Page 1 of 1

got one of my rims painted today.....but a little conflicted

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:09 pm
by themadness
i finished up painting my first wheel today. while the process went smooth and the final result was satisfactory, the color is alot darker than it was out off the can. the clear coat seems to be the culprit. i was hoping for a bright shine very similar to the original but got more of a gun metal look. will polishing them up after a few days bring them up a little?

the cell phone pic doesnt do it justice but you kinda see the difference in the front and back wheel.

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:22 pm
by DTMAce
Well, you can't achieve the look of polished aluminum with paint unfortunately. But they don't look bad I guess.

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:30 pm
by themadness
yea they dont look that bad but i was expecting something a lot lighter. its obviously not gonna shine like the orignals but i'm split on the gunmetal look. i REALLY dont want to start over. the worst part is i'm going to have to ride with one done and the rest struggling until i get time for the rest!

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:15 pm
by berettaboi
that's really flat... that is paint right, not the peel off deal? more clear coat. maybe a different kind... there is no sheen there!

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 12:27 am
by #1 stunna
I think it looks good ... its different . I think a small white bowtie emblem in the centercap would be kinda cool

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:40 am
by themadness
berettaboi wrote:that's really flat... that is paint right, not the peel off deal? more clear coat. maybe a different kind... there is no sheen there!

yup its paint. duplicolor primer, wheel coating, and clear coat so there isnt a difference in brands. it does have a gloss but no reflective qualities at all. i'm going to try an experiment with one of the other center caps today. if that doesnt get me the result i want then i am stripping it and starting over. :evil: i emailed duplicolor to see if they can help. i want to get the brightest reflection i can get as close to the original as possible. looking from a distance this morning the wheel just looks dirty.

i thought about going black but i dont know how those gtu wheels will look... :unknown:

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:11 am
by 3X00-Modified
If there is no shine or reflective quality then you applied the paint incorrectly and didn't get enough coverage. You misted the wheel too much so your seeing droplets that dried rather than a smooth sheet of paint.

Clear will always richen up a color so if it looks like gray aluminum bare you will get a different color with the clear applied. I noticed anything thats a metallic silver paint will drastically change when you apply clear coat to it. Rather than resembling a shiny aluminum it will turn to a metal flake style paint look.

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:21 am
by themadness
3X00-Modified wrote:If there is no shine or reflective quality then you applied the paint incorrectly and didn't get enough coverage. You misted the wheel too much so your seeing droplets that dried rather than a smooth sheet of paint.

Clear will always richen up a color so if it looks like gray aluminum bare you will get a different color with the clear applied. I noticed anything thats a metallic silver paint will drastically change when you apply clear coat to it. Rather than resembling a shiny aluminum it will turn to a metal flake style paint look.
from what i have been reading this morning i may have too much clear coat. which like you said, changed it drastically. i'm pretty sure i got enough coverage with 3 good coats. when it came from the can it had a metal flake look too it.

is a clear coat really an absolute must? i did 2 coats of clear and a light dust before i called a day.

maybe try the "chrome" to see if it comes out a little brighter. the gloss doesnt bother me so much as the wheel just looks......dirty :(

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:26 am
by 3X00-Modified
what do you mean a light dust? If you lightly sprayed clear on thats your problem. Clear needs to go on nice and smooth and glass like, you can't let it dry in between either.

Clear is not a must, but being spray paint it will not resist chemical stains without some other protective coat, so your gambling with it. Hell even the clear is possibly susceptible to wheel cleaner discoloring it. As woody said in another thread there are really only two ways to do it to last, and a spray can really isn't one of them.

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:32 am
by themadness
i did 2 heavy coats of clear about 15 mins apart then one light coat about 15 mins later.

if the paint last a year i can live with that but i want to be exactly like i want it. no point in riding something you arent proud of. of course powder coating is better but its not in the budget. hell i would love to chrome these damn things!

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:34 am
by 3X00-Modified
themadness wrote:then one light coat about 15 mins later.
This is probably your issue... you would have to wet sand and buff them to get the clear finish back.

Re: got one of my rims painted today.....but a little confli

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:47 am
by themadness
one coat of just paint versus the wheel from yesterday