Powder Coat or Paint

[4eyes2wheels 0]

Getting some Speedlines refurbed soon and am unsure what to do.

 

Powder coat or paint?

 

Not 100% sure what a powder coated finish is to be honest.

 

(I know that sounds a bit :camp: )

[Andy665 0]

I always go with paint, powder coating, once it starts chipping can look unsightly, a chip seems to allow moisture in and the area just expands. Had a set of wheels powder coated once and they looked a mess after 12 months, painting (if done properly) appears to be more durable

[Jim Bowen 1]

was a big debate on another forum i use recently.

 

i keep telling people paint is better, but they wouldn't believe me.

 

Am sure most new cars come with paint not powder coat

[James_tulley 0]

Paint all the way

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

Getting some Speedlines refurbed soon and am unsure what to do.

 

Powder coat or paint?

 

Not 100% sure what a powder coated finish is to be honest.

 

(I know that sounds a bit :camp: )

 

powder coating is just paint mate, the only difference is that it is applied to the metal as a powder (hence Powder coating). Paint is applied like dust and then the part is stuck in the oven where the paint melts and the dust particles "join-up" forming a continuous skin.

 

There are a few types out there, these are basically split into two categories

1. Thermoplastic powder. This is where the paint once melted can be re-worked (re-melted).[/*:m:j2ox8f9f]
   
2. Thermosetting powder is one where after the process of cooking in the oven the paint chemically changes and forms a new compound that is continuous over the surface of the metal (this is probably the better of the two)[/*:m:j2ox8f9f]

 

The benefits are basically:

* they contain no solvent.

* emit no nasty compounds

* can produce much thicker coatings without running or sagging

* overspray reused (so no waste)

 

They can form thicker layers than paint so have the potential to be stronger, the problem comes when you DO scratch them depending on the method you used (Thermoplastic or Thermosetting)it can be difficult to repair.

[corozin 0]

Paint them every time.

 

Powder coating is nice up to a point but if you kerb a wheel (for example) it can split and break off in flakes. If you do the same with a painted surface you can just respray over it. You can also paint the wheels yourself, which you can't do with powdercoat.

 

As someone with satin black Compomotives I am no stranger to cans of aerosol ! Suggest you make a cutout from a big piece of cardboard to shield the bodywork if you're just doing a quick repair. Saves you having to pull the wheel off :)

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

You can also paint the wheels yourself, which you can't do with powdercoat.

well... you can do it yourself but at this price I'm not tempted! :lol:

although i have seen kits for £100 before, and you can do the cooking in the oven. And it only takes 20mins to cook an alloy or something small

[emu 0]

If painting is better for alloys so should be better for suspension so why everybody are powder coating their rear beams, wishbones ... etc. instead of get them painted ??

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

If painting is better for alloys so should be better for suspension so why everybody are powder coating their rear beams, wishbones ... etc. instead of get them painted ??

I think Powder coating gets a bad rap because of the thin crap coats that some ppl get when they get their wheels referbed ect... and when it does crack it comes off in chunks not not just a scratch. But! If you do it properly to an item that is unlikely to receive a hard hit or knock (like your suspension coils) then it forms a very thick, non-degradable plastic coating that gives better corrosion protection than a pigment that is applied with an aerosol. You also ALWAYS get a great finish, never any drips or runs that form when you try to aerosol spray complex shapes

[rob1234 0]

Powder coating is nice up to a point but if you kerb a wheel (for example) it can split and break off in flakes.

 

As someone who has recently had their Speedlines powdercoated (by BJV for

[Mawrick 0]

I'm getting my speedlines powder coated soon.

 

The trouble me and the guy doing the powder coating them found though was to find a color that will match close to the original speedline color (with the small "sparkles"). This problem especially occures when one add the clear coat (which will add to the durability of the coating) as silver metallics tend to change color when clear is added.

 

The coater just ordered some new paint from a comapny in the US - we sendt them a small bit with the same color as the speedlines and they where able to color match it. Hopefully will work out good - will be a few weeks until I know though.

 

If your ok with standard silver or going with any other color you will be fine ;)

[4eyes2wheels 0]

As someone who has recently had their Speedlines powdercoated (by BJV for

 

I was quoted £128 Plus VAT - did you avoid VAT somehow :norty: ?

[ANDREW 30 0]

Who's BJV and where are they based?

[4eyes2wheels 0]

http://www.wheelrefurbishing.co.uk In Hertfordshire

[ANDREW 30 0]

Cheers for the link, i googled it after asking and up it came! :cuckoo:

[rob1234 0]

As someone who has recently had their Speedlines powdercoated (by BJV for

 

I was quoted £128 Plus VAT - did you avoid VAT somehow :norty: ?

 

Asked for a discount, they said £128 if you pay in cash...

[Laser Mark 0]

Powdercoating is quite durable and has some resistance to chip damage.

 

If you want to increase the paint thickness without having clump build up on the surface, pre-back the part to be painted to 100 degrees or so for 20 mins. This will ensure the metal work is at a uniform temperature and allow you to gain a thicker coat of paint, another benifit of pre-baking is it allows the metal to gas off. This will stop the paint bubbling up once painted. The metal work will need to be baked again at 180 degrees for a futher 15-20 mins and then allowed to cool.

 

I have done this process a few times, unfortunately not to any car parts, but I've done radiators, fireplaces, gates etc....

 

I've been trying to get my boss to buy a nice sliver powder so I can do my alloys on my Golf :D