Powdercoating Rims

[zsiska]

I am getting ready to take some rims to get quotes to have them powdercoated.  I am planning on leaving the old bearings in to keep from getting the coating in and making it hard to get bearings back in.  When getting them coated, do I get the part under the tire done also or will that affect the tires ability to seal to the rim?

Thanks

[Roadhound]

When I had mine coated, they wanted all bearings and seals removed. They masked off all areas where the bearings go and then coated all of the wheel in and out.

[jim snyder]

I removed the bearings from mine when I had them powdercoated. Like the other poster said they
will mask all areas that need to be protected, but tell them up front just in case because powder
coating is very hard to remove. And yes have the inside of the wheel coated. It will make a smooth
surface that will improve tire to rim seal.

[Centex]

Removing bearings is not optional when powdercoating.

The heating / cure process will cause grease & contaminants to flow out of the bearings and ruin the job.

Bearing surfaces, rotor (and sprocket) mounting surfaces and threaded holes for rotor (and sprocket) bolts must all be 'masked' with tape or plastic plugs made for the purpose to withstand the heat of cure.  Competent coaters only trust their own work and materials for these mask areas to ensure proper results, you can't save money doing it yourself.

[zsiska]

Removing bearings is not optional when powdercoating.

The heating / cure process will cause grease & contaminants to flow out of the bearings and ruin the job.

Bearing surfaces, rotor (and sprocket) mounting surfaces and threaded holes for rotor (and sprocket) bolts must all be 'masked' with tape or plastic plugs made for the purpose to withstand the heat of cure.  Competent coaters only trust their own work and materials for these mask areas to ensure proper results, you can't save money doing it yourself.

Good point.  Didn't think about the grease running out of the bearing during the baking process.

[jim snyder]

Good point.  Didn't think about the grease running out of the bearing during the baking process.

Now your next big decision is what color to choose.

[zsiska]

Now your next big decision is what color to choose.

Already figured it out.  Sort of.  I was going to change the entire color, but it will be easier to stick with black and red and then I don't have to paint all the plastic. 

I am thinking maybe black rims with red flecks in it (if it is available).  The rotors will all be red and probably the calipers also.  The forks probably red.  And probably some red covers on the motor somewhere.  But I am not 100% sure exactly what will get done and what won't.  I need to sit and stare at the bike and all the seperate components for a while.  And then I might ceramic coat the headers also. 

[Centex]

Suggest you will be best served by choosing the shop you want to do the work as your next step.  Then work with them to find colors available in the powder brand(s) they like to use.

Powder isn't like wet paint - they can't mix a color to your spec (unless you want to pay an extraordinary fee) - you'll be presented with finite number of color samples to select from.  There's usually lots more than one "black" and lots more than one "red", and frequently there's a range of 'gloss' factors for each color.

Final selection should be made from actual PC samples, thin aluminum 'coupons' with the actual finish color and gloss you choose.  These are like carpet swatches in the PC industry - if the shop only shows you paper catalog 'color chips' for final selection, your alarms should go off.  The gloss factor can hugely affect the way the color looks so be sure you are looking at exactly what you will get on your final product.

Two-tone PC is tricky, often involving partial curing and/or hand teasing of edges.  If you go that route I strongly suggest you require the coater to show you a test with the specific colors you want; bleed-thru and fuzzy-edges between colors can easily happen and you don't want to be surprised in a bad way with the resuling effect   

Paying for a test may be required but if you want anything that is out of the ordinary (single color per piece) you need to pay for the special service   

Many reputable shops that do very good monotone coating simply won't consider two-tone at all because the results are too unpredictable and labor intensive.  Those that will undertake it treat it as a premium service with a cost structure that reflects the effort and risk   

Think about the process of spraying a fine powder on a static-charged surface then melting the stuff so it flows together.  By definition the cure involves the powder flowing.  Now imagine how to do that twice without things blending or beeding in some way ..... you can start to see the challenges in doing two-tone PC with crisp edges between colors    .

Unfortunately there's lots of newbies in the PC biz that 'sell' beyond what they can actually deliver.   Look for a shop that's been in biz for awhile, and if you ask for anything other than monotone, demand a sample of the finished effect (and be willing to pay for it).

Good luck! 

[ZG]

Already figured it out.  Sort of.  I was going to change the entire color, but it will be easier to stick with black and red and then I don't have to paint all the plastic. 

I am thinking maybe black rims with red flecks in it (if it is available).  The rotors will all be red and probably the calipers also.  The forks probably red.  And probably some red covers on the motor somewhere.  But I am not 100% sure exactly what will get done and what won't.  I need to sit and stare at the bike and all the seperate components for a while.  And then I might ceramic coat the headers also.

Black powder coated wheels look awesome Z!! 
 
I just did mine a couple months ago and am very pleased with the results! 
 

 

[Daytona_Mike]

WOW! That sure is one good looking bike. Is that a corbin seat and AreaP's I see?

[ZG]

WOW! That sure is one good looking bike. Is that a corbin seat and AreaP's I see?

Thanks Mike! Yes it's a Corbin seat, exhaust is a dual Muzzys system.

[zsiska]

Black powder coated wheels look awesome Z!! 
 
I just did mine a couple months ago and am very pleased with the results! 
 

 

Black does look great.  Well I think I liked that enough that my decision was just made.  All black rims, fork legs, and calipers.  Then red rotors to add a little color contrast and match the red striping on the tank and plastics.