Clear coating Halibrand polished mag wheels

Letter 0003

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Q. I have a set of real magnesium wheels produced by a company called Halibrand. When they are polished they look better than chrome/aluminum.

The problem I am experiencing is that "you just have to look at them" and they start to fade and oxidize. At first it was fun using metal polish to return them to their lustrous state but that soon wore off. I subsequently got into a business selling buffs and compounds as I found these worked faster albeit the wheels had to be removed from the car. My question: Is there some kind of clearcoating process that will withstand the elements but not "dull the shine" of the wheels? Lacquer does not stand up. I have a friend who has a powder coating company so if heat was involved I have access to that technology. The clears he normally uses he is afraid of applying as they tend to dull aluminum and would be hard to remove if a successful shine were not achieved. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. - Bert Bert B Real magnesium wheels are no longer produced in great numbers for the reason stated. Most mag wheels still in existence are on early street rods or nostalgia race cars seeing limited use. They have always been a high maintenance item with most early race teams letting the wheels return to their natural dark grey state after giving up on the tedious polishing. A two-component urethane coating would likely hold up fairly well with a reasonably good appearance; however, I have leaned toward the use of a good quality lacquer for several reasons. While this coating will not hold up as long, it will look much better at thin films, can be easily waxed with auto wax, and ultimately can be easily stripped off with lacquer thinner [link is to product info at Amazon] when the time comes for the inevitable re restoration several years later. A final thought is to be very careful when power buffing magnesium. Very few shops are set up properly to avoid the potential fire hazards when magnesium dust is present. Good luck! Bob Anderson, Corporate Marketing Manager - Indiana I would like to know which is the best system for corrosive protection of magnesium die - cast wheels and for the final coating of them. I know the impregnation system with thermosetting metacrilate. I was browsing to search for information related to: Surface treatment for magnesium (I remember an old publication of W.P. Innes, and I got this address. Thanking in advance Leonardo Z

Look over some Halibrand Wheels --

Hello, Bert, Leonardo. Please see our on-line articles: Finishing of Magnesium and An Update on Magnesium Treatments. An additional interesting thread about polishing magnesium is letter 2068. If possible, try to find a copy of Dow's "Magnesium Finishing" booklet --> You may also want to see our Chrome Plating Tutorial if chrome plating is one of the options you want to consider. Good luck. Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

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