Wheel respray DIY

[Mrk_Mickey]

Hey lads :)
I've been contemplating respraying my wheels for quite some time now. Seeing as I finally kicked the mini project off and bought some paint during the week, I thought I would make this thread documenting all the steps I will take to do it so it could be of use to others :).

This thread is basically going to show you how to respray wheels by first paint stripping them down to bare metal, and then using 2pac paints (primer, colour and clear) and body filler to get a (close to;)) perfect finish.

I hated the colour of my wheels because they weren't metallic and lacked a lot of shine..so after trying to get a shadow-chrome like paint and being unsuccessful, I decided on the Audi colour ''Atlas Grey''. Bought it at VG auto's for $38:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/07/Image0131-1.jpg
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/07/Image0181-1.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

This is what my wheels looked like:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/07/IMG_0784-1.jpg

Here's last night's work:
Firstly, have the wheel mildly clean (thanks Dan ;)) so the paint stripper can get right to work on the surface
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0443-1.jpg

Paint stripper is available at hardware stores and auto stores, usually around $40-50 per 4ltr tin. You tend to go through a fair bit (average about 600-800ml per wheel depending on design) so tell your wallet to be generous!

Grab an old can to pour the stripper into (fruit tins ftw) and a paint brush, and apply the paint stripper VERY generously (you're not even painting it on, more patting it on so it creates a ~3mm thick coat over everything). Give the whole wheel a nice coat and make sure to get into every little nook and cranny because it only works if there's lots there. Remember all your safety stuff: crappy clothing (long sleeves/covered clothes are best, cos this stuff stings your skin), gloves, mask (definitely if you're in a poorly ventilated area)
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0444-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0445-1.jpg

Do all of the wheels and let them sit for about 10 minutes or so
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0446-1.jpg

After this, the paint will literally have bubbled off the alloy surface. It looks pretty gross, but pretty cool:D Here's what it should look like after soaking in a bit:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0447-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0448-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0449-1.jpg

The best way to clean it off is to agitate the paint with a wire brush/wool pad (remember your gloves!) and hose it off with a karcher or similar. Unfortunately it was too late to use the karcher last night so we only had normal hose pressure. They were also left a little TOO long, as the paint started to stick back onto the alloy again. Here's the result of the first strip:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0450-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0451-1.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0453-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0454-1.jpg

We stripped them again and got about 85-90% of it off, but that was all for last night. Tomorrow morning we're going to finish stripping the wheels, and prep them for primer. Wheels should be primed and ready for colour by tomorrow arvo :)

[Silver dub]

looking good mate can't wait to see more pics, keep us posted

[Treza360]

Good to see you're still getting in there mickey with the hands on stuff.
What about the paint that's still under the wheel balance weight there?
Cheers,
Trent

[Dubdubdubdot]

Stuff the paint. Polish the alloy and clear coat.:)

As much as I would like to see them go black, the colour you've got, it's gunna look ACE!:bowdown:

[No457 Snowy]

Great idea and good job so far mate!

Those wheels look great on your car BTW, I can tell they will look even better once you've completed this project.

What gear are you using to actually paint the wheels?

Just remember to take your time and spend plenty of time taking care of the details (like Trent pointed out with the wheel weight), the end result will largely be determined by the steps you are performing now (preparation).

Looking forward to the rest of the thread, this is the kind of stuff that really makes a forum valuable and interesting :drinkbeer:


Snowy :)

[Mrk_Mickey]

Good to see you're still getting in there mickey with the hands on stuff.
What about the paint that's still under the wheel balance weight there?
Cheers,
Trent
Cheers dude, having good fun doing this. Looks like this is just a start to lots more involved DIY in the future, too. Wheel balances were taken off today, I forgot them before haha.


Great idea and good job so far mate!

Those wheels look great on your car BTW, I can tell they will look even better once you've completed this project.

What gear are you using to actually paint the wheels?

Just remember to take your time and spend plenty of time taking care of the details (like Trent pointed out with the wheel weight), the end result will largely be determined by the steps you are performing now (preparation).

Looking forward to the rest of the thread, this is the kind of stuff that really makes a forum valuable and interesting :drinkbeer:


Snowy :)

Cheers bud, appreciate your words :) Time is definitely the key with these wheels. They're a tough design to do without lots of time so i've bought some other wheels (pictured below...;)) that my tyres will fit onto so i can take all the time i need.

The gear I'm using to paint, is basically a big 10yr old compressor from my mate's dad's old workshop (he was a panelbeater), and my mate's gravity feed spraygun. His one is worth about $400 odd so it's quite good. He knows his stuff too, because he's been buying crap vehicles (bikes, boats, cars, even a jetski!) and doing everything himself to restore them to perfect condition and sell it for a hefty profit. I helped him sand down the bottom of his newest boat today, and we finished priming it.

Here's what I bought tonight :)

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0473-1.jpg

More DIYing to come, in 20 minutes!

[Mrk_Mickey]

So unfortunately we didn't get any primer on the wheels today. It looks like we might not for a while because the surface was worse than we expected it to be in the end, because of all the wire brushing we had to do to get this stubborn paint off!

All I did today was the rest of the stripping and I started cleaning two wheels. Pics:
This isn't me btw...I wear cooler clothes :nana:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0455-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0457-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0458-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0461-1.jpg

It makes quite a mess so use a drain where possible!
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0462-1.jpg

Oh, and it usually helps to have a FULL set of spare wheels on your car in the meantime....this is my shameless whore pic for this thread. The car got detailed on friday so it's perfect atm:D
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0464-1.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

More pics:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0465-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0466-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0467-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0468-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0471-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0472-1.jpg



Now I've reached a crossroad;
I don't know whether to keep going ahead with paint, or to actually polish them up over a few weeks then hit them with 2pac clear paint.. What do people think? This is what they look like polished against the car..quite nice I think:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0469-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0470-1.jpg

If I can be bothered, I'll keep sanding the surfaces of at least one of the wheels tomorrow, so stay tuned :)

[No457 Snowy]

Geez, they are tough little buggers to clean up aren't they? Can you get hold of a Dremel and wire brush attachment? It might help you get into the nooks and crannies and getting the tough bits off, and also help with polishing up the surface with the right attachment. They are great, handy tools to have for that kind of detailed work, just make sure you wear some safety goggle if using a wire brush or the like.

Also I think the wheels will look great either way, polished or painted. The one you have sitting against the car looks good already. :driver:

I need to get myself one of those jacks, I have to drive my car up onto pieces of wood to get my jack under it.!!


Snowy. :)

[Manaz]

I reckon paint them Mickey - the colour you've grabbed looks awesome, and I'm not a huge fan of "blingy" wheels. But in the end, its your decision! :)

I second Snowy's suggestion of a dremel and wire brush attachment. I have a dremel here somewhere in fact if that'd be of any use to you...

[Mrk_Mickey]

I've gotten most of the paint off so a dremel would almost not be worth the trouble tbh..i've got stuff to pick the paint off at work so i'm gonna grab those next time i'm in.

I think I've decided that seeing as I have 6 of these buggers, I'm gonna polish one up real nice and if I like the look i'll do it to the rest; if not, or if i simply can't be bothered, i'll keep it as an ornament in my room and paint the others :)

[Mrk_Mickey]

I need to get myself one of those jacks, I have to drive my car up onto pieces of wood to get my jack under it.!!

Oh yeah man, I hear you...I was doing that but after a while I just couldn't stand it! I picked this up from supercheap on the weekend for half price, because they can't sell it at full price with the outdated aus standards number on it :D

They're worth getting, let me tell you. even though this isn't the lowest of jacks, it does *JUST* fit under my sideskirt so it makes lifting a breeze. I was going to spend 400 odd on one of these.

[FJ Steve]

Great thread....congratulations (so far :biggrin:)

I'm subscribing to this, as our son purchased some 'cheap as' mags for his Lancer yesterday (needed bigger wheels due to his caliper upgrade etc etc) but couldn't afford the bling bling off the shelf 17" he wants. SO.....these 2nd hand wheels will (16") will have to do while his bank account takes a recovery.

Keep the updates coming.

[Jarred]

the 'polished' wheel does actually look really good.

i reckon it could come up a treat. heaps of work though, but hey, if you got the time!

[KI11Z]

man I was thinking whilst you were stripping that they'd look nice polished; Do one and post up :)

[Mrk_Mickey]

Yeah I'm off work today so I'll see how I go with the one I've already started :D

[WABIT]

silver man..

dom

[AGO41T]

CHROME them :biggrin:

[philz]

Polished would look sweet!

[Preen59]

If i can make a suggestion.. If you want to polish them, don't polish in a circular motion.

Polish them following the spokes etc. Where ever you're polishing, try to keep it in one direction. This blends the scratches in together and it's heaps easier/ faster. If you were polishing a plastic mould, it can be a bad practice, but you're only polishing wheels, so... :)

[Mrk_Mickey]

If i can make a suggestion.. If you want to polish them, don't polish in a circular motion.

Polish them following the spokes etc. Where ever you're polishing, try to keep it in one direction. This blends the scratches in together and it's heaps easier/ faster. If you were polishing a plastic mould, it can be a bad practice, but you're only polishing wheels, so... :)

I know what you mean mate. I haven't actually done any proper polishing on them yet as such. Unfortunately, all the swirling scratches you see are from the wire brush when we were trying hard to get the paint off with paint stripper.

[benno]

Seeing as we're talking wheels and paint...


I'm thi k of doing my zolders in black and then getting a paint shop to shoot some clear with metallic silver mixed in over that, to try and mimic shadow chrome. Any thoughts? Would love to try and ind some pics to see if this actually works...

[Jarred]

Seeing as we're talking wheels and paint...


I'm thi k of doing my zolders in black and then getting a paint shop to shoot some clear with metallic silver mixed in over that, to try and mimic shadow chrome. Any thoughts? Would love to try and ind some pics to see if this actually works...

how about ask the paint shop?? (i'm not trying to be smart either)

They probably have a product that mimics shadow chrome as it is. Otherwise a candy silver over black and cleared *might* look similar to shadow chrome.

[Jarred]

When I was looking for the shadow chrome finish, I was told that it was done like this:

Black basecoat (primer if you will)
transparent silver (coloured coat) (this is transparent so the black comes through as the 'shadow')
clearcoat to protect it

I'm not very involved in paints so I can't confirm this, but I don't think you'd be able to do what you're asking with the clear. I think the clear can only have coloured flakes in it for pearlescent paint.

so like I said then.....:wasntme:

[benno]

When I was looking for the shadow chrome finish, I was told that it was done like this:

Black basecoat (primer if you will)
transparent silver (coloured coat) (this is transparent so the black comes through as the 'shadow')
clearcoat to protect it

I'm not very involved in paints so I can't confirm this, but I don't think you'd be able to do what you're asking with the clear. I think the clear can only have coloured flakes in it for pearlescent paint.

Yeah that's pretty much what I've found. I was thinking of silver mixed with clear because it makes it easier to get a more translucent coat, rather than relying on just a super super thin coat of silver.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Hey lads,

Sorry I haven't updated this thread. I've been busy with other things all week and just haven't found the time to sand away!!

I have a question for you all. After putting the mk4 gti wheels on my car and seeing how good they look because they are bright and shiny, I thought about polishing the FACE of the spokes only, on my current wheels. I would paint the inside of the wheel and also the centre, and then leave the spoke faces nicely polished then clearcoat the whole wheel.

Thoughts before I continue? I'm just so crap at making decisions :rolleyes:

[mk3pete]

i just read the thread mickey nice work
what paint have you decided on to paint the inside, black chrome would look awesome with the outside polished:google:

[Jarred]

i dont think the polished faces would look very good with the other bit painted. mind you, you have like 6 wheels, trial and error my friend!

[Mrk_Mickey]

Haha yeah 6 wheels also means lots of work if I want them to match..I suppose I'm going to have to mask one up and slap some primer on it to get the effect.

Might do that tomorrow! Pics when ready :)

[Mrk_Mickey]

Ahh, a nice big update for everyone today :)

I had an almost bare-metal wheel sitting in the back of my car for the last week without having the time to work on it, so I thought while I was at work I would give it a sandblast and see how it turns out. Let's just say, I had NO idea how good the sandblaster at work was!! I was expecting quite a rough surface with sand dimples and stuff but nope...I could have paid someone to do it with the same result :)

This took me about 25 mins. It actually would have been quicker if the sandblaster cabinet was bigger; it was awkward to blast some bits. Pics for kicks:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0495-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0496-1.jpg

The great thing about the finish of the sandblasting is that it's READY FOR PAINT. The hi-build 2pac primer will come up nicely. Polishing to follow ;)

[AusScare]

That's about 10 cools. Nice work, looks awesome.

[Mrk_Mickey]

So I started sanding/polishing them by hand with 240grit emery paper. Sanding towards the centre of the wheel (ie, following the direction of the spokes), here's some progress shots:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0497-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0498-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0500-1.jpg

I didn't have any 400 grade wetdry paper so unfortunately I had to jump straight up to 800..this was the wheel after I finished (not quite though, cos I left a few sanding marks :rolleyes:)

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0501-1.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

So...

Instead of continuing polishing, I went around to my mate's place and showed him what I had. He grabbed keys for his shop and we went over (to Action Motorcycles in parramatta ;)) to use the machine polisher!!! BEST - TOOL - EVER. It was basically a bench sander with a shaft on one side that has a tapered thread for buffing wheels.

The easiest way to use this machine is to do it in two steps. Use the heavier wheel for starting the process, and try to keep it steady and even (it's not that hard to use). Then, swap the wheel over to the finishing wheel and constantly move it around so as to get a shine without any buffing marks.

Pics (with the finishing wheel on there):
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0510-1.jpg

We buffed and finished one double-spoke:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0511-1.jpg

This shot was after the buffing wheel on all the spokes, I think...lol:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0514-1.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

After we finished buffing the spokes with the finishing wheel, we did it again using a compound. Unfortunately I didn't get any shots of this happening but basically what you do is put this little block of waxxy compound onto the finishing wheel while it's spinning, and then ''polish'' the surface. It brought it up really well! :)

We finished using the machine at this point and went over it quickly with a Meguiars All-Metal Polish. Didn't make much of a difference, except that it took out any buffing marks/compound residue that was on the spokes. To polish, all you need to do is grab a rag, spread compound on and buff it around with firm pressure (i used a circular motion because it doesn't swirl like paint does).

Pics:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0515-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0516-1.jpg




Here's the finished product, before washing to get rid of the excess compound on the sandblasted areas:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0519-1.jpg

You can see how well the polish process has worked after the wash because it's beading water like my car does! :D Remember that when you're washing bare polished metal, you don't want to use anything strong. I only used water and a rag, I didn't use any soap or anything because it can potentially dull the surface down.

Here we go, last pics for the update:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0524-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0526-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0528-1.jpg

Did anyone notice I've polished a lip around the outside too? I dunno how the HELL I'm gonna tape that up for paint but I hope it stays there..:D

Oh and by the way, I am doing this work, it's my mate in the photo's for the sake of the DIY :nana:

Cheers!

[RhysQ]

awesome work there mate, it's come up a treat.

[Manaz]

That's come up better than I expected - hopefully you can keep the paint off the shiny! :)

[DJSwan]

Just an idea, clear coat what you have. Polished spokes & "bead blasted" for the rest for a bit of contrast.
:cool:

[Mrk_Mickey]

I thought about that, but I've already got compound residue rubbed INTO the sandblasted areas so I'd rather paint it.

Besides, the inside of the spokes need to be a bit darker to bring out the look methinks....might mix a bit of metallic black or something in the audi silver.... :D

[Preen59]

I thought about that, but I've already got compound residue rubbed INTO the sandblasted areas so I'd rather paint it.

Besides, the inside of the spokes need to be a bit darker to bring out the look methinks....might mix a bit of metallic black or something in the audi silver.... :D

Looks good dude. That's exactly what i was thinking of doing with my TT wheels. I guess now i can see if it will look any good before i bother doing it myself, haha. :)



I tip for hand sanding aluminium is to use some CRC 5.56 (WD40) or kerosene (wear gloves..) or even water works well too, as a lubricant for the wet+dry. It stops the abrasive loading up (getting clogged), gives you a better finish and the abrasive will last longer too.

I would have gone to 400 and then to 800 before polishing the spokes, but i guess being a toolmaker i'm pretty critical and pedantic about getting polished surfaces polished properly.. :rolleyes:

[mk3pete]

+1 for the crc or water i used 240, 400 then 800 my front grill it came up a treat
quality work there mickey its coming up a treat:bowdown:

[No457 Snowy]

I tip for hand sanding aluminium is to use some CRC 5.56 (WD40) or kerosene (wear gloves..) or even water works well too, as a lubricant for the wet+dry. It stops the abrasive loading up (getting clogged), gives you a better finish and the abrasive will last longer too.

Good tip mate, also if you use water you can add a little detergent to increase the lubrication and help release the sanded particles from the grit.


Snowy. :)

[Mrk_Mickey]

Looks good dude. That's exactly what i was thinking of doing with my TT wheels. I guess now i can see if it will look any good before i bother doing it myself, haha. :)



I tip for hand sanding aluminium is to use some CRC 5.56 (WD40) or kerosene (wear gloves..) or even water works well too, as a lubricant for the wet+dry. It stops the abrasive loading up (getting clogged), gives you a better finish and the abrasive will last longer too.

I would have gone to 400 and then to 800 before polishing the spokes, but i guess being a toolmaker i'm pretty critical and pedantic about getting polished surfaces polished properly.. :rolleyes:


Good tip mate, also if you use water you can add a little detergent to increase the lubrication and help release the sanded particles from the grit.


Snowy. :)

Cheers guys :) I was actually going to ask about this sorta stuff. As I said though, I didn't have any 400 wetdry handy on me and we just went ahead with the polishing even though I did 240/800. The metal finish itself isn't the best because it's got a few dimples/bad spots in it... so if i can be bothered i might re-sandblast it and make it 100% flat.

When I go back to work in the week I'll sandblast the other four wheels (I haven't paint stripped one wheel, couldn't be bothered lol). More to come!

Hoping to paint them this next coming weekend.

[Preen59]

Cheers guys :) I was actually going to ask about this sorta stuff. As I said though, I didn't have any 400 wetdry handy on me and we just went ahead with the polishing even though I did 240/800. The metal finish itself isn't the best because it's got a few dimples/bad spots in it... so if i can be bothered i might re-sandblast it and make it 100% flat.

When I go back to work in the week I'll sandblast the other four wheels (I haven't paint stripped one wheel, couldn't be bothered lol). More to come!

Hoping to paint them this next coming weekend.


You will find that if you go large jumps in the grade of the abrasive you are using, you'll end up with the face being "shiney", but it will have scratches in it from the coarser abrasive you started off with.

As a general rule i usually start off with a reasonably fine (320 or 400) grade to start and see how it comes up. If it isn't coming up well (surface is too rough) i will then go lower until i find a grade that cleans the surface up reasonably easy. If you go to coarse to start with, you'll spend forever just trying to get the scratches out you just put in the face with the coarse sheet. Remember- Polishing is just a process of making the scratches smaller and smaller until you can't see them with your naked eye.

If you want to make it flat, go back to like 120 emery cloth. Get a rectangular stick of wood that is comfortable to hold and radius the end of it. Then you can tear a strip off and wrap it around the end of the stick and use the radiused corner to knock the scratches out. This will also unsure you get it flat because it stops you from following the divits and contours on the face you are polishing.

You can continue to use the stick to polish it right through to the 800 if you wish, but i usually don't bother once i've gotten it flat.

I usually use WD40 or kero when using emery cloth as i've found it works best.


PS: If you don't know what i mean with that polishing stick thing, let me know and i'll take a pic of mine tomorrow.. :)

[Pullstarter]

Awesome work Mickey, excellent result :banana:

[fuzion]

Looks good dude. That's exactly what i was thinking of doing with my TT wheels. I guess now i can see if it will look any good before i bother doing it myself, haha. :)



I tip for hand sanding aluminium is to use some CRC 5.56 (WD40) or kerosene (wear gloves..) or even water works well too, as a lubricant for the wet+dry. It stops the abrasive loading up (getting clogged), gives you a better finish and the abrasive will last longer too.

I would have gone to 400 and then to 800 before polishing the spokes, but i guess being a toolmaker i'm pretty critical and pedantic about getting polished surfaces polished properly.. :rolleyes:

http://www.mx6.com/forums/2g-faq-appearance/150665-how-diy-polishing-parts-mirror-finish.html

http://www.classictrucks.com/tech/0705ct_aluminum_polishing/index.html

if you want a mirror finish.. preeny knows im sure very well how to! lol

[rayray086]

Good work Mickey!

[KI11Z]

not bad at all Mikey, i'm sure they look a load better in person too! Be nice to see it with painted insides to really bring out the polished face :cool: keep at it!

[Preen59]

This is what i was talking about...

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/9-3.jpg

See how it "looks" polished, but notice that big score mark at the bottom edge of the polished surface? This is because they have polished it before it was truly ready. The high points are polished, but all the low points (scratches) still remain in the surface.

Buffers do a great job, but you have to get the surface to an even (and fine) finish before you bother with them in my opinion. ;)

[Mrk_Mickey]

Ah ok thanks Preeny. I know what you mean by the block thing, they're a pretty common thing haha. This was only a practice to see how it would turn out and now that I like the look of the finish I'm going to re-sandblast the wheel and do what you said. Do I have to go to 400 first or could I just start on 120-180 or so and then 240,400,800?

[Preen59]

Ah ok thanks Preeny. I know what you mean by the block thing, they're a pretty common thing haha. This was only a practice to see how it would turn out and now that I like the look of the finish I'm going to re-sandblast the wheel and do what you said. Do I have to go to 400 first or could I just start on 120-180 or so and then 240,400,800?

I'd block it straight up with say, 240 and see how it's coming up, then go back to something coarser if you need to. Like i said, start mid-range and see how it looks, then decide if you need to hook in with something more substantial. :banana:

[Mrk_Mickey]

Righto, thanks.

More progress tomorrow! Stay tuned! :dance:

[Jarred]

I'd block it straight up with say, 240 and see how it's coming up, then go back to something coarser if you need to. Like i said, start mid-range and see how it looks, then decide if you need to hook in with something more substantial. :banana:

good advice there Preeny. and the other posts there too. thanks for sharing!

[Preen59]

good advice there Preeny. and the other posts there too. thanks for sharing!

No worries dude. I guess me being a "post whore" has its benefits sometimes eh? :rolleyes:

[Mrk_Mickey]

Another update, although this wasn't a very good one unfortunately!

We sprayed some primer onto the wheel tonight to get the effect of the polished/painted idea. It looked great but it will need a different approach to get the result I want.

The wheels, already being polished and 'finished', shouldn't have been touched. Anything like wax and grease remover, tape, paint, even fine wetdry sandpaper and rags will dull the surface. So after painting my wheel tonight I've decided that I will have the other wheels 100% paint stripped, tape up the surface I want polished and paint everything until I get to the stage of spraying clearcoat. Then I'll start polishing the spoke surfaces being careful not to scuff the paint (it's easier this way than protecting polish while painting..trust me! lol) and once I'm happy with the result I'll clear the lot.

We only got one coat of primer on tonight because my mate forgot to turn the paint pressure down when he primed my wheels (we were priming bike fairings tonight too) :duh:. We got a very unfair amount of runs which resulted in a really bad finish, and basically too much work to bother getting a second coat on tonight. This is my test wheel anyways so I'm able to plan ahead on my other wheels :)

I like my red tape :D Oh, and the lip is going to be WAY too hard to tape up so I'm not going to bother polishing it. Pics from tonight:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0534-1.jpg

I don't think 2pac paint is good for my camera...*shrugs*:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0536-1.jpg

Check it! More runs than America's best baseball team!
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0537-1.jpg

Wetsanding with 800 (and 340 where the runs are, to level them down)
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0543-1.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0540-1.jpg

Tonight's finished product:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0542-1.jpg

I like the look. I'm really looking forward to seeing the flakey silver going on the primer, especially if we mix a bit of black in!

This week I'm hoping to completely strip the paint off all the wheels. If that happens, the weekend will see primer and colour! :)

Cheers.

[VeeDubs]

nicee mickey! they are going to look good...

too bad they are going to be such a mission to finish!! if you need a hand with anything give me a call...im not a pro painter or anything...but i sort of know how to tape off things or stand off to the side and look beautiful.

Cant wait to see them finished!

[Mrk_Mickey]

You can come over on the weekend for the hell of it if you like :D

[Jarred]

were you using electrical tape there mickey???

[Dubdubdubdot]

Idea. Polished spokes and harlequin where you have primed, i.e each wheel is a different colour, but still has that polished look on the front of the spokes. Either way add real colour!

[V®6]

Looking good Mickey.

I reckon Gloss Black where you have put the primer would look awesome.

[Manaz]

each wheel is a different colour

Would go well with his panel work!

j:

:wasntme:

[Mrk_Mickey]

were you using electrical tape there mickey???
Yeah. We had masking tape but it wouldn't have created a nice line, so I thought I might as well use electrical (all we had) because it will stick better and give a better line; which it did.

For the other wheels, I'll just mask them up as I am going to rub the surface down and polish it anyways so it will be a smooth line by the time I'm finished.


Idea. Polished spokes and harlequin where you have primed, i.e each wheel is a different colour, but still has that polished look on the front of the spokes. Either way add real colour!

Duuuude...nooooo! I don't like that idea at all :nana:


Looking good Mickey.

I reckon Gloss Black where you have put the primer would look awesome.

I agree sort of...:D

I don't wanna go BLACK because it's been done heaps before. I would however, like to put some black into my audi grey paint to see how that comes out (once again on the test wheel).

[Jarred]

get yourself some fine line tape mickey. it's the tape the pro's use when doing two tones jobs etc. after you lift the tape off, there's a very small line between the two colours, rather than if you had used masking tape, which creates a large line (that you can feel) between the colours.

hope that makes sense. you just use it on the edges, and then use masking tape just to protect the areas you don't want painted.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Sorry dude, I'm not convinced lol...it's probably going to be expensive and time consuming. One of those I have!

We're sanding down the surface and then machine-polishing it..any line will be annihilated after I'm done with it. I'll make sure to cut the tape short so that it overlaps, which will then be polished away.

[Jarred]

it'll make your edges finer and hence cleaner and smoother.

just my advice, taht's all.

[VeeDubs]

i might pop around saturday if ur still working on them. :banana:

see u friday anyway :P (if u take all the crap out of your boot throw that rim in so we can check it :bowdown:)

[Mrk_Mickey]

I still appreciate the info Jared mate :) I just can't afford extra expenses atm (rego...) and I don't think it will matter because we're scratching/polishing the surface on the front anyways. My test wheel will tell though, and if it doesn't work as well as I wanted then I'm definitely gonna wait and get some ;)

Marty, hopefully I'll have painted a wheel in colour by then (even if it's not the best) so I'll bring it along. Hell, even if I don't, I'll probs just wetsand it while everyone is taking long exposure shots on Friday hahaha :D

[Mrk_Mickey]

I should be stripping the rest of the wheels tonight. If possible, I'm going to whack some colour on my test wheel (even if it does need more primer..) because I want to see what the colour looks like, and whether or not I should go darker.

Hopefully I'll have more progress tonight!

[VeeDubs]

Marty, hopefully I'll have painted a wheel in colour by then (even if it's not the best) so I'll bring it along. Hell, even if I don't, I'll probs just wetsand it while everyone is taking long exposure shots on Friday hahaha :D

awesomee! we could do a long exposure shot of you scrubbing away so just your hands are a blur. because your such a hard worker!

im excited to see it!:banana: i installed my new sub just then :P

[Mrk_Mickey]

Okay...No more paint stripping.

It no longer works on such small amounts of paint for some reason... once I pay for rego this month I'm going to pay to get them sandblasted (5 of them). Can anyone give me the number of a well priced sandblaster/can anyone get it done for me for cheap?

Despite wasted efforts to get rid of paint, we did more on my first wheel :). Second coat of primer went on and this time I painted it so I set the gun up just right :D it came up an absolute treat! It's really nice and even now, so I think this wheel doesn't necessarily have to be a test wheel.


For this style of wheel - ie multispoked/hard-to-get-to faces - you basically want to set up your spray so that the spray width is about as wide as the spoke depth, and the amount of paint that comes out leaves a *just* solid line on a test piece (like cardboard or something else flat that you can paint onto) without runs or being too dry/transparent. The speed you spray at depends on how much paint you put onto the surface; it's pretty easy to understand how fast you need to go depending on how much paint comes out of your gun :).

Painting the wheel is done best by doing it in segments - face, inside of spokes on one edge, inside of spokes on the other, lip, rear of wheel. Just spray it evenly and straight at the surface until the colour you're painting on is solid. Remember, you can quite easily overdo it! - so it's best to leave dry/uneven marks until later.

For the rear of the wheel, I adjusted the gun to give a wider spray pattern (about 70-80 degrees out of the gun nozzle) and a bit more paint. I set the gun so that when spraying paint, it looks like powder whilst in the air, and comes out quite wide. This is best for the back of the wheel as it easily covers the larger areas that don't need as much accuracy.

Pics:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0546-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0547-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0548-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0550-2.jpg



I've been offered a really nice dark metallic paint to use if I want to....what do people think of the charcoal metallic you see on Mazda 3's? :)

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0544-2.jpg
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0545-2.jpg

I can either use this colour on its own or mix my audi paint with it. I have a feeling I won't like my audi paint on its own, because it's going to be too light for the comparison with the polished surface.

I'll be finishing this wheel off before starting the others, so that I can keep updating this thread :) so stay tuned!
Cheers.

[goodfella]

I dont mind that mazda colour, and it should contrast well with the polished faces...

just an idea, is it worth the hassle doing multiple colour sprays on the one test wheel, ie 1/3 Audi - 1/3 Mazda - 1/3 custom mix of two...

[Mrk_Mickey]

I was thinking that! I think I'll spray a teensy weensy bit of my audi colour onto the wheel first and see how it looks. If I think it should go darker I might spray a bit of darker stuff on it. I honestly don't think I'll get to the point of mixing the two paints haha.

Should be painting them tonight so stick around peepz.

[Manaz]

What about a base coat of the Mazda colour (since it's nice and dark), and then if it's too dark, layer the Audi colour over it in nice fine layers (multiple thin layers being better than one thick one anyway) - that's in part how they get the colour you were after to start with...

[Mrk_Mickey]

No need to worry about the mazda colour anymore. I hit the nail on the head (and some) with my audi colour! I'll let the pics do all the talking this time :D

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0551-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0553-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0554-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0555-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0556-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0557-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0558-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0567-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/08/img_0568-2.jpg

The pictures weren't the best this time but I am definitely very happy with the colour :D
This is only the first coat too. The second coat will even it all out (as you can see it's not 100% atm), and the third coat is 80% thinners so it will shine it up really nicely. Then comes the re-polishing of the surface of the spokes and clearcoating... ;)

P.S You can see what I mean by doing sections of the wheel at a time. In the fourth picture you can also see how wide the spray pattern is - that's the width I used for the front/detailed sections of the wheel. The back of the wheel was painted with a pattern about 2 times that size (it wasn't as big because we didn't need it).

[maca]

Nice man!! Can't wait to see them on the VR6... It'll defs stand out from the crowd with these on..

[KI11Z]

mmm yep! i'm diggin the colour my mate, now to decide polished or painted, i've no idea though I do think the polished face with this colour backing it up would look a treat! Heaps more messing around though :frown:

[Pullstarter]

Sweet colour Mickey, excellent choice. Now you can spray my wheels when you're finished :banana:

[team_v]

The colour looks awesome, a little darker and more glossy than they were before.
It will just add that extra bit of contrast to our car.

Nice work

[Mrk_Mickey]

mmm yep! i'm diggin the colour my mate, now to decide polished or painted, i've no idea though I do think the polished face with this colour backing it up would look a treat! Heaps more messing around though :frown:

Alex mate, the spokes are still polished underneath that tape! As soon as the second and third coats of paint are on the tape is coming off and I'm restarting the polish the way preeny told me to do it to get it MIRROR finish. :D The good thing about this project is I don't have a time frame so if I decide to do a little more work then it's ok. My plan is to finish this wheel with a polished front and then we'll see how it looks. I assume it's gonna look just how I want it to so I'll then organise to get my other four wheels sandblasted (Can't be bothered with the fifth one) and I'll do it all again :)



The colour looks awesome, a little darker and more glossy than they were before.
It will just add that extra bit of contrast to our car.

Nice work

Yeah that's exactly what I thought...sooo stoaked!

Cheers.

[goodfella]

you could always spray the 5th wheel in orange like HSV do

[Mrk_Mickey]

So...can anyone recommend a cheap sandblaster who can get my wheels ready for paint, or can someone do it through someone they know? Ideally I'd like to pay about $150 for the 4 or 5 wheels I still have to do.

[Manaz]

You may have issues when you remove the tape in that it may take paint you want left on the wheels with it, because the paint forms a layer that runs over the edge of the tape, and it won't "break" neatly at the edge of the tape.

[Mrk_Mickey]

You may have issues when you remove the tape in that it may take paint you want left on the wheels with it, because the paint forms a layer that runs over the edge of the tape, and it won't "break" neatly at the edge of the tape.

Yeah I can understand that; that reason is exactly why I was going to leave the tape line shy of the edge so that it wouldn't rip into the part I want to be painted.

Test wheel will determine lots of things :)

P.S Still looking for an answer for sandblasting, peeps!

[Manaz]

How's this? (http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=sandblasting+ermington)

j:

[KI11Z]

ooooooh, I see I see, thats why it's "flaking", it's just the tape :duh: haha, DOH!

[Jarred]

You may have issues when you remove the tape in that it may take paint you want left on the wheels with it, because the paint forms a layer that runs over the edge of the tape, and it won't "break" neatly at the edge of the tape.

*cough*cough*

or use fine line tape

*cough*

[Mrk_Mickey]

*cough*cough*

or use fine line tape

*cough*

Hahaha you're evil Jarred. Yes, I'm going to use fine line tape, but it will not occur for a while as I need to pay for rego first. You did get your way though :nana:

[Jarred]

just trying to help out mate :). Remeber I have done a bit of spraying and plenty of reasearch, well a fair bit. (I'm not saying i'm an expert though.)

[Mrk_Mickey]

just trying to help out mate :). Remeber I have done a bit of spraying and plenty of reasearch, well a fair bit. (I'm not saying i'm an expert though.)

Understood :) you're more experienced than I anywho so I ultimately would have gone with your advice :nana:


I'm hoping to get the second and third coats of paint on the test wheel tonight, so I can FINALLY reveal the polish spokes underneath! Exciteedddddd. :D

[Mrk_Mickey]

Gah.

No job means no money. No money means no project funding! A simple $100 had to wait until now to be payed to get the wheels soda blasted rofl.

Anyways I gave them in to be blasted today, and should see them tomorrow. I've decided against doing the polishing because my wheels haven't got sharp enough edges for it to look neat. I'm going to mix that black charcoal mazda colour with my colour and see how it looks.

HOPEFULLY, I'll have some pics for y'all soon! I want these to be ON before the dyno day in two saturday's time.

[dylan8]

Sounds good to me, cant wait to see the pics!

If you don't mind me asking, how much is costing you to do all this? paint, sandblasting etcetc

[Mrk_Mickey]

Sodablasting is $100 for 4 wheels, paint cost me $40, mate of mine has heaps of paint at home so the rest is free :)

Usually the paint would actually be kinda expensive..
$40 for colour
<$80 for primer, not sure on price
<$80 for the amount of clear coat you'd use

Then general purpose thinners would probably be about $70

[dylan8]

Sodablasting is $100 for 4 wheels, paint cost me $40, mate of mine has heaps of paint at home so the rest is free :)

Usually the paint would actually be kinda expensive..
$40 for colour
<$80 for primer, not sure on price
<$80 for the amount of clear coat you'd use

Then general purpose thinners would probably be about $70

ok, cool, sounds good. thanks

yeah think id have most of the stuff other then the paint. sodablasting neccessary? or is it just a alternative to sanding?

[Mrk_Mickey]

Sodablasting was necessary to get my wheels to 100% bare metal/paint-ready surface because the paint was a royal prick to try and get off otherwise.

For $100, you'll have your wheels ready to be hit with primer in less than two hours without lifting a finger....I reckon that's a pretty good deal!