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Fri Aug 06, 2010 3:45 pm

I'm getting around to painting up a set of Sprintstars for the front of my Fastback. I'm trying to use Plastikote wheel paint, but I'm having issues. I tried the first can, shook it for several minutes (its metallic so you need to mix it up) and while the first coat came out okay the second coat started coming out chunky. I broke out the second can I purchased at the same time, shook it for a while, started spraying and got the same result.

Any suggestions for a good wheel paint?

Jim

Fri Aug 06, 2010 3:57 pm

have them blasted and powdercoated...

Fri Aug 06, 2010 4:31 pm

They actually need a little lip work. I had them blasted but they were originally chrome so I really need them stripped.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:00 am

you can rough the chrome up
But if you look at mine
i painted them with out dore plastikote i think
with a satin finis

the problem is that you need almost NO wind or a good bit of wind
or the fresh paint will continue to gather particals as you finish spraying the wheels

Damn those looked good...from about 5 feet away

If only i could of made them work

1/4" i tell ya
a friggin 1/4"

Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:06 am

sharkskinman wrote:
Damn those looked good...from about 5 feet away

If only i could of made them work

so this is telling us how NOT to do it?

Sat Aug 07, 2010 8:46 am

These were sand blasted, light gray primered, and then painted with a Dupli-Color rattle can.
5 gal. bucket as an easel, outside in the wind. You do have to primer to get good coverage.
I painted the backs and the insides black before I did the silver.
When done with the silver, and the black, I then sprayed them with clear coat.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:51 am

Russ Wolfe wrote: These were sand blasted, light gray primered, and then painted with a Dupli-Color rattle can.
5 gal. bucket as an easel, outside in the wind. You do have to primer to get good coverage.
I painted the backs and the insides black before I did the silver.
When done with the silver, and the black, I then sprayed them with clear coat.

Like painting anything else; preparation will determine the final product.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:20 am

the only bad about the wheels i had is that 2 of them the chrome was peeling off

BUT
if that wasnt the case they would look perfect

Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:21 am

sharkskinman wrote: the only bad about the wheels i had is that 2 of them the chrome was peeling off

BUT
if that wasnt the case they would look perfect

you left the peeling chrome on the wheels and then painted over it?

Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:32 am

obviously i got as much off of them as i could
"I" wasnt going for perfect
I was going for
"Hey those wheels look good, not crappy and chrome peeling"

I dunno ask jim how thay looked when he got them from me
:lol: altho they smelled of pizza :oops: :lol:

i thought about having them rechromed then painting them
But

also jim
I would "after them blasted"
Use a primer
or a filling primer for cars
then sand to a finish you like
then repaint

Powder coating would be nice
(u can pic up a cheap system at harbor freight..for DIY)

Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:33 am

blankmange wrote: sharkskinman wrote: the only bad about the wheels i had is that 2 of them the chrome was peeling off

BUT
if that wasnt the case they would look perfect

you left the peeling chrome on the wheels and then painted over it?

Yeah...that'll work. :roll: See my last posting above.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:33 pm

It cost me $8 a wheel to have mine sand blasted, and put into primer.
My wheels were so bad. The PO had tried to strip the paint with paint stripper, and a wire brush.
$40 and some quality paint was not a bad price to pay for a set of 5 wheels that look like new originals.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:46 pm

I had my original 14" Westy wheels blasted and powder-coated by Les Schwab. They do it all "in house" (in Oregon) and it was like $15/wheel. Cheap.

It's all about the prep. You wouldn't build a house on a shitty foundation; the same rule applies.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:06 pm

sharkskinman wrote: you can rough the chrome up
But if you look at mine
i painted them with out dore plastikote i think
with a satin finis

the problem is that you need almost NO wind or a good bit of wind
or the fresh paint will continue to gather particals as you finish spraying the wheels

Damn those looked good...from about 5 feet away

If only i could of made them work

1/4" i tell ya
a friggin 1/4"

Ironically, those are the wheels I'm painting now. I bought them from you in the Classified. Remember my comment about the pizza boxes? I ended up buying another pair of 4.5" wheels and between the two sets came up with two straight ones. The 5.5" wheels for the rear will be painted up later, once I fix the slight bend.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:16 pm

The problem isn't/wasn't the prep. I had the wheels media blasted to rough up the chrome plating and remove the rusty bits. I then painted the back and inside (where the tire mounts) with POR-15. Next I primed the outer surface with some Rustoleum rusty metal spray primer, followed after the proper cure period by the Plastikote wheel paint. There is something wrong with the cans I purchased, like they were on the shelf too long. The conditions were close to ideal for painting outside when I did this yesterday, but for some reason the material came out of the can "dry", I'm not sure how to describe it. It was like the flake in the paint wasn't mixed into the liquid.

The good news is I took a Scotchbrite pad to the rough bits and they cleaned up pretty well. I was able to knock that "dry" stuff off. Once I paint the inserts black I will likely clearcoat everything.

Jim

Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:40 am

Here is how the first front wheel came out. I need to clean the second before masking it up. As it is I need to remask this and shoot another coat of the silver on the rim itself as I can see some primer in a few places. Thank you Plastikote.

Jim

Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:41 am

looks good, Jim -- the wonder of preparation, eh?

Sun Aug 08, 2010 9:55 am

Looks good.

I've had clogging issues w/ new cans of rattle-can right off the shelf. Took it back and got my $$. Or maybe the POR-15 is inhibiting adhesion. I know POR-15 has a VERY specific process for painting over it. With that and the fact that it's NOT UV resistant, I don't use it. I've used Master Series w/ good results. Just a thought as it looks like the paint is reacting w/ some undercoat in your pics.

Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:05 am

It isn't a reaction. It looks like that regardless of what I spray it on. When I spray it starts normally but then you can hear the sound of the spray change. It is almost like in order to keep the solids in the spray in suspension you have to shake the can every 10-15 seconds, which is not conducive to a smooth finish. I took a Scotchbrite pad to the rough stuff after it had cured and it smoothed right out. Almost reminds me of when you use too much air pressure with a spray gun; the material starts drying before it hits the surface you are painting.

Jim

Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:24 am

jim altemus wrote: It isn't a reaction. It looks like that regardless of what I spray it on. When I spray it starts normally but then you can hear the sound of the spray change. It is almost like in order to keep the solids in the spray in suspension you have to shake the can every 10-15 seconds, which is not conducive to a smooth finish. I took a Scotchbrite pad to the rough stuff after it had cured and it smoothed right out. Almost reminds me of when you use too much air pressure with a spray gun; the material starts drying before it hits the surface you are painting.

Jim

Its not the paint. Its you.... 8)

Having had to paint a jillion things with specialty rattle can stuff (especially heavy metallics)...yes, you have to shake it constantly.
In fact, its even more important to shake it properly in the first place.
You have to get the solvent properly homogenized with the carrier base. Only this way can the metallic solids be suspended for any considerable time.
With some paints it really does take what the label says it does....5-8 minutes of constant shaking. That...and the first minute or so must be extremely vigorous shaking.

Also....if where you are painting is moderate to low humidity and temps higher tham 80F...what you are experienceing is drying in the nozzle. If you stop spray for more than 15-20 seconds ...you MUST turn it upside down and give it a spritz to clear the nozzle.

When we were painting retail fasteners and railings for stores with specialy (usually hammertone) rattle can....we typically had a jar of paint thinner. We would spray for a minute or two and then pop off the nozzle and toss it in the jar to soak for a few minutes while we used another clean one. Every so often...grab a few nozzles and spray through them with compressed air and solvent.

Also what really helps..especially on duplicolor products with the directional fan spray nozzle...which is adjustable by the way :wink:
is to use one of these

http://quazen.com/arts/visual-arts/how-to-use-pistol-grip-handle-for-spray-can-paints/

The problem is that the spray opening in the valve on a standard spray can is variable.
With high solids paints like metallics....it should be used WIDE OPEN...and nothing in between. Allowing smaller openings because you are flaring or feathering......or your finger gets tired :wink: causes a small enough opening at the neck of the can that solids get caught there...and then get blown into the nozzle as a "clump" the next time you squeeze harder on the button. This causes spitting, sputtering and nozzle clogging.
When this happens...only the solvents get through ....which cause fisheyes and dimpling....which appears to be some of what you are getting.

Using a pistol grip keeps the spray much more even.

Also pay attention to the recoat schedule as suggested by the label of the paint you are using. If they tell you that you must wait hours or even days before putting on a second coat....they usually mean it. In many cases the second coat will melt "divots" into the surface of a semi-dry primary coat. This is because the solvent in the paint re-wets the first coat before it has a chance to evaporate.
With many of the vinyl based semi-gloss duplicolor paints...recoats must be put on before the first coat is dry or it screws it up. Two of us used to paint as a team...about 3 feet apart. One puts on primary...other follows up. Otherwise...you have to bascially wait a day until the first coat is cured.

When I paint wheels or body parts...I usually put a first coat on....and then lightly bake or heat the parts for a coupel hours to accelerate the drying so I can put on a second coat the same day. Epoxies work well this way.

Be careful when doing that though.....hammertones will flow and ruin the effect if you get them too hot too soon. Also some enamels should not be done this way. It causes the outside to cure too quickly and will not allow the solvents underneath to evaporate. They get sealed in. This makes the paint stay soft for WEEKS.

My suggestion is to PRACTICE first and plan what you are going to do. Ray