Robstunner

Well, so after a few guys asking for a how-to on how i did my blades, i though id post a write up. Sorry i dont have any in progress pics, but its pretty simple

So heres the stuff you need


1.) Scotch Brite pad

2.)2 cans of Duplicolor Graphite wheel paint

3.)1 can of Duplicolor Clear Coat Wheel paint
4.)computer paper (trust me it saves time)
5.)Hair dryer
6.)exacto knife or razrblade
7.)Scotch tape.

Step 1: Wheel Prep

(Make sure your wheels are clean)

Well first things first, jack your car up and take your wheels off the car. 1 at a time or all 4 or whatever, just take them off. Once you do that bring the wheels into your garage or wherever your doing it(I wouldnt suggest painting them outside). Ok, so now u have the wheel ready to go, take the center cap off and put it in a place u wont loose it, you'll need them later. you guys can use whatever but i put down a flat cardboard box on the floor and then put the wheel on top if it to keep the garage floor nice and clean.Now heres when the scary part happens. Grab your scotch brite pad and start scratching ur rims up with the pad. its kinda liks steel wool to those of you that have never used this scotch brite stuff before. just keep scratching the wheel untill it looks all even and hazy. After you have scratched them up enough, you want to clean them with a good cleaner, and make sure they are PERFECTLY CLEAN, make sure they are dry to obviously. now, take the computer paper that you took with you, and fold them in half horizonally. with each peice of paper, stick them in between the lip of the rim and the bead of the tire, right in between. This will help keep your tires from getting painted. Each peice of paper should overlap the next a little bit to help support them standing up on a angle. Once your finnish and the paper has made its way around the tire back to the first peice of paper, you are officially ready to paint.


Step 2: Painting with color

Now that your wheels are nice and clean and scratched up, its time to whip your can of paint out and start painting. before i go on, heres some tips:

1. Always read specific can instructions to achieve maximum results.
2. A clean, dry surface is important. Follow these preparation tips for best results:
• Remove dirt, wax, grease, moisture, rust and loose paint.
• Sand or scrape, if necessary, (sandpaper, steel wool, wire brush, scraper).
• Sand rusted, glossy or hard surfaces to improve adhesion.
3. Paint in good weather only.
• 55° to 75° F is ideal; 40 to 60% relative humidity is recommended
• Avoid direct sunlight and hot, humid weather.
4. Observe the proper re-coat opportunities. See product directions for suggestions on when to apply a second coat.
• Example: Dupli-Color® lacquers can be re-coated anytime. Dupli-Color® enamels re-coat within 1 hour or wait till after 5 days.
5. Test a small surface area for paint compatibility.
6. A smooth, even application is important. Follow these tips for success:
• Use an even, side-to-side motion with each pass beginning and ending beyond the edge of the object.
• Use a fan spray vs. regular spray distance to the object.
7. Take your time.
• Use 3 light coats vs. one thick coat.
• Always check recommended recoat time.
8. Avoid over spraying.
• Mask exposed areas with drop cloths.
• Clean up with appropriate cleaner-paint thinner or soap and water.
9. Ensure adequate ventilation.

Ok, with that said, put a nice THIN coat of paint on the wheel. DO NOT GET GREEDY. dont expect your entire rim to be graphite on your first thin coat. follow the tips above on how to paint correctly. Now what i did in the time of my inbetween coats, I used the hair dryer to heat up the paint a tid bit and help it dry a bit better. DONT PUT THE DRYER IN ONE SPOT FOR TOO LONG OR GET TOO CLOSE TO THE WET PAINT. It could bubble up on you and when/if that happens u might as well yell out "oh Fu8k" b/c ur gonna have to sand the bubbles out after the rim completly dries. I used the dryer for about 3-4 mins from a good distance away. the heat helped the paint dry a little better, plus it got the paint to be a little sticky so for your next coat it would almost adhire better. now for the amout on coats i did im not tooo sure, but i would say use about 1/4 to 3/8's of a can of spray paint on each wheel, you dont want your paint to chip after all that hard work. i used about 12 light coats, but i would suggest more just in case. its all up to you on how manny coats (do how ever many coats u need untill u feel satisfied just because everyone has a different perception how how light a light coat is). now once u have gotten all the paint you wanted on, let it dry for one final time by itself. my hair dryer had a "cool blast" function so i used that thinking it was a smart idea.... even though i dont think it mattered.

Step 3: clearcoat

now that your all done painting the wheel gunmetal, or any color for that instance, whip out ur can of clearcoat. Using this clear is the same as using the paint, light even coats, let them dry a bit between each coat. id do a good about of clear too, just to be on the safe side. after you have gotten the amount of clear u wanted and are satisfied, let them dry for a good 1-2 hours before u even think about mounting them back on.( i let them dry for 30min and CAREFULLY put them on the car but i wouldnt reccomend that one bit.


Step 4: centercap

OK so now u want to grab those centercaps from ur place that u held them while u were painting the wheels. clean the caps off nice a good, and make sure everything is ok. Then, take your tape out and cover the cap completley with the tape. overlap the peices of tap if its not wide enough to cover the entire cap. now, with your knife of choice, CAREFULLY carve the tape sketching the emblem on the cap. dont rush yourself, and take your time, this is pretty hard to be honest with you to keep the lines perfect. once u have dont that, carefully peel off all the tape NOT covering the black emblem part. with all the tape off accept for the tape that is sitting on top of the emblem, make a few LIGHT coats of paint on the cap. take it easy with the caps, they are small and the paint will bubble if your greedy enough. after that follow up with the clear, and let them completely dry.

Now that ur caps are nice a dry, take ur knife, and scratch at a corner of ur tape, and get it to come off a little bit. then grab the bit that came off and peel the tape off. once u get all the tape off, you now should have a nice gunmetal centercap with a black emblem.

Sidenote:
If you wanted to paint your emblem a different color, like red, do the same process with the tape, accept this time remove the tape that is covering the emblem, but leave all the gunmetal area covered.

Now you can slap your caps on your rims and then slap them bad boys on the car. heres some pics of the end result of my blades that i did gunmetal:











Now as you guys and girls for that matter can see, with this color paint the rims change their hue alittle bit in the shade, where in direct sunlight they look gunmetal, in the shade they look a darker, more true graphite color.


My newest idea

well i was thinking, like in a car, you want to wetsand the paint after you paint it and then buff/polish to make the clear stand out really nice. Well, i thought why not try it on wheels... so i think the next thing im going to do is wetsand the clear of the rims alittle bit and then buff with some polishing rubbing compound to see if the shine gets any better.

AS some of you may already know, these wheels ar for trade right now, but since i dont think anyone wants them.... they are getting FULLY polished soon using a sandblaster, wetsanding and a nice buffer with 3 stage aluminum polishing compound.... when that is being done, i will make in progress pictures and do a full write up on how i did that too.

as for this long ass post, im done. any comments or suggestions please share.

Thanks
Rob

raiden571

nice write up. u should polish the lip, i think it would look cool. im gonna powder coat tthe inner web on my C8's black and then do the rest either candy purple, tein green or anodized blue/red, i have no idea

Provocateur

Great writeup. It has almost tempted me to paint mine.

Good luck on the sale. What are you replacing them with?

Robstunner

im not replacing them... no one wants to trade so i guess im stuck with fully polishing them... which isnt a bad thing but it will take some time..

thanks for the kudos
rob