Restoring automobile alloy wheels by applying powder coating to their surface falls into the category of repair work that is carried out only in the presence of minor damage. At the same time, going to a service station is not very profitable for most motorists, since it is associated with significant financial costs.
That is why powder coating of discs with your own hands is the only acceptable option for users who expect to save on repairs and independently control the entire technological process.
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The essence of this technique is that first a polymer powder dye is applied to a previously prepared metal surface in a special way.
Immediately after this, the painted product is subjected to a special heat treatment, as a result of which the powder melts, forming a continuous and evenly distributed film.
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The coating obtained in this way has the following remarkable properties:
- high degree of protection against corrosion;
- good adhesion (adhesion) to the previously prepared base;
- climatic and chemical resistance;
- impact strength;
- decorative appeal and durability.
The advantages of this technology include:
- Possibility of forming a single-layer coating, which is impossible when using liquid paints and varnishes.
- There is no need to use a solvent or control the viscosity of the applied composition.
- Economical consumption of dye, explained by the possibility of reusing the sprayed powder, which does not leave the paint booth.
- The procedure for forming a powder layer does not take much time, which during conventional painting is spent on drying the product. This saving is explained by the fact that immediately after application the coating is subjected to heat treatment (polymerization).
- Environmental safety of the dye used, which does not contain toxic compounds. In this regard, during the spraying process there is no need to use powerful ventilation equipment.
Conditions for independent work
Despite the fact that the powder coating technique is quite complex, almost anyone with the appropriate technical skills can handle this class of work. However, their independent implementation is possible only if the following conditions are met:
- the presence of a room suitable for these purposes in which painting and drying areas can be arranged;
- purchase or rental of special equipment for powder painting (spray gun, spray gun, etc.);
- competent choice of the type of special dye used for the protective treatment of metal surfaces.
We also note that all of the above requirements must be met at the stage of preparation for the main work operations (that is, before directly painting the wheels).
In the following sections of the article, each of the components of the preparatory process will be discussed in more detail.
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How much?
The final cost of painting wheels will depend on a number of factors, from the diameter of the product to the type of oven used to cure the paint.
Using homemade equipment will allow you to save money, but will negatively affect the quality of the coating and the duration of its operation, so it is only relevant for small-scale production. Due to the unprofitability of painting single products, homemade equipment for a private box for powder painting can only be used at the initial stage of your enterprise. As your skill grows, the need will arise to purchase professional equipment for working with powder dyes.
Painting rims at a trusted auto repair shop means saving money, effort and time. The procedure itself rarely takes more than a couple of days, and the guarantee from the pros reaches five years, including assurances that the coating is not susceptible to fading in the sun.
Selecting a room
There are two approaches to choosing a closed area suitable for arranging a paint booth.
- The first of them is optimally suited for country houses (dachas, for example) and involves the use of any utility room for these purposes.
- As a second option, you can consider an existing garage building on your property, converted for powder coating of wheels.
Additional information: In the first of these approaches, the required function can be performed by a repair shop or a heated extension to the house.
Before choosing a room convenient for carrying out work, first of all, you need to have an idea of the size of the area sufficient to organize painting and thermal drying of discs. That is why you should first decide on the dimensions and number of disks to be simultaneously placed in the processing area.
In a situation where you intend to work with small-sized piece products, an area of 3 by 3 meters within the confines of an outbuilding converted for painting should be sufficient with a margin.
If there is a significant number of products being processed, you will need a larger room with dimensions sufficient for comfortable work. In addition, powder painting technology assumes the presence of forced ventilation, which ensures that microparticles of dye and dust hazardous to human health are removed from the working area.
Important! To comply with the requirements of the technological process (in terms of high-temperature drying with the possibility of polymerization of the protective layer), the room you choose must be equipped with a heating system or a special thermal oven.
It is also necessary to take care of high-quality lighting in the processing area, sufficient for full visual control of all stages of the painting process.
Industrial fluorescent lamps can be considered as one of the effective lighting options.
Preparation of main and auxiliary equipment
It is advisable to use industrial-grade devices (powder painting gun plus compressor unit) as a mechanism for supplying the dye to the processing site and distributing it evenly over the surface of the disks. At home, it is most convenient to rent expensive painting units for the duration of the main work.
In addition, in order to supply power to the main and auxiliary equipment (thermal furnace, compressor, heating and lighting systems), powerful electrical wiring must be connected to the selected room.
If the specified conditions are met, known methods of drying and polymerization of painted surfaces can be implemented in the following ways:
- in the simplest case - through the use of a system of electric heaters of sufficiently high power;
- with a more professional approach - using a special oven for powder coating of processed products.
It is clear that the implementation of the second option is associated with large material and labor costs, even if you rent furnace equipment for the duration of complex work.
At the same time, painting the wheels yourself will still cost you less than if you contact a car repair shop.
As one of the options for a professional approach to arranging a furnace that ensures high-quality polymerization of the dye, the case of making it yourself can be considered. You can familiarize yourself with the procedure for assembling it and connecting it to the network in our future articles.
For those who have decided to do powder painting at home and do without a special oven design, we advise you to pay attention to the possibility of using conventional electric heaters.
When choosing this option, we should not forget that violation of the rules for operating electrical appliances can lead to a short circuit in the wiring and its fire.
That is why, even at the preparatory stage, you should worry about the quality of electrically conductive cables and carefully check the operating modes of all devices connected to them.
Please note: To the listed equipment you should add a powerful vacuum cleaner with a cyclone nozzle, with which you can ensure maximum air purity in the painting area. The need for this household device, as a rule, arises in cases where the painting booth is not equipped with adequate ventilation.
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Recommendations
Along with the presented material, the reader may find some tips useful:
- The metal is coated with fatty acids, which protect it from corrosion. The paint does not stick to fats; therefore, fatty substances are removed before processing the discs. There are many options for degreasing a car body, from household solutions to specialized compounds;
- At the preparation stage, it is necessary to completely eliminate minor and major damage. Removing scratches from a car is an art, but the results are worth the effort;
- It is important to follow the rules for painting alloy wheels yourself. There are a number of recommendations on how to paint alloy wheels with your own hands so that they last a long time and do not require financial investment;
- painting small elements can be done at its best if you use a special block. A car painting booth will ensure uniform distribution of the substance over the entire surface.
If you have basic tools and time, a person can paint alloy wheels on their own, this will help save up to 50% of the cost of the procedure. To ensure that the result is not inferior to painting at a service station, it is important to observe the drying time and strictly follow the action algorithms.
Dye selection
In this section, we move on to describe the most critical part of the preparatory activities, which is choosing the appropriate powder coating. In it we will try to answer the following questions that interest every car enthusiast:
- How to paint car rims yourself (i.e., with your own hands)?
- What are the features of choosing a powder dye suitable for these products?
When studying these issues, first of all, let us draw your attention to the fact that the domestic market offers a large number of types, brands and colors of dyes of this class. That’s why, before you paint your car’s rims yourself, you need to decide on the choice of powder material suitable for your conditions.
It should be assumed that the following types of polymer coatings can be used to paint discs with your own hands:
- epoxy paints;
- polyester and polyurethane compounds;
- silicone dyes.
Each of the powder coating materials listed above has special, inherent qualities that determine the degree of security of the processed product. Thus, epoxy compositions are characterized by increased resistance to alkaline and acidic environments, and polyester paints have excellent anti-corrosion properties.
The advantages of polyurethane coatings include increased resistance to solvents and abrasives.
Silicone dyes differ from others in that they can withstand significant temperatures.
Important! You can choose a specific type of dye only after familiarizing yourself with the features of each sample, which determine the possibility of using it for self-application at home.
The most common and well-known names of powder protective coatings include such well-known domestic and foreign samples as “Pulverit”, P-EP 45, “Infralit”, “Bichon”, “Beckers”, “Radar”, “Inver”, TFC and Flycoat.
Using products from these manufacturers, every car enthusiast can easily cope with all the tasks assigned to him, including selecting the appropriate color scheme (in the RAL standard) and the surface texture of the wheels.
Using some of these dyes, you can change the structure of the coating, which is represented by a number of popular types (shagreen, antique, moire and the like).
Additional information: powder coating of wheels requires the mandatory use of special work clothing and respiratory protection.
As such, in domestic conditions, a regular respirator, safety glasses and thick cotton gloves are most often used.
Powder coating of wheels
Once all the conditions for independent restoration work have been met, you can proceed to direct processing of the disks, carried out in accordance with the requirements of current regulations.
Before you paint car rims with your own hands, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the technological features of these procedures. According to accepted standards, the order of their implementation is as follows:
1. Before starting painting work, the surfaces of the disks are thoroughly cleaned of corrosion, old paint residues, as well as traces of dirt and oil stains using a metal brush, sandpaper and solvent (abrasive and chemical treatment, including degreasing).
If it is impossible to remove rust embedded in the metal, you will have to organize its etching, carried out using solutions of various acids (sulfuric, phosphoric, hydrochloric or nitric).
Please note: When performing these operations, special attention must be paid to observing safety precautions when handling chemicals.
2. At the next stage of surface preparation, it is treated with chromium, iron or manganese phosphate, which helps improve the adhesion of the metal to the protective primer. Upon completion of the phosphating process, the discs prepared for painting are thoroughly washed with warm water and then dried.
3. Next, they proceed to applying a special primer coating to the surface, which ensures improved anti-corrosion properties and adhesion to the sprayed dye. To protect cast wheels, epoxy (epoxy-zinc) primers are usually used.
4. Upon completion of the preparatory work, the discs are placed in a special painting area or box with limited scattering of microparticles sprayed by the gun (in this case, the body of the processed products is reliably grounded).
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5. The powder mixture is applied to the surfaces to be treated using the electrostatic spraying method, according to which charged particles, when scattered, are attracted by a grounded metal disk.
Important! When spraying powder dye, the spray gun or gun should be located at a distance of approximately 30-50 cm from the surface to be treated.
Upon completion of paint application, the discs are subjected to special heat treatment (so-called “polymerization”), which ensures the melting of the protective layer and its reliable adhesion to the previously prepared coating.
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For this purpose, they are either placed in a home-made oven or subjected to high-temperature treatment using powerful electric heaters.
Plastidip: why is it needed?
“Plastidip” is a relatively new composition that is used to create a protective layer for parts on a temporary basis. They cover discs for long trips to the sea, on a business trip or hunting. Another advantage of the composition is the ability to change the color of the coating without removing previous layers of paint and varnish. PlastiDip is sold in a variety of colors, coming in both matte black and vibrant, expressive color ranges.
After painting, the discs are coated with a rubber-like compound, which effectively protects against damage from stones, branches, sand, etc., and is also quickly removed. It is enough to warm up the disk and pull one end to remove the “Plastidip”, the original layer will remain intact.
The dye is applied with your own hands, as it does not require complex preparation: sanding, putty, priming, degreasing, etc.
Plasi Dip painted disc
The user will need:
- Wash the discs thoroughly to remove dirt.
- The adjacent rubber is covered with tape.
- The product is applied in 3 layers, with an interval of 15 minutes between each layer to dry.
