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chevynut
05-31-2015, 09:15 AM
I have been looking for a way to polish and protect my aluminum suspension parts and other parts on my car. I have thought about chroming them but it's gotten so damned expensive to do that and my car really isn't a show-only car...it will be driven.

A customer of mine bright anodized his parts and they look nice. The anodizing changes the mirror polished finish to a more "frosty" look, but it's bright and shiny. Here's an example of it on a C4 batwing, knuckle, and dogbone:

4461

The bright anodizing looks good but doesn't have a mirror polished finish to it. I believe these parts were all polished to a bright shine prior to anodizing.

I've looked at other aluminum protectants like Zoop sealer but I'm not confident that it lasts very long. I don't want to be re-doing it a year or two from now. Some of the reviews I've read on it say it doesn't work very well or last very long. Even Zoops says 3 years.

So I've been looking at coatings. I know some wheels have a clear-coat on them but I don't know what they use. Powder coating seems pretty thick, and it might cause problems with bushings and other close-tolerance holes. Also I read that it may yellow over time, but there are some UV blockers that can be used with it. Not sure how to remove it if I'd ever want to either although I read that it's removable with paint stripper...any truth to that? The other downside is the cost of powdercoating.

I just found a POR15 product called Glisten PC Clearcoat that sounds interesting. It's a 2-part moisture-curing urethane that can be sprayed or brushed on and it goes on fairly thin. It's not too expensive compared to other coatings. Here's what they say about it:

GLISTEN PC is a High Gloss, Rock Hard, Water-clear topcoat designed for spray or brush application over all metal surfaces, including highly polished aluminum and chrome surfaces. GLISTEN PC will not leave brushmarks, and will dry in less than one hour, but will take 3-4 days to reach maximum hardness.

When GLISTEN PC is first dry to the touch, it will appear to be very soft. Avoid touching it for several days until it becomes hard and tough. Accidental contact could damage the surface before full cure has taken place. Like many other coatings, GLISTEN PC is a MOISTURE-CURED coating, which means it is strengthened by exposure to moisture. It will never crack, chip, peel, or yellow, and is very flexible as well.
Note: When applying over polished metals (aluminum, chrome, brass, copper etc) you must use AP120 metal prep according to instructions.
IDEAL USES: As a protective coating on aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers, marine railings, chrome or aluminum covers, grills, handles, ornaments, lights, etc


The problem is I've found several negative reviews on the Glisten PC, including this one:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f474/por15-glisten-pc-clear-coat-84858.html

What about regular urethane clear coat? How is it really different from Glisten PC? Automotive urethanes hold up for years on cars left in the sun and seem durable. I just wonder about adhesion to polished aluminum.

chevynut
05-31-2015, 09:30 AM
Here's another positive post on Glisten PC:

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/shop-talk/69425-glisten-pc-por-15s-clear-coat.html

Rthur
06-23-2015, 02:41 PM
Don't have any experience with glisten but I would recommend Cerakote chrome. We use cerakote on match rifles that take a beating and it protects the action/barrel well. As a side note it is also very good with heat. Might check it out as it could be your answer.


R

Rick_L
06-23-2015, 04:11 PM
C'nut, have you checked into a ceramic coating like is used on exhaust headers? I had an intake manifold done with that and it came out very nice.

You would need to mask any precision holes, etc. For instance, on my manifold, the injector holes were masked.

This may be the same/similar to what Rthur has in mind.

NickP
06-23-2015, 06:26 PM
http://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjwh6SsBRCYrKHF7J3NjicSJACUxAh7Pghs2is amrk-p0PeMiX_t6mdZEWg6frZ3QLBiF903xoCj2fw_wcBGood stuff and a wide selection of colors. Several different types depending on the duty it needs to serve. I have several weapons with the coating - not silver but camo. very durable. Laszlo they are in your neck of the woods, sorta.

MP&C
06-23-2015, 08:27 PM
By all means, some type of permanent coating. This was after Mothers polish inside and out, I don't think these wheels looked this good when they were put on new... (We're getting the Fairlane ready for the Nationals in Kingsport TN this weekend) Not something you want to do on a regular basis. We did use Zoop seal on some of the other aluminum trim and it had dulled quite a bit as well..


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1965%20Fairlane%20super%20street-super%20gas/Picture%202861.jpg

chevynut
06-23-2015, 08:44 PM
Wow, they really don't want to tell you squat about this stuff. I looked over their website and can't really find anything telling me what it is. Here's what they're FAQs say:

"What is Cerakote? (http://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/resource/faq/#)

Cerakote is a ceramic based finish that can be applied to metals, plastics, polymers and wood. The unique formulation used for Cerakote ceramic coating enhances a number of physical performance properties including abrasion/wear resistance, corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, impact strength, and hardness. Each of these properties is rigorously tested to guarantee that Cerakote products remain at the foreforont of the ceramic coatings market. Cerakote ceramic coatings utilize state-of-the-art technology to out-perform any competitive coating in both laboratory settings and real world applications. "


Wow, that really tells me a lot :confused:. It's a "Ceramic based finish"...I got that from the name. If it can be applied to plastics, it must not be very hot. Sounds like some kind of paint with ceramic powder in it. So far I'm really not impressed.

I see they have two different firearm coatings, one is oven cured with a hardener, and the other is air cured. I guess I fail to see how this stuff is any better than urethane clear. They do have a clear coat but they don't say much of anything about it. Is it just the paint without ceramic? They're very vague.

I see there's an applicator in Longmont, about 40 minutes from me. I may have to stop by. This looks like some proprietary coating that anyone could do if they bought the stuff.

NickP
06-23-2015, 08:59 PM
It is proprietary.

markm
06-24-2015, 06:00 AM
Top secret if they told you they would have to kill you.

chevynut
06-24-2015, 07:49 AM
Proprietary is fine, but at least they could tell you if it's an epoxy, urethane or whatever that carries the ceramic and binds it together. It's surely not just ceramic you spray on and bake or let it dry. It has a hardener in it...ceramic doesn't need a hardener.

I see a pic of a clear-coated polished wheel on their website. So what is the clear coat? It can't have ceramic in it or it wouldn't be so clear. Ceramics are metal oxides like alumina (Al2O3). I wonder how they get all those colors and if it's pigments or colored ceramic.

Rthur
06-24-2015, 08:51 AM
Cnut, I'm thinking if you have any gunsmiths in the area they might be your best choice to inspect the coating first hand and see the process/finished product. Also on precision threads/areas they can be taped/plugged. It is most similar to powder coat. It is applied with hvlp guns and baked @ 350-400 degrees. I would think it would be ideal for your application. While I'm not an expert I can answer questions about cerakote.


R

chevynut
06-24-2015, 08:58 AM
Rthur, thanks for the info.

What is the binder or carrying agent in the Cerakote? If it's baked at 350-400 degrees that's not hot enough to bind ceramic together, so there has to be some sort of binder in the mix. There are two versions, oven cure with a hardener, and air dry. What's the difference? I can't imagine the air-dry stuff is as durable.

If this stuff is that durable, I wouldn't mind trying it. But someone has to explain how/why their clearcoat is as durable as clear powdercoat or spray urethane clear. As for colors, I guess I'd have to see the "chrome" before I'd commit to it. Does this stuff work okay on aluminum?

I still wonder why not just use urethane clear on polished parts. Maybe adhesion is the problem?

Rick_L
06-24-2015, 10:49 AM
Maybe adhesion is the problem?

I'd say that adhesion is a good part of why.

NickP
06-24-2015, 02:00 PM
Does this stuff work okay on aluminum?Yes? I have an alloy framed 45 with the coating. No signs of wear from firing or in and out of holster.

Rthur
06-24-2015, 03:24 PM
I can't give you the chemical composition ect as I don't know. Oven cure is certainly tougher. Air dry is used on items that cant be oven cured, scopes ect. Also your parts would need to be prepared/blasted to give some tooth to the base material. I haven't seen it used in the automotive industry other than high temp headers/exhaust. If you can find a local cerakote guy maybe you could take a sample piece to try out for your application.
I plan on doing my exhaust from head to tip when I get that far on my project. Having a large enough oven will be interesting.
I also plan on using it on my suspension for a two tone look, black frame silver a arms four link ect.


R

chevynut
06-28-2015, 08:31 PM
Also your parts would need to be prepared/blasted to give some tooth to the base material.

Well then that defeats the purpose of polishing the parts. If you have to blast them, I might as well just use clear urethane enamel. I'm not worried about wear, I'm wanting a shiny aluminum part that stays shiny and doesn't dull.

I see they sell a clear coat and show some wheels coated with something...wonder what it is.

chevynut
11-11-2015, 07:43 PM
I ran into the Cerakote booth at SEMA and talked to the rep extensively about their product. He said it's the best thing on the market for clear-coating polished metals, and has been in use for a long time. I wonder why nobody in the hotrod industry really knows about this stuff for polished aluminum? I have searched all over the internet looking for a coating for polished metals and nobody has mentioned Cerakote except you guys here. In fact, it never even came up in my searches for some reason. :confused:

Anyhow, I was directed to this website which tells a lot about the producst. It's actually different than the Cerakote website for some reason, I guess they're pushing the clearcoat line.

https://www.clearcoating.com/

The stuff isn't cheap, and it's similarly priced to clear urethane. It costs more than Glisten PC which they didn't compare it to.

They seem to be a little scattered and inconsistent. On this page they say to use a "primer" before applying the clear:

http://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/resources/files/Cerakote%20Ceramic%20Clear%20%28MC-160%29%20for%20Polished%20Metals%20with%20PC-148%20Clear%20Primer%20Application%20Guide.pdf

Then on this page, they just say to clean the parts well with tert-butyl acetate and don't say anything about a primer:

https://www.clearcoating.com/resources/downloads/application-guide-mc-160.pdf

In any case, it sounds like this is worth a try. It's supposed to be hard, UV resistant, and scratch resistant. The rep showed me a wheel that he says has been coated for several years and it looked good. I guess I should call them about the primer inconsistency and see if I need to use it. I have a good topcoat gun but I don't think I have a .8mm tip for it. It sounds like I can use this stuff as a clearcoat over PPG basecoat, which makes it convenient for my application.

chevynut
12-22-2015, 09:46 AM
A friend of mine owns Gooding Performance here in Fort Collins and I stopped by to drop off my Daa 44 yesterday for the ring and pinion setup. I talked to his son Jason who is the brother of Mike Curtis, the owner of Curtis Speed Wheels. Mike used to work for Boyd Coddington and was on his TV show.

http://curtisspeed.com/wheels/

Anyhow, I learned that Mike uses Cerakoat Clear on his wheels when his customers want them clearcoated. Jason told me he loves the stuff and it holds up really well on polished aluminum.

I just got my Cerakote Clear (MC-160) yesterday but it will be a while before I spray it. I'll try to post my results here.

WagonCrazy
12-22-2015, 03:38 PM
I'd like to see how it all turns out Laszlo. I'm going to be doing that same thing to alot of my aluminum components too (when I get to that point in the build)

chevynut
12-22-2015, 08:53 PM
Paul, you might as well start polishing now...this is a labor intensive job!!! Actually, it's a lot easier than polishing stainless. ;)

mech393
07-22-2016, 11:15 AM
ive used the por15 glissen on a chrome timing chain cover on my 454 , that's been around 4 years its still glossy but I put it on with a brush it was pretty thick stuff and it is hard stuff but I don't remember reading that it breaks down in sun light like the por15 black.

Danny57
07-22-2016, 09:18 PM
I used Cerakote Titanium on my new Doug's Headers for my 57. Came out great, just sprayed with HVLP after blasting with aluminum oxide (gives a good "tooth" compared to glass beads}. I did the inside (flow coated) as well. Material cost was $61 compared to Jet Hot $340 est for outside only plus shipping both ways. If you want the polished look, you need a big tumbler that I didn't choose.
Peter