Suggestion on fixing my powder coated rims

[dec322]

I bought an extra set of wheels to paint white and my buddy suggested having them powder coated. The results are lackluster. The company that did them said it is impossible to prevent grime from coming between the two piece wheels and it caused the issue (they sandblasted and chemical dipped the wheels).
I’ve never dealt with these guys and don’t know much about powder coating. Is there something I can do for a better finish between the groove?

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[mlsceo]

You need to find a powder coating outfit that knows what they're doing. That's just crappy prep. I considered powder coat on my wheels but painted them myself and got great results. Wish I could suggest a fix now that yours are done.

 

[Rustisbest]

I'd put on a small bead of white silicone to cover/fill the gap

 

[Grit dog]

I have no experience powder coating but agree with ^. All different types of steel wheel get powder coated every day and that is not normal.
Now in their defense, powder goes on dry, right? And there’s only so far into that seam that the powder will penetrate.
My Detroit steelies get a little rusty water come out of that seam sometimes if it’s outside in the rain. Ultimately it’s a garage queen but next time the wheels are off I’m going to inject some white paint into that seam to coat the hidden surfaces that didn’t get coated.
My hunch is your shop layed it on heavy around that seam. Maybe for the reason I mentioned, and it didn’t work. Just speculation.

 

[Ricko1966]

I'd scrape the groove and brush touch it with a small brush,first with primer then probably regular enamel,for ease and convenience.

 

[Grit dog]

I'd put on a small bead of white silicone to cover/fill the gap

I was going to suggest flexible seam sealer in the same application. As a work around that would look good from a few feet away.
Only issue is after some years, you’d likely see a color change in the seam sealer.
FWIW, I’m hard pressed to use silicone based caulking/sealer on ANYTHING. Reason being, aside from stripping the surface completely in the future by mechanical means (sanding/grinding/blasting) it’s near impossible to remove all the residue left over from silicone sealants.
Even indoor applications like tubs and sinks, I’m far more inclined to use a urethane sealant vs silicone.
Biggest issue I had was an older camper we bought had been resealed with silicone. When it came time to re-seal spots that had been silicone caulked I couldn’t get it all off (mechanical means above were not an option).

 

[Grit dog]

I'd scrape the groove and brush touch it with a small brush,first with primer then probably regular enamel,for ease and convenience.

This would be preferred if you have the time and patience and could do it without gouging up the finish.

 

[Ricko1966]

This would be preferred if you have the time and patience and could do it without gouging up the finish.

I'd think NBD,mount just the wheel on a front hub,hold a sharpened screwdriver or awl in the seam,the angle is common sense,and rotate the wheel. If you have a helper to rotate the wheel even better. I'd probably try it on a rear hub at a low idle in low gear ( But I think outside the box and take risks). Both wheels off the ground I'd think I could control wheel speed with a lever under the wheel.

 

[Grit dog]

I'd think NBD mount just the wheel on a front hub,hold a sharpened screwdriver or awl in the seam,the angle is common sense,and rotate the wheel. If you have a helper to rotate the wheel even better. I'd probably try it on a rear hub at a low idle in low gear ( But I think outside the box and take risks. Both wheels off the ground I'd think I could control wheel speed with a lever under the wheel.

You’re always thinking. Hadn’t occurred to me to spin the wheel like a lathe.
Yeah that would work, 100% quick and easy.

 

[Hilllbilly]

I'd put on a small bead of white silicone to cover/fill the gap

No, please dont do that

Scrap it out and call a pinstriper or touch it up yourself

 

[Rustisbest]

Yeah don't do what I've actually done with some silver silicone on a set of refurb rally wheels that had steel shot embedded in the groove that wouldn't come out. It'll never work and won't last at least the 8 years or so I had em.
Make it complicated and throw some more money at it lol

 

[dec322]

I definitely won’t use this shop again. My buddy had great things to say about them….until he picked up my wheels.

I won’t do silicon on them simply because I’ve dealt with silicon enough that I don’t think it will last on a wheel.

I am interested in white flexible seam filler. I’ve never used it but this seems like a decent option.

I know myself well enough to not try and dig it out because I will screw things up worse.

Ultimately, I still have my stock wheels. I can run the whites until I’m tired of it. I will refurbish my current wheels and run them when that time comes.

New center stickers coming from usa1 and I am going to try and polish the centers in the next week.

 

[Bennyt]

I'm sure you are disappointed as that shouldn't have happened.

Firstly, looks like sand from blasting wasn't removed???

If not sand, the faraday cage effect can cause that look as well. Basically since powder is "electrified" and creates a neg/pos pole they compete against each other in tight spaces like that. You'll see it happen in the tight angles of bicycle frames a lot

IF the wheel was prepped correctly, it should have been preheated, charge turned off, and then they could have allowed the powder to "fall/ flow" into the crevice. Then reconnected and proceeded as normal on rest of wheel.

A little white paint w/ an airbrush would probably clean it up.

I used to powder coated my own parts as I got tired of some of the ridiculous prices and mainly having to wait a week or 2. I started with an Eastwood gun and built an oven from a kitchen oven that was being tossed. Fairly simple to do.

 

[xm20k]

I'd knock out what I could with a hobby knife and touch it up with some white appliance epoxy/paint and a fine brush.

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Amazon.com

 

[Fat 454]

Its difficult to see from the pics, but what often happens with old wheels is that after they are blasted and dry powder coated ( magnetically attracted powder ), when they are hung and sent into the oven, the oven heat causes old water / grease to bleed out of the rim join. This causes bubbles in the coating as it forms, and you can see the result.
Not that it will help you on these, but to pre-prepare ( before they are sent off for blasting ), I always run around the join with a torch to burn out any grease or water ingress, before sending them out for blasting. The burnt paint is then removed in the blast clean up.

You look to have 2 options for these - 1/. get some automotive grade seam sealer, fill the join / seam and re-paint the wheel outer ( make sure to "key" the surface of the coating with wet/dry paper before paint ), or 2/. have the wheels re-blasted and re-finish in automotive 2-pack epoxy ( this will not require heat, and will not flake off in chunks when water gets behind the coating ).
No. 2 will last longer ( and what I would do if I was going to the trouble of doing a wheel re-furb ).