Rim refinishing

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maury
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Rim refinishing

#1

Post by maury »

1975 GL1000
Had the rims powder coated several years ago and I'm not pleased with how that's held up. The bright silver has turned darker grey in areas and when I've tried to polish, it remains the gray along with then the areas surrounding it that were polished as well. Almost like the bright silver color was just on the very surface.

What's the best way to refinish?
1. Powder coat (been there, done that).
2. Anodizing?
3. Chrome?
4. Polishing? I've seen where someone here has had a service for polishing the rims but is no longer providing that service. How difficult is it to polish the rims?

How were the rims finished out of the factory?
75 GL1000
76 GL1000 LTD
2019 DCT Airbag Tour
Austin, Texas
pjlogue
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Re: Rim refinishing

#2

Post by pjlogue »

If I remember correctly, the stock rims on the '75 were 40 spoke anodized aluminum alloy. Since you had them powder coated, the powder coat has to be removed. The old style aircraft paint remover would work, all be it slowly. The new "eco friendly" aircraft paint remover probably would be a real a real pain. Sand blasting would remove the coating but leave a dull finish. If you can get the powder coating off without sandblasting, I would have the rims vapor blasted. (Vapor blasting will remove any remaining anodizing still on the rim) This will leave a satin finish. I would follow up and use Diamond Coat clear as a final finish so the rims will last a long time and look close to the way they were as stock.

You could have them re-anodized as well but that would start to be quite expensive. Polishing is also a option but again, you have to remove all the powder coat and original anodizing before polishing and any blemishes in the aluminum need to be touched up as well.

Someone else here may have gone down this road before and have a better suggestion. The vapor blasting route for me would seem to be the best and least expensive solution.

-P.
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Rednaxs60
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Re: Rim refinishing

#3

Post by Rednaxs60 »

Agree. Have the rims sand blasted then vapour blasted. Leaves a satin finish as mentioned. After vapour blasting would take some polishing compound and bring the rims to a high shine. Not much will stick to the new finish. I did this and found a CERAKOTE product MC5100 for all types of aluminum finishes such as vapour blasting, polished, etc. Have had it on polished surfaces for a year now and the parts are still highly polished, no tarnishing. Easy to clean with a damp rag.

This picture is an injector holder and manifold intake for my '85 Limited Edition. It is after vapour blasting:
Injector Before.jpg
Injector Before.jpg (158.8 KiB) Viewed 327 times
Notice the satin finish. This picture is after I polished these pieces:
Injector After.jpg
Injector After.jpg (153.74 KiB) Viewed 327 times
I have coated these and other parts with the CERAKOTE product, works well.

The CERAKOTE MC5100 product can be applied with a spray gun or brushed on. Only need one coat. It's air dry. This product protects the finish and keeps the finish from degrading over time, or becasue of the elements - it's a protectant.

I use this product on other applications as well such as the rims on my bike. Rim before cleaning, polishing (done by hand)/painting and CERAKOTE application:
Rear Wheel 2.jpg
Rear Wheel 2.jpg (167.56 KiB) Viewed 327 times
Rim final:
Rear Wheel Final.jpg
Rear Wheel Final.jpg (222.63 KiB) Viewed 327 times
It's been a year now since I did this work and still looks the same as when I first did the work.

I have no affiliation with CERAKOTE, but do like its products.

Good luck.
"When writing the Story of your life, don't let anyone else hold the pen."

Ernest

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maury
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Posts: 281
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Rim refinishing

#4

Post by maury »

You guys NEVER let me down!!
I appreciate the information (and particularly the pictures).

Merry Christmas as well !
75 GL1000
76 GL1000 LTD
2019 DCT Airbag Tour
Austin, Texas
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tomk1960
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Re: Rim refinishing

#5

Post by tomk1960 »

If the silver finish that your powder coated used was metallic, he was supposed to clearcoat it to keep it from tarnishing. It's also possible he used a powder that didn't have UV protection. Of it had been done correctly, you would have never needed to touch them again.

They can be chemically stripped, but only PC shops will have a stripper called B17 that will remove it fast. I've used it on previously PC'f wheels many times down to bare metal in 20 minutes. Then I just media blast and recoat. Check around and see if any shops can do this for you. Starting fresh will open the door for various refinishing options.
1986 VFR750F Interceptor
1983 Honda CB1100F Super Sport - Red 1123 Resto-Mod
1978 Honda GL1000
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