Anyone paint their rims? I have the electric blue 2007 ninja :). Thinking of changing the rim color

Although I don't have a pregen, I've been thinking of painting mines as well. Want to pant them a fluorescent yellow!

Paint - nope.

I just finished powder coating these SV rims for a local racer -

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q28/jverg/Misc/d92b7627-440d-4d33-87af-cb28f8923379_zps53b66ead.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/jverg/media/Misc/d92b7627-440d-4d33-87af-cb28f8923379_zps53b66ead.jpg.html)

You really don't want to paint items like wheels - paint just doesn't have the durability that's needed on parts that get a lot of abuse (like when changing tires). When done properly, powder coating is far superior.

Jay
www.apexcustomcoating.com

Paint - nope.

I just finished powder coating these SV rims for a local racer -

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q28/jverg/Misc/d92b7627-440d-4d33-87af-cb28f8923379_zps53b66ead.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/jverg/media/Misc/d92b7627-440d-4d33-87af-cb28f8923379_zps53b66ead.jpg.html)

You really don't want to paint items like wheels - paint just doesn't have the durability that's needed on parts that get a lot of abuse (like when changing tires). When done properly, powder coating is far superior.

Jay
www.apexcustomcoating.com


Those are pretty!

Powdercoated mine a while back.

Cool yellow Jay!

Painting will hold for a long time. Did my car rims and pregen ones. But the paint can only last so long and can flake over time. I got mine powdercoated orange when I changed my tires.

Those look great guys! I'm thinking of a newer one next year or even a r6. So I don't want to spend a ton a powder coating

Painting will hold for a long time. Did my car rims and pregen ones. But the paint can only last so long and can flake over time. I got mine powdercoated orange when I changed my tires.

Paint really shouldn't flake if it's prepped properly. Chipping is from impact, flaking is from a lack of adhesion.

The basic composition of paint is significantly different than powder - even though they look almost exactly the same.

Paint requires solvents in order to be able to be applied, and it takes time for the solvents to evaporate. As it dries/cures the paint contracts and solvents are released through the coating. That leaves micro voids in the paint that make it easy to fracture.

Powder doesn't have solvents, and when heated flows into the blast/surface texture (if you've prepped it properly) - gripping the surface. Heating of the powder creates a chemical reaction that causes the base to "crosslink" - locking all the elements together. That's why it doesn't chip like paint.

I was trained as a painter and worked in the industry for over 10 years, but was always disappointed with the lack of durability of even the best wet paints and epoxy primers on parts that were exposed to any amount of abuse - like wheels. That was one of the main reasons I got into powder coating - it gives a similar look but way more durability.

For anyone pricing powder coating, expect to pay about $100 ea to have a wheel prepped and coated by a professional Custom Coater.

Your orange rims look nice BTW.

Those are pretty!

Cool yellow Jay!
Thanks guys - they are growing on me...

They are going on a blue SV race bike. I'm hoping to get some photos when he has it all together, and I'll post them if I do.

Yes please!

This thread is making me want to powder coat the wheels for my 636...

Paint really shouldn't flake if it's prepped properly. Chipping is from impact, flaking is from a lack of adhesion.

The basic composition of paint is significantly different than powder - even though they look almost exactly the same.

Paint requires solvents in order to be able to be applied, and it takes time for the solvents to evaporate. As it dries/cures the paint contracts and solvents are released through the coating. That leaves micro voids in the paint that make it easy to fracture.

Powder doesn't have solvents, and when heated flows into the blast/surface texture (if you've prepped it properly) - gripping the surface. Heating of the powder creates a chemical reaction that causes the base to "crosslink" - locking all the elements together. That's why it doesn't chip like paint.

I was trained as a painter and worked in the industry for over 10 years, but was always disappointed with the lack of durability of even the best wet paints and epoxy primers on parts that were exposed to any amount of abuse - like wheels. That was one of the main reasons I got into powder coating - it gives a similar look but way more durability.

For anyone pricing powder coating, expect to pay about $100 ea to have a wheel prepped and coated by a professional Custom Coater.

Your orange rims look nice BTW.

Thank you. And sorry should clarify. My rims would chip from road rock hitting them, whenever I installed new tires the outer rim would chip off. Like you said its all about prep etc. But even the best prep for paint cant withstand a rock hitting it.

I think the powder coating for my rims was about 150. And its very strong stuff. Changed my tires twice without anything chipping. Its more money and more effort to get them powder coated. Need to have the bike down, tires taken off and other things brakes and bearings taken off. Then after the bearings, brakes, sprockets etc put back on. I did all the disassembly and reassembly so jkv45 is right, for someone to do it for you will be over 100 each for everything.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=162045

plastidip.. if you don't like it you can peel it off and choose another color..

Plastidip is pretty limited in colors tho. I think I paid $300 for mine and I had a shop do it when I bought new tires through them. So the $300 included removing tires, sprocket, rotor, bearings etc and then reinstalling labor. I just dropped them off the wheels. If I did all that myself and dropped off bare wheels it would have been a good bit cheaper.

(SNIP) I did all the disassembly and reassembly so jkv45 is right, for someone to do it for you will be over 100 each for everything.
Actually that's just the cost to prep and coat each rim, not including any additional work required.

Doing it right isn't quick or easy. There are plenty of things that need to be done properly to get a good job - how are they removing the original coating? Blasting a quality OEM finish, or powder coating, off can be very difficult and usually requires coarse media at high pressures - which can damage an aluminum part. Using a "Burn-off oven" is worse, and unsafe for any heat treated or structural aluminum parts like wheels. Chemical stripping is best. How do they prep after blasting? There's residue left from blasting that needs to be removed - just blowing with high pressure air won't do it. Pressure washing and scrubbing are often required to remove it, but many shops just blow it off and go...If they do that they are also missing another step - pretreatment. Pretreatment, or conversion coating, cleans the surface and chemically builds a thin inert layer bonded to the metal, increasing corrosion protection and adhesion for the powder.

There are places that will coat rims for $50 and a 6-pack, but they are usually doing it "on the side" in a production facility. Problem with that is their equipment is set-up for thin sheetmetal parts that heat-up quickly. A larger/heavier part like a wheel takes 10x as long to reach the proper temp. Once it reaches the proper cure temp it needs to stay there for a set amount of time. A heavy part running though a production oven on a conveyor will still flow out and look OK, but it's not fully cured - which kills durability.

Around $100 ea is about right for a pro shop that specializes in custom coating - if they do everything they need to give you a quality job. Don't be afraid to ask about their process before having work done.

That's some good info. I never knew that there was that much to the powder coating process.

and here i was expecting pics of a rimjob :eek:

I have powder-coated rims but I wanted to do a couple more sets and the prices people are asking locally are ridiculous.

Sorry. I'll repaint them ten times before I spend thousands on this. :rolleyes:

Orange rotors on the ninja, orange spokes on the bicycle and both have orange decals. Everyone seems to like my matching setup.

I can't say I'm a fan of blue so its hard for me to think of anything beside more blue or black as a secondary color. Some Rossi yellow could look cool though.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p596/rojoracing53/FF71C36B-A2C4-4C82-A8C8-E7098EAA6D79_zpsrmovgb9c.jpg

I have powder-coated rims but I wanted to do a couple more sets and the prices people are asking locally are ridiculous.

Sorry. I'll repaint them ten times before I spend thousands on this. :rolleyes:

powder coat them yourself. it is not expensive. most expensive part is a good air compressor. you can find old ovens with broken stove tops on craigslist all day for less than $50. and a basic powder coating setup can be had from eastwood or harbor freight for pretty cheap (under $100)

don't skimp on powder though. buy good powder.

Interesting. Is it easy to obtain something close to Kawi Green?

Power requirements? I happen to be having an outdoor outlet installed tomorrow for an electric pet fence and it happens to be right near my previously powerless workspace. :)

they dont require much. the compressor requires the most power. it's not like a welder or something.

I have powder-coated rims but I wanted to do a couple more sets and the prices people are asking locally are ridiculous.

Sorry. I'll repaint them ten times before I spend thousands on this. :rolleyes:
Thousands? How much are we talking? For a basic in-stock color, most will be around $100 ea.

Unless you are planning to learn what is necessary to properly prep and coat your wheels, you are far better off having it done professionally. There's a big learning curve to it. It's not like wet painting where you can see your progress as you go. Powder goes on dry, then flows with heat. Most of the time you can't tell if you have the correct amount on the part by looking - it takes time and experience.

Doing a wheel yourself isn't a great idea IMO. Typical home ovens are pretty tight for a wheel - if they even fit. The other issue is the open heating elements - which cause problems and are generally a bad idea. All professional ovens are convection, so the heating elements are not near the part and the temp is consistent everywhere in the oven. Being close to an open element can produce temps in the 800 degree range, messing up the powder and possibly compromising the strength of the wheel. If it's not done properly, powder isn't going to be any more durable than paint. If it is done properly, powder is over twice as durable as any paint available for refinishing.

I may be able to find you a good custom coater in your area. I'll PM you the info if I do.

If you are doing multiple rims the same color at the same time it may reduce the cost also.


Jay
www.apexcustomcoating.com

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_26I2gvl17wA/RlN2Q14C9cI/AAAAAAAAAoI/3CekXVw-7gk/s400/rollin-on-dubs.jpg