Your wheel painting technique

[Great Lakes Greg]

My powder coat guy is out of business and I find myself in the position where I am going to have to paint some wheels. I have access to a wheel spinner and may build my own as well. So, how do you get in behind the spoke at the hub end? Any other tips on painting wheels, and kindly describe your home built wheel spinners if you have one.

[biggieou]

Where are you located? I just has my wheels powder coated and couldn't be happier with the results.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Great Lakes Greg]

I am in Jackson. There are other powder coat guys around, but their color chips are nowhere near Tacoma Cream. The place I used to go to had a stash of the right shade from the now defunct ModelAwheelcolors.com. A search on this site says Tiger RAL 1001 is a match, but it looks light brown to me. I would feel better just painting the right color.

[1931 flamingo]

Years ago (60's) three of us painted the wheels on my 32 4 door sedan with brushes in the back of the barracks. Red rustoleum on mounted wheels, oh yeah and at least a case of beer...........Came out good. One of the cars I wish I still had

[biggieou]

Originally Posted by Great Lakes Greg

I am in Jackson. There are other powder coat guys around, but their color chips are nowhere near Tacoma Cream. The place I used to go to had a stash of the right shade from the now defunct ModelAwheelcolors.com. A search on this site says Tiger RAL 1001 is a match, but it looks light brown to me. I would feel better just painting the right color.

Jackson, Ohio? My wheels are Tacoma Cream. Really happy with the results. I'll post a pic, but I don't think the pic does the true color justice. They look much more yellow in the pic then they are in person. I got the powder from modelawheelcolors.com

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[wrndln]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I have seen wheels slid onto a long pipe for painting. Then as the wheels are painted (both sides), you turn the wheels by only touching the place where the tires go. It looks like it would work well. I have 2 sets of 21" wheels that were powdercoated, but I am going to paint the next set. I plan to paint my wheel using the pipe method, even though our local club as a wheel rotator. The main problem with a rotator, like our club has in the tool loan program, is it only does one wheel at a time. With a long pipe, after painting a wheel, you can drag the painted wheel off to the side with a hook and paint more wheels on the pipe. The problem with powdercoating is most wheels have dings and flaws that need "filling". Supposedly J-B Weld is good to 500 to 600 degrees, but some of the J-B Weld sagged when the powdercoated wheels were baked, even though I told the powdercoater to cure them at the lowest possible temperature.
Rusty Nelson

[Afordman31]

Originally Posted by Great Lakes Greg

My powder coat guy is out of business and I find myself in the position where I am going to have to paint some wheels. I have access to a wheel spinner and may build my own as well. So, how do you get in behind the spoke at the hub end? Any other tips on painting wheels, and kindly describe your home built wheel spinners if you have one.

This is the technique I used to paint my wheels. I got the information from the Restorer book shown in the picture, page 23.
The wheel spinner is made out of scraps of wood, a thrust bearing, and a 1/4 inch bolt.
So far this was used on 10 Model A wheels and 5 1935 Ford wheels for my speedster.
You will see in the picture that there is seven different positions to paint a wheel. The first day paint the part of the rim that the inner tube touches and the inside of the hub. The next day when the paint is dry you can set the wheel on the spinner and turn it by touching the part where the tube covers. Then do the sequence shown in the picture. There is seven different positions to spray a wheel. I also made metal plugs to drop in the holes so you won't paint where the wheel lugs touch.
Hope this puts some light on your post!

[Chris Haynes]

http://www.modelawheelcolors.com/

[Hoogah]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I hesitate to post these photos because this is the most unprofessional get up imaginable, but this is how I sprayed my "new" spare wheel with a rattle can.
(. . . . ducks for cover!)

[Keith True]

The problem I always have with the idea of using a spinner is that I can only do one wheel at a time.I would have to guess,and mix up the DP 40 to shoot one wheel.Then do it all over four more times.Then for color go through the same thing again.I think that Restorer article was written when you could mix up some primer,use some,then put a piece of masking tape over the vent hole in the cup.Shake the cup the next day,pull the tape off and use it.Same thing with color.The last couple dozen wheels I painted I did on a long steel rod.I slide a half dozen wheels on a 20 foot piece of round bar stock and lay it between two stepladders.I spin them as needed with my finger.You do have to steer them as you spin,a one inch diameter bar will sag a lot with a few wheels on it.The little marring on the insides of the wheels from the bar seem to fill themselves in.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by Great Lakes Greg

I am in Jackson.

Jackson, Alabama
Jackson, California
Jackson, Georgia
Jackson, Idaho
Jackson, Indiana
Jackson, Ripley County, Indiana
Jackson, Kentucky
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson, Maine
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Missouri
Jackson, Nebraska
Jackson, New Hampshire
Jackson, Camden County, New Jersey
Jackson, New York
Jackson, North Carolina
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Jackson, Rhode Island
Jackson, South Carolina
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Washington
Jackson, Wisconsin (disambiguation)
Jackson, Wyoming

[TomballMottershaw]

Missed... Jackson county Texas hehe.

[Afordman31]

Originally Posted by Dick Steinkamp

Jackson, Alabama
Jackson, California
Jackson, Georgia
Jackson, Idaho
Jackson, Indiana
Jackson, Ripley County, Indiana
Jackson, Kentucky
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson, Maine
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Missouri
Jackson, Nebraska
Jackson, New Hampshire
Jackson, Camden County, New Jersey
Jackson, New York
Jackson, North Carolina
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Jackson, Rhode Island
Jackson, South Carolina
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Washington
Jackson, Wisconsin (disambiguation)
Jackson, Wyoming

Easy to figure out, Great Lakes Greg

[jwilliams81]

Originally Posted by Chris Haynes

http://www.modelawheelcolors.com/

Have you bought from them or used them?

I tried to buy powder from them and they took my money and didn't send me product. I called for 2 months leaving messages and emails. I finally filed a complaint with Paypal to get a refund. Then filed a report with the state attorney general.

If you used them and had great results I'm glad. But I didn't and wouldn't steer people to the company. My 2 cents.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by Afordman31

Easy to figure out, Great Lakes Greg

Good point.

We're down to...

Jackson, Wisconsin
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Ohio
Jackson, Pennsylvania
Jackson, New York
Jackson, Indiana

[biggieou]

Originally Posted by jwilliams81

Have you bought from them or used them?

I tried to buy powder from them and they took my money and didn't send me product. I called for 2 months leaving messages and emails. I finally filed a complaint with Paypal to get a refund. Then filed a report with the state attorney general.

If you used them and had great results I'm glad. But I didn't and wouldn't steer people to the company. My 2 cents.

I literally posted in here that I did. Great product.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Use the trigger handle on your spray can & the GOOD spray tips that makes a true FAN shaped spray!
In our REALLY POOR times, & poor wheels, Chief burned off the hard tires & the paint, on a bonfire. Then with a WIDE, CURLY old brush, I'd dab that old roofing tar from a silver, no label can, into the hidden areas, then "smooth" it out all over. Looked pretty good & didn't CHIP or RUST!
Bill W. (My spray can jobs looked as GOOD as POWDER COATING!)

[Fred K-OR]

Originally Posted by Hoogah

Necessity is the mother of invention. I hesitate to post these photos because this is the most unprofessional get up imaginable, but this is how I sprayed my "new" spare wheel with a rattle can.
(. . . . ducks for cover!)

I did almost the same thing as you did. Works great. Here is a picture.

[Hunter]

I concur with Rusty and Keith. I had borrowed a variable speed motor with a gear box and spend days building a contraction that would spin the wheels for me as I sprayed. What a total waste of time. I found that having them spin at a constant rate just didn't work for me.

So - I got a long piece of pipe and suspended it between two ladders like Keith. I spun the wheels by putting my fingers on the part of the wheel where the tire liners go. This worked well as I could go forwards, backwards, or just stop rotating them and take a look before proceeding.

It seems like painting wheels would be very difficult, but once you do one or two wheels you will wonder why you were worried about painting them.

Hunter

[3.6rs]

Originally Posted by Hoogah

Necessity is the mother of invention. I hesitate to post these photos because this is the most unprofessional get up imaginable, but this is how I sprayed my "new" spare wheel with a rattle can.
(. . . . ducks for cover!)

Simple, cheap and quick set up, but very effective !

[jwilliams81]

I hung mine from the garage rafters... then put up sheet plastic. Wore a respirator and used spray paint. Worked very well!

[dlshady]

This is a setup my Dad made back in the 70's and there's no telling how many wheels that have been painted on it over the years. You can manually rotate the wheel by touching it around the outer band and flip it from one side to the other so that you can get good coverage on both sides of the spokes. If you start to get a run, just rotate it around to allow the run to level itself out.

As some have pointed out, the problem with a setup like this is that you can only paint one wheel at a time. However, a one gallon paint can fits inside the center of the wheel perfectly so after you've painted one, lift it off the fixture and set it aside to dry on a gallon paint can while you get busy painting the next one. The benefit of that is you minimize the chances of getting overspray on the wheels you've already finished.













These are "T" wheels and the hub is too small for a gallon paint can so these are on quart cans, but you get the idea.

[28Ca8149]

I am painting six wheels this week and made a spinner from a Ford truck hub ,welded or bolted to a bar three feet long that is clamped to a saw horse. Get a hub with the old style breaks so you don't have a caliper to deal with studs 3 1/4 " apart Take every thing off that you don't need to make it lighter ,I then put the wheel on a horizontal pipe to finish the wheel where the tube goes and around the break drum

[28]

Great pics guys, keep em coming!

[Corley]

If on the west coast, just drop them off at a Les Swabb tire store, and for $50 a wheel, you get them back all cleaned up and powder coated in your choice of color.

[wmws]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I don't have any fancy turning rig. I just lay them on my painting saw horse paint one side, let it dry, turn it over and paint the other side. Job done.

[SSsssteamer]

I built a frame with a belt driven motorized wheel arbor to hold a wheel. I can paint all the sides of the wheel at one sitting, and with the wheel turning at one RPM, I don't get any paint runs at all. I have painted all of my cars' wheels from 14" thru 29" diameter wheels. Wood or metal wheels, it works for all of them. The arbor is powered by my variable speed drill motor. When not being used for spray painting, I use the wheel arbor for holding my wheels for sanding and other prep work. I have had powder coating done, but as said above, the prep work doesn't stand up to the baking in the oven.

[wrndln]

The problem with most of these paint rigs is you can paint only one wheel at a time. I don't like having to get my painting equipment out 5 times. I know most paint dries fairly quickly, but still... I prefer, like stated above, to paint ALL the rims in the same session using the long pipe method. Why make things harder than they need to be.
Rusty Nelson

[28Ca8149]

I have to paint 6 wheels for the FORDOR .I made a spinner using a old ford front hub I cut the brake drum off to make it lighter using a cut off disc . Attach it to a up right angle iron,30 " long and a T support at the bottom ,with two bolts 9/16x 3" .I hold the wheel with two Find thread bolts 1/2"x 3 1/4" screwed into the Stud nuts that are screwed on half way .Now paint the inside of the wheel, un bolt it ,turn it around and bolt it with a couple of stud nuts .Paint it on the out side .When done I slide it on a 1 1/4" pipe that is clamped to my hydraulic press,about 6 ft long to dry. You can use this spinner to check the wheel for straightness and sand blasting ect. Now is this clear as mud .Hope it makes sense .I have made a lot of tools for different things ,My moto is keep it simple stupid and that is harder to do then if you make it complicated To bad we couldn't be closer as it is lot of work for just 6 wheels .

[Terry, NJ]

I lived in Jackson, Ocean County for 35 years. I was chairman of the Board of Health, sat on the Planning , and Zoning boards and the Environmental commission. Jackson, at 104 sq. miles is the 3rd largest township in NJ. It is also the home of Six Flags, Great Adventure. and Switlick Parachute. I met Stanley Switlick before he died. It is also the site of one of the first Nuclear accidents. In 1961, A Nuclear warhead caught fire and melted. We had two kilos of plutonium ready to go critical on that small piece of Maguire AFB that's in Jackson. Jackson also was known for Cassville, The site of the largest enclave of White Russian emigrees in NJ and the burial place of nine Generals of the white Russian army and Igor Sikorski who was a leading power behind ROVA farms. So, when compared to Jackson NJ, all other jacksons pale to insignificance.
Terry

[fredski53]

Seems to me a lot of people are overthinking the fine art of painting wheels!!!

[Purdy Swoft]

I paint mine mounted to a front axle with hubs installed . I set the axle up on the end of a table that is narrower than the axle so that I can get to both sides of the wheels .

[flatford39]

I have a model a spindle and hub welded to a 2" piece of pipe I made a stand for. The base was a screwed up wheel. the wheel is at chest height and I can spin it freely and access both sides. Works real good.

[Lizzidman]

I have 1935 Ford welded spoke 16” wheels.
They are very clean after bead blasting.
My Powder Coat guy said to be wary of wheels where the spokes touch where they cross, as the 35 welded spoke wheels do.
After powder coating slight movement will crack the powder coat at the cross point.
He said guys keep a close watch and spray CRC if needed.
Any experience of this?
Regards from Dave.

[J Franklin]

I paint on top of old wire rabbit cages my wife had laying around. They are about 3' tall. I can get 3-4 wheels on one and there is no overspray or spatter because of the wire. I spray outdoors.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Lizzidman

I have 1935 Ford welded spoke 16” wheels.
They are very clean after bead blasting.
My Powder Coat guy said to be wary of wheels where the spokes touch where they cross, as the 35 welded spoke wheels do.
After powder coating slight movement will crack the powder coat at the cross point.
He said guys keep a close watch and spray CRC if needed.
Any experience of this?
Regards from Dave.

Dave, first let me welcome you to Fordbarn.

-second, next time consider starting a new post instead of resurrecting one from over 5 years ago that was about a different topic. It will make it much easier to search when someone else might have a similar concern such as your yours.

-and third, find yourself a different powderpainter. It sounds like your painter is planning on applying too much powder which will likely have adhesion problems as time goes on. If the MIL thickness is thinner, the plastic will flex with the metal and not have any issues of cracking or popping loose.