Wheel refurb

[stuc]

After bashing the sill on my van and taking a big lump out the alloy I thought a wheel refurb was overdue, so heres the 1st installment, rubbed, filled with aluminium repair putty, then primed, rubbed down again and a nice couple of coats of black.
I even ground the lettering off the rim that RX8'S have.

[Waynem325]

LOVE these!

They look spot on!

What primer/paint did you use? Is it straight from a tin or is it special 2pac stuff?
The wheels we've inherited with our van are pretty terrible and I was thinking about getting them powder coated. Would spray paint withstand the rough handling when removing/putting on tyres?

Are these finished now?

They're going to look amazing when fitted!

[stuc]

I used aerosol etch primer then high build primer, rubbed that all down then painted with a cheap 2k black(crystal I think it was called).
Powder coated would be best as it is a bit more durable but they blast them first so you would still have fingers left when they are done.
They are not finished yet as I want to add another bit tomorrow, but you will have to wait and see as I'm not sure what I'm doing with them yet. I just want them a bit different.

[blobber]

Metal flake in the lacquer coat??

[stuc]

Nah! not a fan of metal flake I'm afraid, reminds me of 80's custom cars or dodgems. Although it is making a comeback I've spoke to lots lately who are doing stuff with it.

[helen&tony]

Hi
I've just had the winter alloys for the Jeep blasted and powder coated...dark grey...they look quite nice but need a little summat...maybe some pin-stripes on the rims?
Stuc.
Metal flake is definitely 60s...I love it....I've done several 'flake jobs over the years...I did the lower 1/2 of the Bongo a couple of years back, and, co-incidentally , I'm half-way through doing the top half......now for the dilemna....I'm unsure of whether to add some marblizing, lace-spraying, or ribbon-work...or a spot of fan-quilting.....decisions, decisions!
Interested in what you're doing to the wheels, though...the Jeep ones need something!
Cheers
Helen

[stuc]

A bit of striping I think looks good on the wheels, when I masked mine today I used a thin blue lining tape to mask off the spokes and when the lines were on they looked quite good. I thought a red line would look good and match my red graphics. So yes stripes are good. I also like marbleising, I have done it a few times on small stuff(playstations, phones etc.) and its fun to do. I have just been trying water droplets at work and it looks really good. On a painted panel, just spray water on with a squirter so it lies on as water droplets. then get a small gun or airbrush and at a very acute angle just spray some colour from one side only. Then get another colour and do the same from the other side. Then dry out the water using infa red or bake off but dont blow the water.When dry laquer it up and the effect is good, it actually looks like water on the panel. If I remember I will take a pic for you. It would look good on a bonnet and wing tops.
Have you seen these hydro graphics, look great when done, I saw a set of wheels covered in dollar bills, just looked like money laquered over, check it out:

http://www.hydro-graffix.co.uk/car-hydr ... fibre.html

[stuc]

And this:

http://www.wickedcoatings.co.uk/alloy-wheel-refurb

[helen&tony]

Hi Stuc.
How very Kool...I like the reaper coating...Is that some kind of vinyl?...and where can I get it?.....I like the snakeskin effect....I did my bike tank in the old-school effect of fish scales, and 3-D ribbons on my Yoshimura Honda, so I like snake-skin...and, believe it or not, I've been hunting for"alligator-skin" paint....It used to be around in the mid to late '60s, and it was a kind of "reactive" paint that cracked when drying, and looked extraordinarily good . I'm actually looking to paint the centre 6" inner-curve between the upper and lower of the Bongo to create an effect between the 2 colours top and bottom....Unless I just stick with marbliser .
Regarding the wheels, I have found some wheel tape in red, to pinstripe my Jeep wheels...I'm not sure on painting over powder-coat, and the dark grey on the Jeep wheels was done locally to tidy up the Winter wheels...now they look a bit plain, so I thought red wheel-tape!
Cheers
Helen

[mikexgough]

Very nice Stuc...

[helen&tony]

Hi Stuc.
Have you thought of gold leaf on those wheels instead of tape...like a gold stripe..not as dear as it sounds, and there are cheaper leafs...or silver leaf?....which would look nice with silver spider-webbing on the spokes and rim....
Cheers
Helen

[daveblueozzie]

reminds me of 80's custom cars or dodgems.

Cheeky sod I have metal flake in my painted wheels courtesy of BDC.
Your wheels look great , did you find a decent painter to do them for you.

[francophile1947]

reminds me of 80's custom cars or dodgems.

Cheeky sod I have metal flake in my painted wheels courtesy of BDC.
Your wheels look great , did you find a decent painter to do them for you.

Well, aren't you in your eighties?

[stuc]

reminds me of 80's custom cars or dodgems.

Cheeky sod I have metal flake in my painted wheels courtesy of BDC.
Your wheels look great , did you find a decent painter to do them for you.

Couldn't find a decent painter so I had to do them myself, obviously metal flake is very tasteful in some cases, I never even noticed the metal flake in yours, are you sure its not just dust from the garage floor

Sorry BDC I know you do a nice job.

[stuc]

Is that some kind of vinyl?...and where can I get it?.....I like the snakeskin effect....

It is a kind of vinyl which is applied with water I think, like the stickers on model aeroplanes maybe?
I have emailed them for some info, to see how you apply it etc, they sell it on their site and its not that expensive.
I too like the snakeskin, and the wood effect, could do a Bongo woody.