Clear coating on bare metal......?

[piroguedog]

I was wondering about this in reference to aluminum and steel. What is the difference in doing this and painting it? I have sanded the rust off of a steel wheel and have it smooth and shiney I like the finish but am not sure how clear coat would work compared to priming and painting. Also, i have been sanding the motor on a trike, top and bottom ends and also like the finish. So, anyone have any experience with this??? Piroguedog

[Orangecnty250r]

Ive done it with parts I didnt want to paint and it has held up fine on riders and show machines

[piroguedog]

Orange, any recommended clear coat, and have you done steel as well as aluminum? Thanks for the 2cents.

[Orangecnty250r]

I have not done aluminum just steel....it is neat look. No particular brand.

[evand]

i did it to the head for the z. i used the VHT high heat clear, wich i would recomend if your doing this to a engine. it came out very nice and shinny, i have done this to steel and had good results:beer

[blue27]

I have cleared polished alumiuim, just clean the piece with some type of degreaser/brake clean to remove any wax.

[scooterroo]

i sprayed my polished metal parts after a good cleaning and it came out nice. keeps em looking good for along time.

[piroguedog]

Well, I opted to prime and paint the front rim, but am still going for the polished alum for the motor. I was afraid that the coat would get scratched too easy on the wheel and then rust.

[Rustytinhorn]

Bare metal will rust, for my axle (metal, steel, whatever) I polish it up and then put a coat of clear coat over the top to keep it from rusting. All my other metal parts I paint with primer and paint.
Aluminum will pit and dull. It wont rust like the metal, but over time it pits. I guess it ok bare and exposed. I wonder if you can affectively clear coat aluminum to help protect it??:wondering

Edit-Re-read your post, I misundertood the first time. My guess would be painting would be more durable, because then you could use a good quality primer to help protect the metal as well. But then again clear coats do a good job at protecting the paint.... so to put the clearcoat on the metal itself... Like I stated above, I put the clear coat on my axle, its better than nothin.

[Bigbore]

I've done powder over bare aluminum and bare steel. It gets blasted first so it’s clean. After blasting NO degreasers or other cleaners, right to the powder coaters. It is the best finish and most durable. It doesn't scratch or flake like paint. I'd do powder over a rattle can or high quality mix and spray any day.

If you like the look of the aluminum make sure that the clear doesn't yellow with time or exposure to UV. I have a set of triples that I cleared with Formula U (it's a RC air plane paint) that is resistant to nitro methane. It yellowed after a couple of years. Now I wish I had gotten them powder coated "aluminum".

Just make sure to have it done by someone that's good and NOT CHEAP. If you go cheap you'll have a cheap paint job that doesn't come off.