below.
for people who started with a metal surface you will need to apply 2 layers of zinc primer or acid etch primer and then if you want to you can apply your normal over the top of that but you dont have. Once the primer is dry apply a guide coat of black to help with the flatting back of the primer (will help you to be able to see when all the orange peel from the paint surface has gone aswell as the high spots) . you can get paint in spray cans that is meant for guid coating only but its not cheap and a standard can of matt black will do the same job when sprayed from a distance to get the look of the photo below.
Zinc primer and Acid Etch primer eat into the metal surface giving you a good base to start with. both of the above primers dont like to go over old paint and can cause a reaction.
photo of wheel in primer and guide coat on (this is what your aiming to get with the guide coat)
Stage 3: - making use of the guide coat and cleaning
People using Metallic or Pearl paint you will need to flat back your primer untill all the black guide coat has gone using 800 grit paper
people using a solid paint (non metallic) you will need to flat back your primer untill all the black guide coat has gone. using paper in the range of 500 grit to 800 grit
then use your alcohol wipes to clean the surface again
Stage 4: - apply your paint colour
most people i have seen paint apply to much colour to a wheel or the surface they are painting. you only need to apply enough paint so that the surface is the same shade of colour all over. most of the time 2 coats is enough for a non metallic colour and 3 for metallic but apply more if needed.
Stage 5: - Lacquer
when you come to putting your lacquer on you want to apply it in thin coats. apply 1 or 2 coats at a time allowing the first coat to go tacky before applying the second. the more lacquer you use the better its going to be but apply lacquer with out an oven takes a lot of time. i apply 6 or 7 coats of lacquer but you can apply more as it will give you the option at a later date if needed to compound them up and restore the look.
once your lacquer is dry its time to flat back to remove the orange peel which will give you a better shine and look than the spray can or spray gun finish. when flatting back the lacquer you have no need to use a guide coat as the lacquer that has been touched by the sandpaper will have no shine to it and the lacquer thats not been touched by the sandpaper will still have shine to it so you just need to flat back until the surface is dull. flat back using 1500 or 2000 grit wet and dry
stage 6: - compounding and polishing
if you choose to flat back your lacquer then you will need to use a compound in order to remove the sandpaper marks left from when you flatted the lacquer.
before polishing and sealing the wheels up your best to wait a day or two if you can for the paint to hardern and go off completely if you dont have time to wait then its not the end of the world as by now the paint should be hard enough to polish and seal up.
i think i have covered everything but any question feel free to ask.
a few photos of some of my work using the same info from the guide. so you should be able to get results like these im sure
these 2 photos were of the wheels that got the wire wheel treatment that i got left to sort out
