powder coat or anodize

hauss · #1 (**permalink**) 03-12-2018, 03:09 PM

Hello all; I was wondering what would look better, a gold powder coat or a gold anodized rim? Also what would be some advantages over one verses the other ? looking for personal opinions as well as facts. thank you Hauss.

bobcowan · #2 (**permalink**) 03-12-2018, 07:46 PM

Powdercoating is a coating like a very tough paint. It forms a layer on top of the material. It adds thickness and weight. And it will prevent corrosion. It can be removed.

Anodizing is like a stain. It penetrates the first tiny bit of the material and "stains" it the color you're after. To me, it looks more like a tint than a coloring or coating. It does not add thickness or appreciable weight. It somewhat seals the surface of the material, and will prevent some corrosion. It can't be removed, except by removing a layer of material. Anodized alum can be polished. It will hold it's shine better than billit alum.

cycleguy55 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-13-2018, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobcowan

Powdercoating is a coating like a very tough paint. It forms a layer on top of the material. It adds thickness and weight. And it will prevent corrosion. It can be removed.

Anodizing is like a stain. It penetrates the first tiny bit of the material and "stains" it the color you're after. To me, it looks more like a tint than a coloring or coating. It does not add thickness or appreciable weight. It somewhat seals the surface of the material, and will prevent some corrosion. It can't be removed, except by removing a layer of material. Anodized alum can be polished. It will hold it's shine better than billit alum.

To that I can only add that powder coating is tough, but it will chip - anodizing won't.

bobcowan · #4 (**permalink**) 03-13-2018, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

To that I can only add that powder coating is tough, but it will chip - anodizing won't.

That is exactly right. PC can chip and scratch just like paint. It just takes more effort to do it. PC can be repaired, though. If you're careful (and a little lucky) you can use paint to match the color of the PC

Since anodizing is a stain and not a coating, it can't chip off or scratch off. But it you can scratch, gouge, or damage the base material enough to go through the color layer. When that happens, it cannot be repaired.

Snake2998 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-13-2018, 09:05 PM

Anodising can fade over time depending on dye used but given that the car most probably won't spend much of its life in the sun this is unlikely. My choice would be plastic dipping the rim - you can easily do it yourself and if you don't like the result, or grow tired of the colour, it is easy to peel off. You can get high gloss plastic dips now.

joyridin' · #6 (**permalink**) 03-14-2018, 04:39 AM

My whole rear end was originally anodized gold. I am not sure when it was done, but when I got the car, it was no longer good looking. There were light and dark spots and it really looked like somebody painted it with cheap paint instead of having it anodized.

The PC looks really nice and it fills in some of the imperfections.

Ron61 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-14-2018, 04:52 AM

Just my personal choice and both of them look good but I would go with powder coating as it seems to stand up better around here.

Ron

scottj · #8 (**permalink**) 03-14-2018, 09:52 AM

I’ve been doing Cerakote on aluminum parts that I would normally anodize or PC (calipers, masters, hubs, brackets, wheels, etc.). It’s been very durable in an offroad racing environment. It’s not as glossy as PC or polished and anodized though.

bobcowan · #9 (**permalink**) 03-14-2018, 08:40 PM

Cerakote is new, and I haven't had a chance to use it. Is it something you can do at home, like PC? Or do you have to pay a shop for it? What do you think is it's biggest advantage over PC?

legenmetals · #10 (**permalink**) 03-14-2018, 09:30 PM

I have used CeraKote on three complete exhaust systems. It goes on thin and it is hard, but it will scratch like most anything will. Gun makers apply it to gun frames and barrels.

I have also used it on intake manifolds.[ATTACH]

[/ATTACH] Dusty muffler!

You will need a trained applicator. CeraKote can put you in touch with one if you decide to use their product

vntgspd · #11 (**permalink**) 03-15-2018, 09:19 AM

If you think of it in terms of wood...

Anodize will still reveal the original grain/texture after coating

Powdercoat will result in a durable smooth layer but will hide any grain/texture in the base material (like a lacquer finish)

My Halibrands are powdercoated so the rough cast centers are very smooth and loose a bit of character. The flip side is that they are very easy to clean because the dirt does not get trapped in the porous surface.