Seeking info on painting rims

I have stock sr5 aluminum rims and looking to paint them black. Seeing how everyone has done it themselves. I know about plasti dip but want to actually paint them. Is it better to sand blast them. or scuff them up to paint. Also "oldmantan" says to scuff them and use "self etching primer" and then paint them. Any opinion is valued. thanks TW!!!

 

powdercoat! might be more on the expensive side but will be bulletproof compared to rattle canning it

 

Sandblast is the way to go...

 

sub'd

 

I was originally planning on having a local guy sandblast and powdercaot. he quoted 200 to 250. Just was looking to do cheaper myself. I have a small sandblaster but just was thinking it would take alot of media to get them cleaned of the clear coat. As for painting i have spray gun and compressor. was gonna use black rustoleum to do it. thnks again guys.

 

I work in a metal fabrication plant that has a powdercoat line and a lot of the guys there have used my sandblaster on their rims and regretted it later.Not that it won't work but the aluminum is often coated with a sealent or plated with copper flash.When you start to sand blast it takes a long time to get everything down to bare aluminum and if you don't get it all off then you end up with "layering" of the powdercoat due to differences in the electrical charge between the paint and the metal.We do paint a lot of them though and the ones that come in from outside the shop look to be chemically stripped.I'm a grinder though and not a painter but I've watched guys spend hours on each rim only to end up with powdercoat that looks like a roadmap of New jersey.

 

Then for aluminum, instead of sand, use baking soda.

 

can u buy baking soda in large quantities? and where if yes? Sorry for all the dumb questions but not much of a professional when it comes to painting.

 

I am not sure in large quantities really. I baking soda blasted my old motorcycle engine due to aluminum looking shitty from sand.. I just bought boxes from the store haha. Check ebay maybe?

 

BJ's

 

The glass bead they use to highlight painted road markings works well on aluminum.It can be bought in bulk at auto refinishing stores or welding supply shops.If you are going to do it yourself one piece of advice I would offer is to go for a uniform level of abrasion across the surface so there are no varitions in the surface.I also would test blast and paint a small section on the inside of your spare or one of your main tires to see how it turns out.

 

ok thanks for info. going to try baking soda today. bought 10 boxes last night. also going to try a stripper made by Klean-strip KS-3 premium. looking to try and do it cheap. ya know so the beer by the time your done costs more than the supplies!!! thanks for info everyone.

 

I'd be interested in this as well. The Tacoma I just bought has some bubbling starting on the rims. It's an '05. I was going to hold off and buy new black rims, but if stripping and powdercoating is less than 2-300 bucks, I might just go that route. My Silverado needs it bad also.

 

Check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bh8hzwC2TA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Your wheels are painted now so all you really need to do is sand, clean and repaint. You could prime as well for extra assurance.

 

^video doesnt play? also I already got them done. will post a pic in a bit

 

pics

 

Looks better on here than on my phone, nice job now get me back my spare tires! J/K

And get some lights on that bar with the money you saved by switching to Geico.

 

oldmantan 3 of those pics i just took yesterday. i am still struggling to get the overspray off though. tried everything. only two things left to try that i have googled is oven cleaner and laquer thinner. dont have either so i may have to go buy. as for lights find me a deal. I think i already have 2 coming from someone and my wilson 1000 is on the way from ebay. besides u r supposed to be looking for a head unit and box specs for mine. I also may have i guy looking to trade grille and bumper.

 

No he means overspray on tires, any ideas?

 

no just whats on the tires. and after trying everything everyone has said as a last resort i tried nail polish remover. bingo it works