Primer for aluminun bicycle wheels

[cooljavy]

Hi,
I know this is the motorcycle section, but I think I am close enough :)

I am in the process of painting my bicycle wheels. They are made of "6106 aluminum alloy" (according to the manufacturer's web site). The wheels don't have any paint on them. I already purchased the Graphite wheel coating, but I am not sure about priming.

From reading some posts in this forum, seems like the ideal primer for metals is the self-etching primer, but my concern is that this primer its colored green. Because of the bike wheel construction I am not going to be able to cover ALL the parts that don't need paint, and some overspraying is going to happen (overspraying of graphite on bare aluminum should be less noticeable).

The Adhesion Promoter is clear and overspraying is not going to be a problem. Here is the question:
How good of a result would I get if I use the Adhesion Promoter instead of the self-etching primer?

Thanks!!

[chriss68]

you can try taping off the areas that you do not want to get sprayed.

[Dupli-Color-Specialist]

Correct on using the self etch. Your going to want to scuff up the areas being painted with a Red Scotch Brite pad or equivalant. Tape off the areas to be painted the best you can, there really isn't much overspray with the self etch and it is only a very light green color. Top coat with your wheel paint.

[cooljavy]

Correct on using the self etch. Your going to want to scuff up the areas being painted with a Red Scotch Brite pad or equivalant. Tape off the areas to be painted the best you can, there really isn't much overspray with the self etch and it is only a very light green color. Top coat with your wheel paint.

Thank you for your fast response.

Is the Adhesion Promoter a definitely NO for aluminum? If it's still going to help adhere the paint I feel more comfortable using it. Or is it not going to help at all or worse, be counterproductive?

Thanks!!

[Dupli-Color-Specialist]

Thank you for your fast response.

Is the Adhesion Promoter a definitely NO for aluminum? If it's still going to help adhere the paint I feel more comfortable using it. Or is it not going to help at all or worse, be counterproductive?

Thanks!!

No you can use the adhesion promotor on aluminum. It does come out clear as you mentioned so apply in light coats. Just follow all of the steps I mentioned and use the adhesion promotor in place of the self etch. The graphite dries in a satin finish so if you want a glossy finish you will want to use HWP103 Wheel Clear. You will want to sand or tape off the area of the rim where the brake pads rub(unless you have disc brakes) or you will have some issues with braking over top of the painted surface.

[cooljavy]

No you can use the adhesion promotor on aluminum. It does come out clear as you mentioned so apply in light coats. Just follow all of the steps I mentioned and use the adhesion promotor in place of the self etch. The graphite dries in a satin finish so if you want a glossy finish you will want to use HWP103 Wheel Clear. You will want to sand or tape off the area of the rim where the brake pads rub(unless you have disc brakes) or you will have some issues with braking over top of the painted surface.

I got the adhesion promoter yesterday after work and I also got some Heavy Duty Scotch-brite Scrub Sponges (the green ones). I am going to work on the wheels this weekend. I'll take some pictures of the process. Can we post pictures here?

I have disc brakes, so no worries about breaking performance being affected.

Thanks for the help!!

[Dupli-Color-Specialist]

I got the adhesion promoter yesterday after work and I also got some Heavy Duty Scotch-brite Scrub Sponges (the green ones). I am going to work on the wheels this weekend. I'll take some pictures of the process. Can we post pictures here?

I have disc brakes, so no worries about breaking performance being affected.

Thanks for the help!!

Sounds good. Pictures are always welcome on here.

[cooljavy]

It took a while to prep the wheels. I used two of the scuff pads and taping all the spokes took about 2 hours (while I was watching TV :)).

I like the way it came out, but I am not sure how long is going to last. While I was taking the tape out, I accidentally hit the wheel with my nail and the paint came right out. This was after 24 hours of being painted. Also today (36 hours after) I found a small chip in the inside of the rim.

I gave it 3 coats of the adhesive promoter and for the front wheel I gave it 4 light coats of paint and 6 for the back wheel.

How much longer should I wait before I put the tires on?

Here are some before and after pictures (Picture resolution is not that great, the file size restriction is 97.7 kb).

[Dupli-Color-Specialist]

The wheels look great!! I am a little concerned why the paint chipped on you. The wheel paint is an enamel and enamel does take a long time to fully cure. By the time you read this I will guess that your wheels will have been dry for about 4 days now. That should be plenty of time to mount the tires back on. If the paint chips on you, the graphite wheel paint is very easy to touch up. Hold the can about 12 inches away and dust on light coats. This will help metch the existing paint. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[cooljavy]

The wheels look great!! I am a little concerned why the paint chipped on you. The wheel paint is an enamel and enamel does take a long time to fully cure. By the time you read this I will guess that your wheels will have been dry for about 4 days now. That should be plenty of time to mount the tires back on. If the paint chips on you, the graphite wheel paint is very easy to touch up. Hold the can about 12 inches away and dust on light coats. This will help metch the existing paint. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tonight (Friday) will be day 5 from when I painted the wheels originally. I will do some touch up work this weekend. The instructions on the can indicate to wait 7 days for the paint to fully cure, before doing any more painting.

Would 5 days be long enough? Should I spray more of the adhesion promoter before touching up the paint?

Thanks for the great support!!