How do you paint Magnesium?

[slofox]

That would be awesome. Aircraft engineering did cross my mind. Many thanks.

NP. He is usually in on Friday...

[slofox]

He's been in but couldn't give a definitive answer. However, his son, who also works at PAC is the paint expert so the question will go to him. Answer next week probably.

He did ask if you were sure it was magnesium alloy though..?

[marty]

I was being a little sneaky before. We bead blast all of our magnesium alloy wheels with a plastic media blaster - it doesn't damage or hide cracks at all, in fact after bead blasting they are NDT'd by our NDT guy using mag particle inspection - you can't use mag particle if the cracks are closed up by sand blasting, but media (plastic) doesn;t damage the material. They are then treated with an Alodine process which reduces/eliminates corrosion. The wheels are then etch primed and top coated in laquer - this makes it easy to re-blast them and do the process again after 1000 landings. Those whells get a much bigger hammering than your motorbike wheels ever will.

I used the media blaster the other day to clean a polished stainless pot that had burned apples in in. It came up beautifully with the mirror finish still intact

[RobGassit]

I was being a little sneaky before. We bead blast all of our magnesium alloy wheels with a plastic media blaster - it doesn't damage or hide cracks at all, in fact after bead blasting they are NDT'd by our NDT guy using mag particle inspection - you can't use mag particle if the cracks are closed up by sand blasting, but media (plastic) doesn;t damage the material. They are then treated with an Alodine process which reduces/eliminates corrosion. The wheels are then etch primed and top coated in laquer - this makes it easy to re-blast them and do the process again after 1000 landings. Those whells get a much bigger hammering than your motorbike wheels ever will.

I used the media blaster the other day to clean a polished stainless pot that had burned apples in in. It came up beautifully with the mirror finish still intact

Any chance you do perk jobs? Sounds like you have it all sussed.