[nomadabhi]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Do you (or someone else) have any idea if the paint could be applied by a brush?

I am not sure if the finish is a result of the paint or the painter or both.

Yeah, I remember painting my Hero Ranger from Red to Black (with brush) and it did not give me the finish.

Let me make it simple, painting with a brush would create uneven surface.
A spray can works similiar to the spray gun which they use in garage.

You can see alot of metal fences or electrical boxes painted with brush. That is the finish you will get (even a very good painter cannot do anything to hide the brush strokes).

Further when you use paint on vehicle, it also needs liqur coat which in premixed in spray can.

The finish will come only by either spray gun or the spray can and not with brush.

Still if you want to check, I would suggest you to buy a 19 Rs asian oil paint and apply it to a small part on spare wheel to check yourself.

If you dont like it then you can simply scrape it (or better you try it on some metal plate first)

About covering the tyres, yeah that is something pain. But today while thinking about it another thought came to mind. Here:

Since all the wheels are of same diameter, we can create a sludge of waste newspaper then let it dry on the spare wheel covering the whole side wall of spare wheel leaving the rim part.

Once dry remove the frame created. I guess this will help as we then need to just keep the frame on other wheels and spray the paint.

let me know if this helps

[seedyk]

Originally Posted by nomadabhi

Here are couple of pic on board:

Attachment 863163

Attachment 863164

Next DIY in line is damping the doors to reduce rattling in a budget way (a known issue with Maruti).

Results Expected: Closing of door with a "Thud"

May be you should highlight the suzuki logo too.
Would give a good touch to it.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Do you (or someone else) have any idea if the paint could be applied by a brush?

You see, I already have a couple of good brushes (though smaller size) which I used earlier for the numberplate painting. If I can just buy the paint and use the brushes, I could try this without spending too much, plus there wouldn't be the hassle of masking the tyres et al.

I am not sure if the finish is a result of the paint or the painter or both. But I have come across one or two posts on the internet which do say the paint could be applied with a brush.

If that's possible, I am looking at the hubcaps of my Santro as an experiment before I tackle the full wheel. And I do want to try and paint the entire wheel, by removing the tyre from it, so if that happens, that's going to be one slowwww process.

Do you mean painting the entire rim with a brush ?
Thats going to be a hell of a task and instead of refurbshing it, i guess it would look worse as the finish wont be same as that of spray paint.
Nevertheless, do let us know if you go ahead with it.

[greenhorn]

a little more bling can be added if you can add those chrome rings to the black steel wheels.
http://hubcapmike.com/images/scion-xb-trim-rings.jpg

[nomadabhi]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

a little more bling can be added if you can add those chrome rings to the black steel wheels.
http://hubcapmike.com/images/scion-xb-trim-rings.jpg

Ouch...you got me blurred.
That is an awesome job there with a very high quality chrome. ComPaint do have a chrome spray paint too.

But I have thought of adding red strips to the outer rim (not radium but vinyl).

[greenhorn]

those are not chrome paint. you get separate chrome /stainless steel rings you snap onto the steel rim.

google for 'trim rings'

[nomadabhi]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

those are not chrome paint. you get separate chrome /stainless steel rings you snap onto the steel rim.

google for 'trim rings'

yep i see them. but with chrome paint i was talking about highlighting the S on wheel cap. Will check and plan accordingly and will update the thread

[greenhorn]

If its for a logo on the wheel cap, i was planning on getting the logo done from one of those sign shops in silver/chrome and sticking it on top of the plastic cap. Would look a lot nicer than chrome paint.

[honeybee]

Here's what I tried over the week end. Two rims, from my Ikon, which were already black and quite dull (I don't know if the original colour was a dull black or they have become dull after ten years of use). I picked up the spare tyre which was flat, had the tyre guy remove the tyre and the tube from the rim, carried the rim home while he fixed the tube.

Washed the tyre with plain water, used an 800 grit sandpaper to clean it up more thoroughly. Didn't use any steel wool, because I had none in stock and I decided to do without it. I sanded the whole rim, outside, inside as well as the in between portion on which the tyre mounts. At quite a few places the paint was scraped off enough to reveal the dull white metal underneath.

Left the tyre to dry for about half an hour and then with a clean cloth wiped it clean.

I bought a half litre can of Asian Paints glossy enamel paint (will post its exact image later), price Rs. 114/- I already had the brushes from my earlier number plate painting exercise. So I got to work.

I used a #2 brush, which on hindsight was a tad too small for the rim, but it still worked. With longish unidirectional strokes I coated the outer side of the rim, starting with the edge and gradually working inwards, pausing between for half an hour or so (which wasn't necessary). Before night I had the outer side coated. I was in two minds about the inner side as well as the area in the middle.

Late in the evening I decided to go ahead and paint the remaining areas too. This time I used a #6 brush which is a little broader than the #2, and allowed me strokes which were a little bigger. I finished the inside in a single operation, allowed another hour or so in between and then finished the middle part too. I left it to dry overnight and till post lunch the next day.

At around 2:30 I took the rim back to the tyre repairer who mounted the fixed tube and the tyre onto it. I then asked him to remove one of the rear wheels and mount the newly painted wheel there. Again I got him to remove the tyre and tube from the newly removed wheel and carried the rim home.

This time after bathing the rim and scrubbing it with the sandpaper, I used the #6 brush all along to finish the inside in a single operation. Left it to dry for a little more than an hour before turning to the middle section. Again after a pause of about an hour or so I painted the outside of the rim. It was left to dry overnight.

I have attached two photos (sorry, couldn't click any WIP) to provide some comparo between the 'before' and 'after' look of the rims. I shall try and take closeup shots of the painted rim and post them here.

I have a mind to carry out this painting operation on all the remaining three wheels, however as I can only take off one of the wheels, it is a sort of bottleneck.

Changes from what Abhi has done:

1. The entire rim was taken off and painted: This was made possible because I had a tyre repairer guy located close by. The advantage is the entire rim will be repainted, while the disadvantage is you can only do one rim at a time and everytime you have to engage the tyre repairer to mount/unmount the tyre/tube as well as the wheel.

2. No spray can was used: I did enquire about the spray can and it cost about twice as much as the half litre can I purchased. Also the hardware guy told me the can contains about half paint and half thinner, premixed so it can be sprayed. Which means I got double the actual paint for half the price. The advantage is that I save money. The disadvantage is I have to use a brush.

3. Brush was used: I thought long and hard about using a brush vs using a spray can. Finally I decided to experiment using the brush. The hardware guy assured me the paint was of a very high quality and would give me a glossy finish. Since the investment was very small I decided to take the chance. Advantage of using a brush is I don't have to cover up many areas, don't have to worry about inhaling the paint directly or spraying paint onto other areas/things. It's easier to reach with a brush in all the nooks and crannies, and it consumes a very very small amount of paint. I didn't use a thinner, and after painting two rims, one would be unable to tell from a look at the can if any paint was used at all. The disadvantage, of course, is the strokes. I have used long, sweeping strokes, all made clockwise, and when the paint was freshly applied. The result may not be the best finish, but I think it does the job very well.

[nomadabhi]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Changes from what Abhi has done:

1. The entire rim was taken off and painted: This was made possible because I had a tyre repairer guy located close by. The advantage is the entire rim will be repainted, while the disadvantage is you can only do one rim at a time and everytime you have to engage the tyre repairer to mount/unmount the tyre/tube as well as the wheel.

2. No spray can was used: I did enquire about the spray can and it cost about twice as much as the half litre can I purchased. Also the hardware guy told me the can contains about half paint and half thinner, premixed so it can be sprayed. Which means I got double the actual paint for half the price. The advantage is that I save money. The disadvantage is I have to use a brush.

3. Brush was used: I thought long and hard about using a brush vs using a spray can. Finally I decided to experiment using the brush. The hardware guy assured me the paint was of a very high quality and would give me a glossy finish. Since the investment was very small I decided to take the chance. Advantage of using a brush is I don't have to cover up many areas, don't have to worry about inhaling the paint directly or spraying paint onto other areas/things. It's easier to reach with a brush in all the nooks and crannies, and it consumes a very very small amount of paint. I didn't use a thinner, and after painting two rims, one would be unable to tell from a look at the can if any paint was used at all. The disadvantage, of course, is the strokes. I have used long, sweeping strokes, all made clockwise, and when the paint was freshly applied. The result may not be the best finish, but I think it does the job very well.

HoneyBee, The first pic cant be enlarged so was not able to see details.. But what I see here is the amazing brush job you did. Eager to see it in real at the meet.

So finally you have you DIY job. Great.

I have not done anything to the rims about vinyl, as today I was caught up with the wiring issue and right cylinder of my dear TheNomad but it is sorted now on my own (saved the pain to go all the way to Malad/Andheri to mech). Cant say it as DIY job what I did today but it was more of the troubleshooting and rectifying part. Now studying more about the RD's electrical diagrams to have the blueprint embossed in my brain.

[honeybee]

Thanks for the compliments Abhi. As for the quality of the paint work, I shall wait till we can examine the rim up close. I must, however, say that it does look nice for a brush job, but then the paint too is a premium quality.

I shall try and post closeup pic of the painted rim in the Ikon's boot, so we can get a better idea. Better yet, if I can get the rim + tyre mounted on to the car and get yet another wheel + rim unmounted, I could then photograph it at home, just after the painting.

If it hadn't been for the removal of the tyres and tubes, I would have tried setting up the car on jackstands and got all the rims painted!

And remember, it's just one coat for now. I shall see how good the paint sticks to the rim. If need be I could always touch up where needed.

[fine69]

How much does it cost to get all the 5 tyres blackened from your FNG (Friendly Neighbourhood Garage)? I got mine done but it was with ORVMs & door handles so don't know who much he'd have charged for the rims only. However, that paint of his peeled off in a lot of places.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by fine69

How much does it cost to get all the 5 tyres blackened from your FNG (Friendly Neighbourhood Garage)? I got mine done but it was with ORVMs & door handles so don't know who much he'd have charged for the rims only. However, that paint of his peeled off in a lot of places.

Why not post the total price you paid for 'blackening' of the wheels and ORVMs and door handles?

If you treat the brushes and the paint as capex, the actual cost of consumables (paint, thinner and sandpaper) used would be less than Rs. 20/- per rim.

Abhi: I forgot to add another important point: Thinner. When using a brush the thinner/terpentine is an absolute must. This is required to clean the brush post use. I left the brush full of paint the whole night and then I had to rub it clean in the thinner for a full minute. A hard brush, needless to say, would not produce as good results as a soft one. And thinner is probably the most consumed commodity, more than even the paint.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Why not post the total price you paid for 'blackening' of the wheels and ORVMs and door handles?

I think it was 2000 in total.

[honeybee]

Even if you were to charge more than half that amount towards the ORVMs and the door handles, the rim painting still cost you many times more.

However, you do get a pro job done without any paint on your hands/clothes

[nomadabhi]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Why not post the total price you paid for 'blackening' of the wheels and ORVMs and door handles?

If you treat the brushes and the paint as capex, the actual cost of consumables (paint, thinner and sandpaper) used would be less than Rs. 20/- per rim.

Abhi: I forgot to add another important point: Thinner. When using a brush the thinner/terpentine is an absolute must. This is required to clean the brush post use. I left the brush full of paint the whole night and then I had to rub it clean in the thinner for a full minute. A hard brush, needless to say, would not produce as good results as a soft one. And thinner is probably the most consumed commodity, more than even the paint.

Oh yeah, Thinner... Faced the same issue of dried paint on brush while using the white paint for tyre embossing.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Even if you were to charge more than half that amount towards the ORVMs and the door handles, the rim painting still cost you many times more.

However, you do get a pro job done without any paint on your hands/clothes

On a second thought, people like me and HoneyBee becomes pro paying only 10% of what the market price is.

My garage person (Auth. M.A.S.S) quoted 500k for the 4 rims. But he was surprised to see mine. And last but not least, satisfaction to the core abd no need to run to garage for maintaining it later.