Lacquering bare alloy...
Discussion
Chapa, my wheels have a bare & polished alloy rim to them - and while they look beautiful, they are vulnerable to corrosion. The spokes are painted black and therefore safe. Can I polish the rims up as usual and then hand paint on any sort of laquer to keep the edges protected, or is this a job for professionals? Would rather brush than spray as otherwise would need to mask the wheels/tyres...
Brushing tends to leave 'brush strokes', for the obvious reason. Masking up and spraying will give a much more even surface. High gloss is not only prettier, the more uniform surface will make keeping the wheels clean easier and make it much harder for brake dust, road grime etc to end up in the pits of the finish.
If you plan to hand flat and polish up the lacquer once you've brushed it, then brushing could work. Make sure you don't put down too thick a build in each coat, or you could end up trapping solvent in the build.
And make sure you use a clear which is purpose-designed for glossy substrates. Alsacorp do a 'Clear 4 Chrome' which would work. Most clears require a keyscratch to bond with the substrate surface which you won't be able to provide without spoiling the look of the wheel.
To be honest, masking wheels and tyres is only the job of a few minutes per wheel - particularly if you get some masking cards to put round the rim (see ebay item 180182540100 for an example).
HTH
Tol
edited for speelingg!
If you plan to hand flat and polish up the lacquer once you've brushed it, then brushing could work. Make sure you don't put down too thick a build in each coat, or you could end up trapping solvent in the build.
And make sure you use a clear which is purpose-designed for glossy substrates. Alsacorp do a 'Clear 4 Chrome' which would work. Most clears require a keyscratch to bond with the substrate surface which you won't be able to provide without spoiling the look of the wheel.
To be honest, masking wheels and tyres is only the job of a few minutes per wheel - particularly if you get some masking cards to put round the rim (see ebay item 180182540100 for an example).
HTH
Tol
edited for speelingg!
Edited by Anatol on Monday 26th November 14:02
I've used the 'Clear on Chrome' from UK supplier www.chromepaint.com with some success...
I don't think it's actually the Alsa product, but does the same job. I used a tinted clear to make a chrome chandelier gold (you get some odd requests in this job).
Only tip I'd suggest when using it is make sure you degrease thoroughly.
HTH
Tol
PS - having advised you that flatting and polishing would sort any brush strokes out, having looked at the TDS for that clear, it advises that you cannot polish it. You _can_ however key it up and then overcoat it with a standard clear, that you can then flat and polish. I'd suggest that spraying and getting a good gloss out of the gun is going to be a lot less work than brushing and then sorting it out.
I don't think it's actually the Alsa product, but does the same job. I used a tinted clear to make a chrome chandelier gold (you get some odd requests in this job).
Only tip I'd suggest when using it is make sure you degrease thoroughly.
HTH
Tol
PS - having advised you that flatting and polishing would sort any brush strokes out, having looked at the TDS for that clear, it advises that you cannot polish it. You _can_ however key it up and then overcoat it with a standard clear, that you can then flat and polish. I'd suggest that spraying and getting a good gloss out of the gun is going to be a lot less work than brushing and then sorting it out.
Edited by Anatol on Tuesday 27th November 13:39
Forums | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff