Painting 'standard' spokes black

[Zeps]

Achtung all you ueber hubber expets!

 

Is it possible to 'spray' the normal i.e. silver spokes black on a built wheel? Thinking to mask the rim and hub off then clean the spokes proper say with thinners and then spray with a can (maybe that tough engine spray type stuff?).....

 

On a training bike and it's those ALX wheels wif ve min spokes

[Underachiever]

But WHY?

 

St Steel spokes shining in the sunlight looks cool (and retro)

[Pappa Bear]

I once did it on a bike of mine....... the paint dont stick to the spokes to well..... I would say don't do it rather buy black spokes - it will be neater in the long run

[scott]

hi Use Hammer rite Smooth paint for the spokes , should stick and last for years

[Mojoman]

Prep work is always critical when it comes to spraying anything. I don't know if I would bother spraying spokes, but maybe 'roughen' up the spokes a little with some sandpaper and then throughly clean them off before spraying.

[Johan Bornman]

Nope, there is no cheap and easy way to get spokes black. I'm faced with this problem almost daily, now that the black spoke fashion has hit us harder than the just-past camo clothing fashion.

 

There are several ways in which spokes are blackened. The cheapest is powder coating and anyoneone who has wheels with powdercoated spokes will admit it is crap.

 

Next is some oxide process. This is not satisfactory since it creates a matt effect and it rubs off.

 

The top-of-the-range method is kept secret by spoke manufacturers and I can't figure out what it is except that it is abbreviated "ED". ED can be done matt or shiny. DT, SAPIM and Wheelsmith all use this method.

 

On occasion I've had to make up special spokes to either match existing wheels or to fulfil someone's fancy. I then had to take the spokes into a specialised metal finishing company in Boksburg. It isn't cheap.

 

 

I hear what Scott says about Hammerite - this is great stuff. However, it'll look like an ice-cream melted on your spokes. It will dip and pool and eventually also chip.

 

I suggest you start to like silver spokes. I've spent much time with this problem and the best is still to source the right thing from the beginning.

[Pappa Bear]

 

I suggest you start to like silver spokes. I've spent much time with this problem and the best is still to source the right thing from the beginning.

 

.......... or buy black spokes.

[Minion]

The top-of-the-range method is kept secret by spoke manufacturers and I can't figure out what it is except that it is abbreviated "ED". ED can be done matt or shiny. DT, SAPIM and Wheelsmith all use this method.

Electrophoretic deposition. A bit like electroplating but, instead of using an ionic solution they use a conductive colloidal suspension. Rather than depositing metallic ions on the electrode, the process deposits particles, suspended in a liquid medium (this is a colloidal suspension), onto the electrode. These suspended particles can be anything that carries a charge: pigments, polymers, ceramics etc.

 

If you watch some of those Discovery documentaries where they dip an entire car body in a bath to paint it, that's ED. I suspect they also paint hard drive cases this way.

[bikemonster]

Geez, what is the Hub coming to.

 

Standards really are slipping.

 

I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned the single biggest drawback to painting spokes....

 

THE WEIGHT!!!!!!

[Johan Bornman]

Electrophoretic deposition. A bit like electroplating but, instead of using an ionic solution they use a conductive colloidal suspension. Rather than depositing metallic ions on the electrode, the process deposits particles, suspended in a liquid medium (this is a colloidal suspension), onto the electrode. These suspended particles can be anything that carries a charge: pigments, polymers, ceramics etc.

 

If you watch some of those Discovery documentaries where they dip an entire car body in a bath to paint it, that's ED. I suspect they also paint hard drive cases this way.

 

Thanks Ed. Nice explanation. You don't have one of these black colon machines in yoru garage by any chance?

[NielC]

Why don't u spray them gold? Make your bike look like a Subaru WRX STI china (ek se!)

[Minion]

Geez, what is the Hub coming to.

 

Standards really are slipping.

 

I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned the single biggest drawback to painting spokes....

 

THE WEIGHT!!!!!!

I know! And it's rotating weight too . Everyone knows that's a million times worse than normal weight.

[Minion]

Thanks Ed. Nice explanation. You don't have one of these black colon machines in yoru garage by any chance?

I had to throw it away to make space for the lightning machine, mwahahahahaa.

[Minion]

Why don't u spray them gold? Make your bike look like a Subaru WRX STI china (ek se!)

...and if you put the peak on your helmet on backwards you can even have a spoiler. Kief my bru!

[ChUkKy]

Why don't u spray them gold? Make your bike look like a Subaru WRX STI china (ek se!)

 

Bad idea... it will spend more time in the workshop broken than on the road.

[Guest Big H]

And if you spray or paint them spokes make sure you weigh every spoke to make sure they are all the same weight or the wheel will be out of balance and you will have to take the wheel to have it balanced.