Painting wheels went wrong, Please Help!!

[ajmilano]

Alright, this may be wordy but I want to give all the details I can so you can figure out where i went wrong. I decided to paint my stock 06 rims with the duplicolor graphite wheel paint. I took the wheels off, scrubbed and washed them, then lightly wet sanded them with 400 grit paper, i then washed them again let them dry and then wiped them down with paint thinner to get everything off. After this I sprayed them with Duplicolor adhesive promoter, i gave them 3 light coats with about 3 minutes between each coat. After this I waited 10 minutes and then sprayed them with the graphite paint, I sprayed 2 light coats and 1 heavier coat with about 10 minutes between each coat. I then waited 15 minutes and sprayed about 4 coats of duplicolor wheel clear coat, allowing about 10 minutes between coats. I let them dry over night and they came out horrible. The paint is very rough and in most spots just wipes off when u rub it hard enough. I don't understand why the paint didn't stick and why the surface came out so rough. By the way it was about 85 degrees out with about 60% humidity. I would love any help with this, my cars on blocks and I'm driving my grandmas around until I can fix this. Here are some pictures of how the wheels look and what happens when i rubbed them with a paper towel.

[metroscub]

mine did the same thing, once they dry, i wiped them with a towel to get all the paint dust off, then I cleared them like a ton each, i mean seriously like ten coats until the clear was smooth. they are still rough in some spots, but that is the nature of the paint, you cannot help it.

[drs]

YEA it isn't adhering properly go somewhere that would know what type of material your wheels are and what type of paint is best for that material.

[Vew]

Yeah, mine did the same thing when I first tried. Scratch off all that mess first. Next time you spray, don't spray so far away from the wheel. That paint tends to dry before it even touches the rim I found out. Idealy, you want the next coat to go on while it's still tacky (not wet), but also not after it dries.

[ajmilano]

Alright, so should I sand them back down to the silver before I spray again, or should I just knock off the lose stuff and throw another coat of paint on?

[Vew]

I'd be lazy and just knock off the loose stuff. Use like a green dishwashing scowering pad.

[WRXforME]

Wow, that does look pretty bad...

I did mine and they came out extremely good and I used the same paint.

Maybe the sun, 85F temp, and 60% humidity screwed it up for you.

My steps....

Tape off wheels.
Apply aircraft stripper thoroughly to entire wheel
Hose off aircraft stripper
Use a wheel brush to remove any bit of powercoating. Now I have just bare metal.
I applied a coat of sandable primer.
I wetsanded lightly until everything was smooth
I applied another coat of primer, and sanded it again
Then I applied another coat of primer, and sanded it again.
Then I started with the paint, applying VERY THIN layers, and wetsanding in between each coat.
After it was all smooth, I started with the clear coats. I applied a generous amount every coat. I let them sit for a day before putting them on my car.
Now, after 2 winters in them, the paint has chipped in a few spots which I just touched up with some left over paint.

My best suggestion is to paint them in the best conditions.

[shoefean]

That sucks bro!!! I think it was a combo of the humidity and the fact that you didnt give the paint enough time between coats. While painting mine i waited 20 minutes between each and every coat and dont do thick coats, takes 4ever but mine came out perfect. IMO Sand them down, primer them and apply THIN layers of paint and wait 20 minutes between coats until the can is gone. I used 1 can per wheel of paint and clear coat. Good luck

[shoefean]

Heres how mine came out.

[speedytang]

Humidity is your evil because it allows the over spray dust to settle on your wheel while it is still wet. The factory wheel paint is a base epoxy and sanding 400grit is not usually good enough you need to strip the wheel completely and prime. When you get done spraying let them dry/harden for 48-72 hours then use 2000 grit and wet sand the wheels. Now clear them and they will look like they have been Aluminum Coated.