Painting Steel Wheels with Hammerite or alternative?

[MC Bodge]

Last summer I re-painted my black steel wheels with one coat of Smooth Hammerite:


I rubbed the wheels down (although I didn't take them entirely back to bare metal), cleaned with brake cleaner, buffed them clean, painted with a brush in the garage, put them out to dry in the sun and left them in the garage for a few days afterwards. The paint appeared to cure well.

I can now see the rust showing through a little.

Do I do the same thing again or is there a better way?

[stevieturbo]

Have them blasted and powdercoated.

Shouldnt cost that much really, and will be a good job.

[MattYorke]

If you're southamptonish area I can make an excellent of who to get to powdercoat them for you, too.

[MC Bodge]

Only about 250 miles, but thanks.

Tyres are on the rims, so more convenient to paint with something. I might just rub them back more vigorously with power tools, use rust preventer and paint with Japlac or similar, as it is less faff than Hammerite.

[fatjon]

What is sold as Hammerite now is not the same stuff as it was. Finnegans was bought out and it's now just ordinary cheapo paint in a Hammerite branded can and 3 times the price of the same stuff without the branding. It's no longer Xylene based, its coverage is lousy and its rust proofing properties are rubbish. All in all it's a rip off of the name with watery cheap crap in the can and they are making a wad until everyone realises it.

[theshrew]

Its worked well enough on my calipers. Just a quick clean off and paint was expecting it to last a few months tbh but nearly 2 years later they are pretty good.

Although i do agree i certainly remember it being thicker than it is now.

[dblack1]

stevieturbo said:

Have them blasted and powdercoated.

Shouldnt cost that much really, and will be a good job.

True story. Ive never seen a good spray job on wheels, ever, and I do wheels and tyres for a living.

[Muffsy]

MC Bodge said:

Last summer I re-painted my black steel wheels with one coat of Smooth Hammerite:


I rubbed the wheels down (although I didn't take them entirely back to bare metal), cleaned with brake cleaner, buffed them clean, painted with a brush in the garage, put them out to dry in the sun and left them in the garage for a few days afterwards. The paint appeared to cure well.

I can now see the rust showing through a little.

Do I do the same thing again or is there a better way?

I did exactly this with my old VW T4 Steelies...Took for Jet Spray then just used a Smooth Silver Hammerite...
Gave em a rub down after first coat with a Fine wet and dry paper then another coat of Hammerite...
They lasted a good year when rust stared coming back thru but then I just touched up over the rusty bits and done again in about half hour...
Hammerite can be painted straight over rust...
It was an old works Van, albeit my own Van and I just wanted to make it look a little bit more Cleaner/Professional...
Quick,Cheap,Easy...