How to paint stamped car wheels with your own hands

All stages of preparation

It is clear that it is best to clean the disc “to the metal” before painting. In this case, only sandpaper (ISO P400-P1500) and, perhaps, a drill with a metal brush are used.

This is how you remove a layer of old paint

The problem is that such cleaning will take more than one day. But the result will please you with its appearance:

Fully cleaned steel disc

In order not to waste time, the surface is only cleaned of rust, then sanded and degreased. The “old paint” remains. This option is also considered acceptable. Let us list the stages of preparation “step by step”:

1. Thoroughly rinse the disc with water. To simplify the task, use a brush;
2. Mechanical rust removal;
3. If necessary, you can use a rust converter: apply the product, leave it for 2 hours, then grind the surface and clean it. You cannot use water!
4. Degreasing (white spirit or solvent 646 is suitable);
5. Applying putty if the wheel has obvious defects.
6. Apply two layers of primer with an interval of 20 minutes.

The last step is to use a universal acrylic primer. These products are sold in aerosol packaging.

Application of primer

Note that phosphoric acid can act as a rust converter. And if the finishing layer is applied, it takes a day to dry the soil.

It is important to know: once a mark has been made on the metal with sandpaper, water should not touch the surface in principle. Use organic solvents for cleaning.

The priming itself is a dress rehearsal for the painting process. To simplify these “processes”, the disk can be installed on an inverted bucket. The rim is then painted by turning the disc with the desired side facing you. As you can see, everything is simple.

You may have to work with sandpaper after applying the primer. Sanding with P1500 sandpaper is carried out before painting, which is mandatory.

How to paint casting

With the tire removed, you can paint the rim much better. With this technology, the border between the treated areas and those covered by the tire will be eliminated. It is from there that the processes of destruction of the coating begin.

Otherwise, the technology does not differ from that described. But the removed disc can also be powder coated. It will be necessary to build a furnace for hot polymerization of the applied coating. This is not such a complex structure if you have sufficient area and a powerful electrical supply. But the coating will be no worse than the factory one.

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You can even make a special electrostatic gun if you have experience working with high-voltage equipment.

Painting process

So we got to the most important thing. Let's look at how to properly paint stamped wheels so that you don't have to redo everything from scratch later. In principle, there is nothing complicated in this process:

Applying paint to the rim

Of course, not everyone has a spray gun, nor does everyone have special equipment. Therefore, an upside down bucket, unnecessary tires, etc. will help again. The main thing is to be smart, as the author of this photo did:

Homemade equipment for disks

Also, it is advisable to follow these tips:

• When using an aerosol, the can must be shaken periodically;
• The temperature of the aerosol package should not be too low: 30-35 degrees is the norm;
• Keep the aerosol at a distance of 20 cm from the surface (no less);
• When painting, you should not stay in one place for a long time, otherwise streaks will form.

The paint is applied in two or three layers, maintaining an interval of 10 minutes. An hour after painting, the surface is treated with varnish. You can use the finished product within a day. But it’s better to wait 60-80 hours – during this time the varnish gains maximum strength.

Pasting

If you want to paint the “stamps” quickly, without removing the rubber, you need to properly glue its sides. You can do this in several ways:

• Masking tape. It’s trivial to paste it over all the places where the presence of paint is undesirable.
• With cards. We install them vertically in the groove between the sidewall of the tire and the disk shelf.

• Large A3 paper (the thicker the better). We arrange the sheets in a circle. We secure them with pieces of tape. You will get a kind of “drum” that will prevent paint from getting onto the sidewall of the tires.
• Old tires. We cut out the sidewall from an unnecessary tire of the same diameter and simply apply it to our wheel. This way we will prevent pollen from getting onto the surface.

Selection of materials, tips

Typically, acrylic paint, glossy or matte, is used to paint metal. The primer for this paint is also acrylic (universal). There are also nitro paints. All of the above materials are packaged in an aerosol. But, as is easy to understand, not every primer is suitable for nitro enamels. Be aware that nitrogen based primers and paints are prohibited for use in most countries.

Here are some tips that are known even to beginners:

1. The higher the air temperature, the faster drying occurs;
2. The color of the primer should approximately match the color of the paint;
3. The aerosol must be shaken before use. The packaging temperature, moreover, should not be lower than 25 degrees. This advice applies to any aerosol: with paint, primer or varnish.

It was said how to paint stamped wheels if you know that the work will be done with your own hands. And therefore, such an option as using powder paints was not considered. Good luck.

According to reviews, 4 discs require: 2 cans of dye (450 ml), one can of primer (450 ml), one can of varnish.

Preparing a stamped disc for painting with the required material

Whatever materials you decide to paint the wheel with, the preparation must be of high quality. All procedures can be performed with your own hands. Even if you plan to turn to professionals, it is quite possible to carry out all the work efficiently yourself and save significant money on this. Before painting the rims, you will have to clean them and remove the old paint, as well as various preparatory procedures. The list of works is as follows:

• old paint can be removed using various acids and special compounds, otherwise it cannot be overcome;

• Before starting any work with a stamped disk, it is necessary to clean the wheel from dirt;

• then apply paint remover with a brush to clean the surface down to metal or primer;

• then carefully inspect the front surface for chips and deep scratches, deformations;

• if there are any uneven spots, you can level them out using high-quality putty before painting;

• After all the procedures, you need to take a solvent, a soft cloth and thoroughly degrease the surface of the wheel.

If the disc is not prepared, it will be impossible to paint it yourself or even at a service center. Otherwise, all the new paint will start to fly off at the first stone you encounter on the road. This will not be the most pleasant solution for your car and its appearance. Of course, painting stamped wheels should be thought out in all respects. It is best to give preference to professional materials that will help achieve high quality surfaces.

What materials to choose for painting the wheels of your car?

You can paint stamped wheels in two ways. The first is the purchase of high-quality aerosol cans. This method has the advantage of the absence of complex technologies and materials that can take up more than half of the painting budget. But the quality of application may not be the best.

The second method is simple high-quality pouring paint. It is better to choose reinforced acrylic or polymer coatings that will last a long time and will not chip from contact with gravel and dust. For painting parts such as stamped wheels, only the most expensive and wealthy materials are chosen. You will need no more than 200-250 grams of paint per wheel to cover both sides.

Hub like a lathe

There is a method that allows you to quickly paint the rim:

1. Let's say there is rust on the surface of the rim. To find out about this, you will have to disassemble the disk (Fig. 1);
2. Next, the disk is mounted on the hub, the engine is started and the gear is engaged (Fig. 2);
3. If you are using a left-hand hub, turn the steering wheel to the left, and vice versa;
4. Using cloth-based sandpaper, sanding is carried out (Fig. 3). It is better to fix the sandpaper on a block;
5. Just as “preparation” was done in step 4, painting can be done (Fig. 4).

All steps are illustrated in the photo:

Looking at the edge of the rim

Using the hub like a lathe

Rust removal

Painting procedure

Use this method at your own risk.

What to do to prevent discs from rusting

When processing stamped steel wheels, special attention must be paid to removing rust. It has the property of a catalytic effect on the destruction of metal, even when under a layer of paint and varnish, the so-called under-film corrosion. Especially in hard-to-reach places where the disc connects to the rim.

Note: How to remove rust and how to remove bugs from a car body yourself

Only sandblasting saves. Chemicals should not be used to remove rust from steel wheels.

They do not perform their role well, and they themselves can become sources of corrosion, since they are difficult to remove from the resulting porous surface. Only mechanical rust removal followed by priming should be used.

How to make a border

You can buy contour tape to paint it in two colors. The standard two-tone color option is the border near the rim. The result of all work will look like this:

Stamped discs with border

The border color is the first layer of paint. Or rather, two or three layers. When doing two-tone painting, keep the following in mind:

• Allow the paint to dry before applying the tape. Which takes 15-20 minutes;
• Do not use regular tape with contour tape. It will come off along with the paint;
• In the example shown above, painting could be done like this: 2-3 layers of red enamel, drying, one “outer” layer.

The last layer must be dried finally. Then varnish treatment is performed. Know that the width of the contour tape is always 6 mm. But this is not a problem, since polyethylene can be glued under the tape.

What paint to choose for wheels

In terms of chemical composition, cost, durability and decorative properties, all paints are somewhat different.

Each has advantages and disadvantages, otherwise they would have stopped being produced a long time ago.

1. Nitro enamels. They dry very quickly and are cheap, but that’s where their advantages end. Nowadays, few people use them for car repairs, although not so long ago they even painted Rolls-Royces. True, using an extremely complex technology of two dozen layers with intermediate processing of each.
2. Alkyd enamels. They are also easy to use and dry easily in the open air at normal temperatures. And they are inexpensive. A good property for an inexperienced craftsman is that they quickly form a film, which helps fight drips. But the quality of the coating and durability leave much to be desired.
3. Acrylic paints. The most popular products in body repair. Provide high-quality coating with high decorative and protective properties. Can be used with natural drying and polymerization from heating. In combination with varnish they give deep, rich metallic effects.
4. Powder enamels. They are rarely used in amateur work because they require complex equipment for application. But the coating is very durable and provides a beautiful appearance.
5. Liquid rubber. Strictly speaking, it does not apply to paints, has a controversial reputation and difficult technology. The material, as they say, is not for everyone.

Most often, acrylic coating is chosen for self-application. It is convenient, durable and usually pleases with the results.