A Guide To Alloy Wheel Refurbishment
It is highly recommended that a professional like Cozmic Cosmetic executes alloy wheel refurbishment. Basically, in this process, the tyres will have to be removed from the vehicle’s wheels. Then, all of the finish has to be stripped from the wheel before anything else can be done. This will ensure that the new finish will properly stick to the surface. It will also enable the professional to thoroughly assess the wheel for repairs. Once this is done, a chemical will need to be used to strip the alloy wheels. This chemical has to be approved so that it doesn’t cause the wheels to get damaged.
Preparation For Refurbishment
Once the stripping process is completed, then the wheel has to be blasted to get rid of any remaining parts of the old finish. It will also get rid of any corrosion on the wheel. This will ensure that the wheel is properly prepared for alloy wheel refurbishment. If there is any damage on the wheel such as gouges or even scuffs, these will have to be repaired. If the scuffs are very light, then they would only need to be rubbed down. If there are deeper cuts and gouges, then these will have to be filled and then sanded. It is a process that is like doing bodywork on automobiles.
Painting
Once the wheel is properly prepared and smoothed, an initial base coat will need to be painted onto the wheel. In most cases, this is typically a silver metallic type paint. This is a very skilled job and a lot of practice is required to become good at it.
Whomever is doing the painting will need to paint in a clockwise manner. Most professionals start at the 6 o’ clock position at the centre of the wheel and work out towards the rim. Then, they will continue to paint in this fashion until they return to the point where they started.
It is important that the refurbishment process is done as quickly as possible in order for the painter to return to the starting point when the paint still remains wet. This is essential so that the colour can be easily blended so that all areas of the wheel are the same colour.
Reasons To Hire A Professional
Besides the fact that painting has to be done quickly, the entire process is quite difficult. This is due to the fact that wheels aren’t flat and they are 3D objects which makes it difficult for an inexperienced person to paint it. One of the biggest problems with painting these wheels is that the paint can easily run and even be painted on too thickly in certain areas.
Therefore, doing this will require someone who is somewhat skilled, especially if you want the wheels to have a smooth finish that doesn’t have any un-eveness, spots or drips. There are many painters that utilise infra-red lamps to make the base coat on the wheels dry quickly. After the wheels have been painted, a clear lacquer is then applied so that the paint can remain looking good for as long as possible. This clear coat application is the last step in refurbishing alloy wheels.
You can use different colours when refurbishing your wheels. Some of the colours that you can use include satin black, gold, cream, anthracite, metallic black etc. With that said, the standard colours would be the cheapest. Doing alloy wheel refurbishment is a lot cheaper in comparison to buying new wheels and can greatly improve the look of your vehicle.
Be sure to learn more about refurbishing alloy wheels.