dfreder371

But first, I need some help from you guys. First, sorry I have no pictures because I do not have a scanner at home. The pictures come from a magazine article in Powder Coating magazine, March 2003. Their website is www.pcoating.com. If you are at all interested in CHROME PLATING, you will be interested in this.

Someone who has a good copy of adobe acrobat (mine is flawed), please visit the website and click under the first link right under the cover pictured, and all who visit there, please reply to me if you SAW the pictures, or not.

I CAN scan the article at work tomorrow, and send it home to this computer. Assuming most of you, like me, do NOT get the article and/or pictures, then, I need to know, in a relative hurry about how to post my file of the pictures here on this posting station. I have never posted a picture.

Plating is a dirty, rotten business that does our ecology no good whatsoever. In fact, if you said to yourself, "I think I will start a plating business" guess what? Fat chance of that happening.

Platers that can do chrome are becoming few and far between, and because of that, those who just have to have chrome get the gun placed to their head, pricewise, as there is under capacity in the plating market-hence, the platers command the pricing structure.

Chrome plating is tricky to do-espescially wheels. Just throwing an anode and a cathode in a tank doesn't work. Void areas, like between the spokes won't coat properly, electrodes need to be placed "just so". More of an art than an industrial process.

We have for several years had a "chrome" powder coating, but the effect was more like pewter. No reflection, no DOI (distinctness of image). This new powder coat a base coat/cure in an over/vapor deposition of the chrome/cure in an oven/ apply a protective clear powder coating (like you already HAVE on your wheels)/and cure in an oven LOOKS LIKE CHROME!

Furthermore, the physical properties of the new powder coat system easily equals and in most cases exceeds the durability of chrome, and is less labor intensive. Explained in the article, is that chroming begins with a layer of copper (which for metals, is considered to be a "sticky" surface for the next TWO to EIGHT layers of nickle to be applied. Then, the top coat of chrome is applied, but that chrome soon "mudcracks" to form little platelets, which disengage from each other-that's the reason for the nickle-it looks like chrome.

Sorry about the lenght of this note, and I doubt this new technology will benefit us by tomorrow, as there is one sole applicator of this new technology, and their capacity is limited to 1,000 wheels per month and GM, Ford and Chrysler are all over these guys for PAID samples ( the auto companies almost NEVER pay for samples.

But give these guys a try. They are: Goodrich Technology, Pittsburgh, CA. 925.432.7782. Or: www.goodrichtechnology.com. Maybe that last web address will save me the picture posting task. Honest to god guys, this looks like chrome, and should be far more durable.

And if you do get lucky, and these guys will do your wheels, remember to remove those old wheel weights before shipping.

AK_MOBBER

Ok guys heres some pics that ___^ is talking about. These guys really know their stuff!! I never thought powerdercoating would be able to do chrome that actually looked like chrome instead of bumpy powercoating.
I think I will contact them when I need by product chromed. Do these guys sell stock? I am willing to bet that you could make quite a bit of money by investing in these guys.

anyway heres the pic

Mother of Pearl Finish

Classic Chrome Finish

Black Pearl Finish

Nicky Pass

I like the black pearl ALOT!!!!!

dfreder371

You guys, know what? I have the exact, same feeling. Investing in these guys mighjt be the right thing to do.

CL®

hey dfreder370, i have a couple of questions.

i am planning on powerdercoating the inside of the rim grey, as well as the windows of the rim, remachining and reclearcoating the outer rim area (because of curb damage and so forth).

with your experience, what things should i be aware of regarding powdercoating the rims? maybe some details i can tell him to ensure he is using the best materials and so forth?

dfreder371

AK and CL:

AK; thanks! you saved me a ton of work! And yes, they do look nice.

CL: Assuming you are NOT going with this new technology, there is nothing wrong with present powder coating technology. Recommemded chemistries are either polyester, polyester/polyurethane, polyester TGIC (the best for toughness and outdoor weathering), or acrylic. Do NOT use epoxy! Although epoxy is the best at stopping corrosion, it will chalk and fade in ultraviolet light.

Find a good contract powder coating shop and pick your powder(s). Make ABSOLUTELY SURE the job shop understands you want the wheels to be fully cured. Full cure cannot be understressed!

Most cure schedules say something like "cure at 375f for ten minutes AFTER the part reaches full metal temperature". For a 15 pound wheel, this means more like 45 minutes to one hour.

For that reason, it might behoove you to find a job shop that has a "batch" oven, where they can apply the powder, put it in an oven, and wait. If your wheels are done on a moving conveyor, I doubt the coater will slow the line up enough to accomidate your wheels, while slowing up his high volume output.

You will be happy with powder coating. After all, your wheels already are powder coated! Shout back if you need more advice.

dfreder371

Nicky: I had you pegged for the black pearl. That's not hard to figure, seeing you went for antricite the last time.

AK_MOBBER

dfreder370,
thats some good info you got there thanks for sharing. I have seen powdercoating a few times and I always thought it was just for durability. Trace engineering uses powdercoating on their line of inverters and its tough stuff!

I was kinda wondering if the pics were gonna work because they are hosted through my DSL connection.

My favorite is the mother of pearl finish(first pic). The site says it's like chrome with a tint of champange. It would look THE BOMB on a silver car. The black pearl finish would look completly badass on my black TL!
Any idea how much these people charge? probably a lot considering they are getting so much interest from big companies.

CL®

thanks for the 411. i am definately going to powdercoat the windows and the inside rim a darker gray, its going to look hot.

i believe he has an oven. i will talk more thoughly with him about his procedure and materials.

moomaster_99

They are in Pittsburg, CA...Bay Area near Concord. Does this mean we could get our chrome shift plates at a reasonable cost now????

X3.2CLSX

is this only in a select place? or would a place in Miami do this as well? I would like to chrome some part on the engine.

dfreder371

First to AK, and then to all: AK, thanks again! I am getting a lot of response on this. This technology is more common in Europe, than it is here, and the only reason it is surfacing here, is that an entrapeneur from the US saw this in Europe, and saw the potential. He risked about $5,000,000 to start the technology in the US. Smart guy.

I powder coat for a living for ITW (Illinois Tool Works, a company of about 55,000 people.) I am not "blowing my horn", but I want you all to know that as a protective AND a decorative paint, powder coating blows almost all finishes away, except military ones, and only because the military has the "good stuff" in their paint by national exemption. I'm talking about our "friends" lead, cadimum, etc.

I will call and talk to the owner of this firm tomorrow, and will ask him about his favorability to doing small orders for you folks. But I am predicting that he will be so swamped he will either reject the notion, or say he will have to charge a premium. I will also ask him for sample cupons, so you can test them yourself.

Let me call him, not you. If I can convince him there is a large aftermarket crowd, he may make room for you. This is touchy, because working with GM, Ford, et al, he has a certain degree of incoming quality to expect. Used wheels? That is another matter.

The powder coating part, steps one and three, are childs play. The vapor deposition equipment is not touchy, industrially, but boy, is it expensive! .5 to 1 million$. I would guess that $500 to $800 would be what is needed to do four rims for punks like us. In mass, $15 per wheel for GM would probably fly. Gimme some time, I will post tomorrow.

Just to give you an Idea of relative strength of paint:

Powder coating=2 ply correguated cardboard. Solvent based liquid paint=printer paper. Water based=toilet paper.

dfreder371

X3.2, and everybody else: X, as far as I know, goodrich is the sole coating facility in the U.S. But, I spoke to him three times today. I have news, in my opinion, very good news. Since we are now on page three, I am going to do an update so we are on page one. I'm even going to ask the moderator to make this a "sticky". Here is a teaser: It looks like it is a good 50/50 chance that my wheels (stock) will be coated-I might be the guinea pig!