Alodining wheels

Has anyone ever given any thought to stripping the paint off their wheels and then doing an Alodine dip to the wheels and leaving them finished with the Alodine?

[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on 03 July 2010 - 07:23 PM, said:

Has anyone ever given any thought to stripping the paint off their wheels and then doing an Alodine dip to the wheels and leaving them finished with the Alodine?

I'm familiar with anodizing is that the same thing as alodine?

I think that would look absolutely crappy.

If you have ever seen the inside of an airplane's wing you know what Alodine looks like.... there is a reason it's on the inside.

Your wheels are not pure forged aluminum, they are a cast alloy containing some other metals besides aluminum.

Anodizing would not work, the wheels would come out looking like crap, and I expect that Alodine would be much the same?

I think you would be better off having them stripped and powder coated in whatever color / finish you want them in.

[image: View Post]Lee 2002, on 03 July 2010 - 07:43 PM, said:

I think that would look absolutely crappy.

If you have ever seen the inside of an airplane's wing you know what Alodine looks like.... there is a reason it's on the inside.


+1. I've worked with alodine before, it won't look good at all. Sorry Pete.

It would be good to prep the wheels with it, but that's not really necessary at all if going with powdercoat.

I had a set of VFR wheels anodized and they didn't turn out very well! Turns out you need to polish the wheels first in order to get any shine with the finish product. Mine were stripped only, so the machined parts looked ok but the cast parts were very dull.


BR

[image: View Post]Veefer800Canuck, on 03 July 2010 - 08:08 PM, said:

Your wheels are not pure forged aluminum, they are a cast alloy containing some other metals besides aluminum.

Anodizing would not work, the wheels would come out looking like crap, and I expect that Alodine would be much the same?


I can't comment on Alodine, but I've learned at work recently that anodizing cast aluminum is a whole different game from anodizing machined aluminum. The other metals in the cast alloy increase "smutting" -- makes the finished product look like crap.

Anodizing and Alodining are two completely different processes.

I believe the goldish color disc brake carriers that seem to be standard to all makes and models of motorcycles are Alondined, not anodized.

Seb knows what the stuff is. It's used in the aircraft industry a lot.

[image: View Post]vthoky, on 04 July 2010 - 10:07 AM, said:

[image: View Post]Veefer800Canuck, on 03 July 2010 - 08:08 PM, said:

Your wheels are not pure forged aluminum, they are a cast alloy containing some other metals besides aluminum.

Anodizing would not work, the wheels would come out looking like crap, and I expect that Alodine would be much the same?


I can't comment on Alodine, but I've learned at work recently that anodizing cast aluminum is a whole different game from anodizing machined aluminum. The other metals in the cast alloy increase "smutting" -- makes the finished product look like crap.


. . . . . . . then what finish is Honda using on the gold colored brake calipers like on the ABS models and the RC-51?

[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on 04 July 2010 - 02:26 PM, said:

. . . . . . . then what finish is Honda using on the gold colored brakes calipers like on the ABS models and the RC-51?



Possibly a decorative (not full coverage) Titanium Nitride (TiN)?

[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on 04 July 2010 - 02:26 PM, said:

. . . . . . . then what finish is Honda using on the gold colored brake calipers like on the ABS models and the RC-51?


A really tough industrial paint.

I have worked with Alodine quite a bit in the aircraft industry, and done numerous sets of engine baffles. Here are my comments:

1) Alodine is not totally indelible; you can wipe some of the color off with a swipe of the finger. Unless, of course, you clear-coat over it. Never tried that.

2) Dwell time is critical, and involves submersing the entire part evenly for 5-15 minutes. On a rear wheel, you're looking at several GALLONS of Alodine plus an equal amount of Alumiprep. Big bucks, unless you're planning on doing multiples. Plus, Alodine loses it's strength with multiple dippings.

3) Alodine has a vicious, potent smell. You would need a respirator and a rinse tank with fresh water to clean the parts after. The Alumiprep is phosphorous acid and will make swiss cheese of your clothing and burn your eyes & skin. Just sayin'....

4) I have done several mounting brackets fabricated from aluminum angle (2024T3) and they actually turned out pretty nice. My advice would be; experiment. Do a few misc. pieces and see if you like the results. Try the clear coat option. You be the judge!

I'm actually considering doing just that with the fork lowers on my GS project. If I do, I'll post the results on this thread for you. Good luck!