Magnesium alloy repaint/coating

Magnesium alloy repaint/coating

Author
Discussion

keepup

Original Poster:

116 posts

117 months

Monday 1st April
quotequote all
I know magnesium alloys are supposed to be difficult to repaint/coat but has anyone successfully had a wheel done?

ChrisW.

6,325 posts

256 months

Monday 1st April
quotequote all
Yes ... but where are you based ?

I am near York ...

keepup

Original Poster:

116 posts

117 months

Tuesday 2nd April
quotequote all
Thanks, I'm in the South East but assume I could post the wheel.

keepup

Original Poster:

116 posts

117 months

Tuesday 2nd April
quotequote all
Jamie Summers said:
Thanks for that, I’d heard good things but wasn’t sure from the website if they were still in business.

Any personal experiences with them?

ChrisW.

6,325 posts

256 months

Tuesday 2nd April
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Ian Jemmison in York is good ... he is also a specialist in repairing mag wheels having had a long experience with Minilites ...

Jamie Summers

409 posts

252 months

Wednesday 3rd April
quotequote all
keepup said:
Thanks for that, I’d heard good things but wasn’t sure from the website if they were still in business.

Any personal experiences with them?
Yes, I used them to refurb the mags on my 964 RS. However, that was 10 years ago ! At that point they were really the only people in the South of the country who appeared to refurb magnesium properly. The finish was good and lasted well, however the colour was a little darker than the factory Porsche silver. Ultimately before I sold the car I had the wheels sanded back and wet-painted the correct colour, but that is not a criticism of TPCS. I am sure their processes and finishes will have evolved over the years since then.......

ianmcg

87 posts

221 months

Wednesday 3rd April
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I’ve used Diamond styling in Sevenoaks several times for notoriously delicate 964RS wheels and the finish has always lasted well. Can’t vouch for the colour with certainty but they look fine to me.

Ian

Jamie Summers

409 posts

252 months

Wednesday 3rd April
quotequote all
Diamond Styling may well produce a good finish on the wheels, but I don't think they treat magnesium any differently to any other metal. There are specific treatments that mag wheels need, supposedly eg crack testing and chromate treating that most refurbishers won't do.

keepup

Original Poster:

116 posts

117 months

Wednesday 3rd April
quotequote all
Jamie Summers said:
Yes, I used them to refurb the mags on my 964 RS. However, that was 10 years ago ! At that point they were really the only people in the South of the country who appeared to refurb magnesium properly. The finish was good and lasted well, however the colour was a little darker than the factory Porsche silver. Ultimately before I sold the car I had the wheels sanded back and wet-painted the correct colour, but that is not a criticism of TPCS. I am sure their processes and finishes will have evolved over the years since then.......
Thanks. They seemed very knowledgeable but can only do up to 19” wheels unfortunately.

Slippydiff

14,851 posts

224 months

Wednesday 3rd April
quotequote all
Jamie Summers said:
Yes, I used them to refurb the mags on my 964 RS. However, that was 10 years ago ! At that point they were really the only people in the South of the country who appeared to refurb magnesium properly. The finish was good and lasted well, however the colour was a little darker than the factory Porsche silver. Ultimately before I sold the car I had the wheels sanded back and wet-painted the correct colour, but that is not a criticism of TPCS. I am sure their processes and finishes will have evolved over the years since then.......
Read their T&C’s, I bet you they haven’t …
I used them roughly 10-12 years ago to do my 964 RS wheels.

All in all the process took nearly six months, and was a complete clusterf*ck. When I finally went to collect the wheels I was horrified at the end result.

The finish wasn’t so much “orange peel” as “surface of the moon”, and as for the “close to the correct silver” the colour was nothing of the sort.

I was so fed up with them, I decided to cut my losses and pay up, rather than prolong the agony of dealing with them any further.

The first thing I did then was head to a body shop and have the wheels dry flatted and filled (with special instructions not to break through the chromate layer beneath the powder coat lacquer and paint) before being wet sprayed in the correct colour, then lacquered. Sound familiar… ??


The proprietor of the company alleged to have worked for Dymag before they went into liquidation. I was less than convinced …

I’m surprised the company is still trading, but having read their T&C’s, and judging by the many caveats and exclusions in those T&C’s, I’d hazard a guess it’s the same individual running the show.

I spoke to a magnesium foundry (Creasey Castings) about having some wheels cast 3-4 years ago. I’d suggest giving them a call and finding out who they’d recommend for re-finishing magnesium wheels.









Edited by Slippydiff on Thursday 4th April 00:25

ChrisW.

6,325 posts

256 months

Thursday 4th April
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
Jamie Summers said:
Yes, I used them to refurb the mags on my 964 RS. However, that was 10 years ago ! At that point they were really the only people in the South of the country who appeared to refurb magnesium properly. The finish was good and lasted well, however the colour was a little darker than the factory Porsche silver. Ultimately before I sold the car I had the wheels sanded back and wet-painted the correct colour, but that is not a criticism of TPCS. I am sure their processes and finishes will have evolved over the years since then.......
Read their T&C’s, I bet you they haven’t …
I used them roughly 10-12 years ago to do my 964 RS wheels.

All in all the process took nearly six months, and was a complete clusterf*ck. When I finally went to collect the wheels I was horrified at the end result.

The finish wasn’t so much “orange peel” as “surface of the moon”, and as for the “close to the correct silver” the colour was nothing of the sort.

I was so fed up with them, I decided to cut my losses and pay up, rather than prolong the agony of dealing with them any further.

The first thing I did then was head to a body shop and have the wheels dry flatted and filled (with special instructions not to break through the chromate layer beneath the powder coat lacquer and paint) before being wet sprayed in the correct colour, then lacquered. Sound familiar… ??


The proprietor of the company alleged to have worked for Dymag before they went into liquidation. I was less than convinced …

I’m surprised the company is still trading, but having read their T&C’s, and judging by the many caveats and exclusions in those T&C’s, I’d hazard a guess it’s the same individual running the show.

I spoke to a magnesium foundry (Creasey Castings) about having some wheels cast 3-4 years ago. I’d suggest giving them a call and finding out who they’d recommend for re-finishing magnesium wheels.



Edited by Slippydiff on Thursday 4th April 00:25
I also contacted Creasey Castings at the time I had a 964RS ... I had had three of different specs with multiple sets of wheels ... including one which had been acid dipped and had a "cratered" surface. Clearly the wheels had tried to dissolve themselves ...

They were willing to manufacture a "replica" Cup1 shaped wheel (there is already a replica version in Aluminium that has a slightly tighter radius of the spoke shape) ... but required to manufacture ten sets at a price of around £3000 per set. Original sets could be bought at the time for around £5000 and the replicas would always have been replicas, so it was information that I held in mind in-case it was ever needed.

This was a time when you could get clever stuff done ... almost bespoke, I wonder if somebody wanted replica Weissach type mags, what would happen ?



Slippydiff

14,851 posts

224 months

Thursday 4th April
quotequote all
ChrisW. said:
I also contacted Creasey Castings at the time I had a 964RS ... I had had three of different specs with multiple sets of wheels ... including one which had been acid dipped and had a "cratered" surface. Clearly the wheels had tried to dissolve themselves ...

They were willing to manufacture a "replica" Cup1 shaped wheel (there is already a replica version in Aluminium that has a slightly tighter radius of the spoke shape) ... but required to manufacture ten sets at a price of around £3000 per set. Original sets could be bought at the time for around £5000 and the replicas would always have been replicas, so it was information that I held in mind in-case it was ever needed.

This was a time when you could get clever stuff done ... almost bespoke, I wonder if somebody wanted replica Weissach type mags, what would happen ?
Regrettably Chris, the 964 RS mags were produced using old production techniques, they were made from a magnesium alloy which whilst it contained magnesium (no sh*t Sherlock) it wasn’t a particularly high percentage, so whilst they were lighter than the “standard” aluminium versions, they weren’t that light.

Part of the Subaru Impreza WRC car spares package I had, was a set of OZ forged magnesium wheels in 8 x 18” size. I estimate those wheels weighed no more than 6kg each. Meanwhile the Speedline magnesium wheels of the same size weighed at least 10-12kgs each. They were strong and durable (though they did crack) but would last many events and much abuse, but the OZ’s were allegedly just as strong despite being half the weight.

If you want a set of replica type Weissach mags, you wouldn’t have them cast, they’d be machined from billet.
I’ve PM’ed you details …

Jamie Summers

409 posts

252 months

Thursday 4th April
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
Read their T&C’s, I bet you they haven’t …
I used them roughly 10-12 years ago to do my 964 RS wheels.

All in all the process took nearly six months, and was a complete clusterf*ck. When I finally went to collect the wheels I was horrified at the end result.

The finish wasn’t so much “orange peel” as “surface of the moon”, and as for the “close to the correct silver” the colour was nothing of the sort.

I was so fed up with them, I decided to cut my losses and pay up, rather than prolong the agony of dealing with them any further.

The first thing I did then was head to a body shop and have the wheels dry flatted and filled (with special instructions not to break through the chromate layer beneath the powder coat lacquer and paint) before being wet sprayed in the correct colour, then lacquered. Sound familiar… ??


The proprietor of the company alleged to have worked for Dymag before they went into liquidation. I was less than convinced …

I’m surprised the company is still trading, but having read their T&C’s, and judging by the many caveats and exclusions in those T&C’s, I’d hazard a guess it’s the same individual running the show.

I spoke to a magnesium foundry (Creasey Castings) about having some wheels cast 3-4 years ago. I’d suggest giving them a call and finding out who they’d recommend for re-finishing magnesium wheels.









Edited by Slippydiff on Thursday 4th April 00:25
Wow, yes that sounds like it didn't go well, Slippy. My own experience wasn't that poor. I accepted the compromise on finish colour for the supposed "correct" processes prior to finishing. Perhaps I should have been fussier !

ChrisW.

6,325 posts

256 months

Thursday 4th April
quotequote all

"If you want a set of replica type Weissach mags, you wouldn’t have them cast, they’d be machined from billet.
I’ve PM’ed you details …"

Thanks ! The power of CNC ...

Slippydiff

14,851 posts

224 months

Thursday 4th April
quotequote all
ChrisW. said:
"If you want a set of replica type Weissach mags, you wouldn’t have them cast, they’d be machined from billet.
I’ve PM’ed you details …"

Thanks ! The power of CNC ...
Oh yeahh smile