powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Hi Folks – looking for some advice/opinions once again.

I sent my wheels for powder coating. Prior to powder coating, they looked very good. The paint was chipped in spots, and a little rust but overall they were smooth and actually looked nearly new.

Well – they look 80 years old now. And I’m just trying to figure out if the powder coaters story has merit:

They have admitted they should have called me when they stripped them. 1 wheel is pitted to the point I would not use it (structural). 3 wheels are heavily pitted (just look bad). 1 wheel is not too bad, and the other wheel looks brand new.

They stated they were rusting under the paint, even though the paint showed no issues. I did try scraping paint from the wheels to have chips for color match and could not easily scrape any paint from the wheels.
I thought maybe the previous owner did a lot of filler work prior to painting, and the blasting process removed it – but the spokes are pitted now and could not imagine anyone doing bodywork on spokes!

And I am the paranoid type – I did not mark the wheels, and the owner of this shop had a Model A he was restoring. I originally thought these can’t be my wheels!

So to relieve my paranoia, is it possible for the wheels to be badly pitted under the paint and the paint to not show it? My experience has been when there is rust under paint, the paint bubbles or breaks free. I did not see this except for where there were chips.

Also – what are my options besides replacing the pitted wheels (I know – picture is worth a thousand words – will post a couple pics later)? I can buy new wheels, and they have already agreed to powder coat an additional 4 wheels for $45 apiece (I’m not the best negotiator…..) but new wheels are quite pricey. I could look at some used wheels, but is there a way to hide some of the pitting and re-powder coat? I guess I’m looking for the most cost effective solution to make them “passable”.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

My first thought was your wheels got switched. I guess it pays to make some little mark on the inner tube area of the rim and take a picture of it, so you know you get your own wheels back. You can spend many hours per wheel to cover over pits in the rim and spokes. I'd look for better wheels and paint them yourself.

Near this area it is $40 to blast and powdercoat each wheel.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Wow, bummer. On the one hand, IF your wheels were structurally not sound, the guy did you a favor by revealing such. On the other hand ,if the guy is the type human that would take your wheels and substitute his crappy set, he did you wrong. Problem is you did not mark your wheels for positive id and there is now no way, other than suspicion that he may have done wrong. Check on his business to see if good or bad rep, something that should be done beforehand, eh !
I'd count my loss and move on, if you can not prove anything foul was afoot !! And, I'd most likely use another powder coater, if you do not trust this guy. Good luck.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Yes, you can have wonderful looking paint and pure rust underneath.

I needed to practice (well still need more) painting a gas tank. So I did almost nothing to a fairly pitted messed up gas tank (it would leak as fast as you put gas in) and laid down some lacquer filling primer I had laying around and sanded smooth. Then painted. Tank looks nice even years later.

The rust under the paint is a long term issue. It all hinges on how much moisture is locked up in the layers and how much can get through the paint. Yes some (mostly older) paints are porous over a longer time frame. The rust will expand and push the paint out. The other issue is rust is not well adhered to the metal and the paint is adhered to the rust.

Ask around you may find a decent set of rims local. For evaluation I suggest you take a correct original lug nut with you. The lug nut should not be able to stick through to the back side. If the counter sinks are worn that will play some into the value of the rims and you will be ok getting the special washers to fix the problem.

I suggest that any rims you end up with that you sand the backside of the wheels where they touch the brake drum. Any paint here will wear off and cause the nuts to get loose. Any uneven application of powder coat (very likely) will warp your drum significantly.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

If it was an honest service they would have called you before powder coating badly pitted wheels .

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Pits are a pain with powdercoating. Sanding them smooth and having another coat applied is about all you can do. The powdercoating that remains in your pits helps smooth them out.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

agree strongly with Dennis,
after sandblasting they would have called you if the wheels were that bad..

you would have seen issues with your paint being the wheels were that bad and to the point of a structural issue.

sounds like you got screwed,, baited you in and switched

if you need a good pc'er i have one in bucks county that u can trust...

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

If you would like to take the time, you could sand the wheels a bit, spot putty the pits, sand smooth primer & paint them with a good urethane base coat-clear coat.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

What do his wheels look like? Were they done at the very time yours were? It might give you a clue as to what might have been done. Your wheels could have been blasted and the pits filled by the previous owner and not had rust at all. The coater should have apprised you though.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

PM sent

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

I had my wheels blasted and then filled in all the pits with plastic filler(bondo) I then primed and painted them,40 plus years ago,still look good.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Sorry to hear what happened.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Thanks guys.

I'm trying to believe nothing unscrupulous happened, but I am just not sure how to tell. Do wish I marked them. By the amount of some of the pitting, it is just hard to believe the paint could hide it. But maybe it did, and maybe these are my wheels.

I am trying to meet with the owner for at least a partial refund. Should have been called after they were stripped, and no excuse for that. Figure I got screwed, and time to walk away in best position possible. The outfit I used did have good reviews so I never expected to be in this position.

I will offer 4 of these wheels for sale - they are quite usable, just not on a show car and that is what my wife wants. Lug nut seats are not wallowed out, and spokes are straight. One is heavily pitted :( Will post up later with pics in the classified/stuff for sale forum. pm me if you got an interest.

Any lead on 4 good shape 19" wheels would be greatly appreciated. Any opinions on the replacement wheels Snyders sells would also be appreciated.

Thanks again - I really appreciate you guys being out there :)

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Something isn't right here. Powder coating is not rocket science. I have 3 sets of 16" wires that were PC with no issues. For what it's worth, the guy I use always calls me if there are any questions. If it were I, I would demand either a full refund or have the wheels returned stripped to bare metal.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Your experience has been my experience! The metal rots away under the PC and gives you no sign until total failure. It is especially evident on truck bodies and boat trailers. Go to a marina and carefully examine the old used trailers and here and there you'll find pieces of the frame where the metal is gone and theres a perfect envelope of PC encasing ........Nothing! My advice is stick to paint.
Terry

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Terry if you read the original post his wheel were painted and not powder coated.

and i never had your experience if the pc job is done correctly with properly repaired metal...
rust can happen under any surface paint or pc..

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Just a quick update. Had a good meeting this morning. Went into it loaded for bear, but was totally floored when they stated WE OWE YOU NEW WHEELS!!!!!

So - we are working thru the details of new wheels. Also complete refund for work performed. They will of course keep my old wheels in exchange for helping me out with the new wheels.

At the moment - I am happy. They want the opportunity to make this right. Will post how this turns out (got my fingers crossed).

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

why did they offer to buy you new wheels?
what are they admitting?
something is not KOSHER

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

You might do a little research on the "new" wheels. I would prefer the original ones.

Charlie Stephens

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

This could be a good outcome. But if they do find you nice replacement wheels, I would check them for straight before they powder coat them. Just a thought. Good luck with them.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Call me paranoid but if I was the business owner and I blasted the wheels I was brought I would discount at the least and more likely refund the total cost of blasting and coating, but to help find new wheels makes me suspicious that there is something else going on. I have blasted, glass beaded and painted and powder coated more wire wheels than I can remember and even with the ones covered in rust you could tell
how pitted they were going to be. If the wheels looked good before blasting
I don't see how they could hide enough rust to be severely pitted without knowing going in.

Reminds me of a saying "Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean there not out to get me"

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Sounds like the "coater" got caught with his hands in the cookie jar, by keeping the "good wheels" for his own rig and passing off crap to the customer and hoping no one would notice. Now he's trying to cover up for his transgression.

I could be wrong. (I usually am!)

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Maybe your "new" wheels will be your old wheels.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Hey! you guys are making me nervous :)

I'll post a complete followup on this when I am made whole. I kind of kept it a little vague in case they are reading this. Hopefully this will end up a positive experience.

I appreciate all your thoughts - helped me prepare for this mornings meeting and to be centered in what I wanted to come out of this happy.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Actually - they are allowing me to buy the wheels, and I will ride shotgun through the process.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

sounds like you have nothing to lose at this point-good for you.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

That's true. I believe he lost his good wheels in round one.:mad:

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

IN my area, the blaster and powder coater are two differnt vendors. I once had a set of wheels and other parts blasted and then the blaster send to the Powder Coater. Bubbled and rusted in less than a year. Was ultimately a very poor blasting job. Now I inspect every part before I send to the powder coater.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

The powder coater I used sandblasts then primes with polyester primer, powdercoats and bakes to cure. That's his process and it stands up well. If there are pits you need to fill them with something that will take the baking heat so I don't think regular Bondo or lacquer based putty will take the heat. I have seen items like garden carts that do not get primed and are just powdercoated over bare steel and they peel away in a few months, cleaning and priming is important.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Yep, I hope it works out , it sounds like there's at least hope. Although I have no problem with powder coating, I am surprised that no one has commented on PC wheels for a "show car" that the OP's wife wants. We've had quite a lot of threads on that subject and I'll side with the group that goes for nice looking wheels on a driver, paint as close to original as possible on a show car.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

I tossed out that show car term a little too loosely.

Not Blue Ribbon Model A - just local or regional classic/antique shows.

Looking for the wheels to be smooth and pretty.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

I have a friend that does powder coating. He said sometime something comes in and is pretty rusty like wheels. Instead of blasting he dips them and converts the rust. And then coats them. He said they allways look good. And had had no problems with them.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

All Paint can be removed and it is about 40 hours of filling and sanding to get them to show ready. Use Urethane enamel and this is how it was done before on your wheels to make them smooth. The reason I do not like Powder on wheels is you must have really good wheels to get a good job and even then some orange peel is usually found.
Sanding wheels is no fun but the end result is the best. Do not sell them if they have good holes and good spokes as you will have trouble finding better ones to restore

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Its always hard to tell how deep the rust goes before blasting, I have been surprised both
ways. Sometimes the rust does't look too bad but after blasting is very pitted. The sign
over the door at the blaster we go to says "we shall reveal the truth" amen.
Powder coating also makes a good base if you want to fill and paint also.
When we strip a car down completely to make a race car out of it we powder coat it
with the roll cage and all modifications done. Then we use the powder coat on the outside for a base and paint over it.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

That is great!!!!

Did they give you a dollar amount ? If you don't have a show car maybe you can workout something for the new wheels that are sold. Split the cost in some way.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Something is fishy. If the wheels were pitted and they are truly your wheels, why would they OWE you new ones? If I did the wheels and neglected to call at most I would not charge for the work I did. Assuming I didn't switch them.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

exactly

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Good questions. Still waiting on the refund to show on my credit card so I am a little unsure where this is going.

In a nutshell, the older gentleman who made the offer of the wheels seemed concerned that they simply took my wheels and blasted away. Made a comment they must have had much filler in them, and if they had gently and slowly stripped and found filler, they could have refinished them with a painting process instead. He agreed that the cost of fixing these wheels far exceeded the cost of new wheels. He also agreed that I could not put 5 of the 6 wheels back on my car - they were ruined for my use.

He was not the owner, and I am very concerned the owner can nix the deal that we do have in writing.

This is a large facility - does much more than powder coating. Unfortunately my wheels were done on second shift. The powder coating supervisor was "disgusted" by my wheels and we agreed he would redo the new wheels himself.

Again - keeping vague until resolution. I truly hope to be in a position where I can post that this turned out well for me.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

Oh. Just realized you're, kinda, a neighbor. When all the smoke clears, good or bad, put up the shops name.

Re: powder coating - did not turn out well, could use some thoughts
 

You betcha! Shops name will be posted upon completion. It will either be a glowing review of customer service, or ......... well, lets hope that does not happen!