[Ugly Mongrel]

Yes, I'm still banging on about wanting to change my roof rails from daggy silver to matt black. 
 
I bit the bullet and priced a set of black rails from Hyundai. $412 (No, they are not gold plated!!) Not happy, Jan!!!

Now that Dazzler has show how easy it is to remove the rails, I'm quite happy to get someting done about changing them to matt black.

I was after some advice regarding whether power coating could be done on the rails and whether it would be better that spraypainting. In particular, resistance to UV and durability of the surface to knocks and scratching.

Any advice appreciated.

[Dazzler]

If you prepared them yourself (after getting the powder coaters to advise you on what is required)

 Just a light sand and a wipe over with a bit of metho would be my guess to remove any wax or loose paint..

Then I reckon you could get them powder coated for about $100 + GST (for the pair) is my estimate going by what we were changed to get a few things powder coated for our new house...

I reckon powder coating would be the way to go.. (It seems more permanent than just spray)

P.S. It was 2130's who found out how to get them off..

  

[TrishCW]

If you prepared them yourself (after getting the powder coaters to advise you on what is required)

 Just a light sand and a wipe over with a bit of metho would be my guess to remove any wax or loose paint..

Then I reckon you could get them powder coated for about $100 + GST (for the pair) is my estimate going by what we were changed to get a few things powder coated for our new house...

I reckon powder coating would be the way to go.. (It seems more permanent than just spray)

P.S. It was 2130's who found out how to get them off..

  

I could be wrong, but I think they would have to be sand blasted first before they will powder coat them.

[beerman]

Surley some unfortunate sole has written off a cw, have you tried the wreckers?

Would think it would be cheaper and more convienent than getting then powder coated.

[Ozbrum]

Dear Ugly Mong: (I'm sure you're not  ) White and silver go great together ..... As I've stated on another thread which you may have read ? .... I've just spray painted my matt black Rola cross bars with Rolo tie down eyes silver (ex Repco sale Perth $250.00) plus can of etching primer $6.50, plus can of White Knight satin silver spray $7.80, and they look first class, They blend in perfect with the factory satin silver roof rails ........ My cw is Hypersilver.

Hope whatever colour you go for ... you're happy   

[Dazzler]

We didn't like the Silver Rails to start with but they look heaps better now we put the Chrome door handle covers on like you did UM... If we had a white one though we might have still wanted them black...

Can you post Pix of yours on here Ozbrum (can send them to me to do if you like) 

[Ugly Mongrel]

Thank you all for the feedback and advice. It's really nice to know that forum members are keen to offer help to those of us who need a bit of assistance and guidance.

Ozbrum, I'm just not confident painting the rails myself as I want the surface to last and not fade in the hot Queensland sun.

Beerman, I haven't done the ring around of the wreckers, but I might just do that. However, I'd feel a bit like a organ donor recipient if I took advantage of another poor i30 soul.

2130s, Sorry for crediting Dazzler with your fine pics showing the ease of removing the rails.

I'll be contacting a powder coating business soon to get some advice and pricing. Will keep you informed of the outcome.

[Dazzler]

No Worries.. After i posted my comments about the powder coating Trish reminded me that when she took a pipeline bed in to be recoloured they said it had to be sandblasted back to bare metal first... Hence her post.

I then remembered all the other stuff that was powder coated when we built was unpainted to start with..

Some powder coaters probably have sandblasting equipment anyway and shouldn't add to the cost much.

Ozbrum's painted silver is unlikely to fade but I know what you mean about black going grey if it is not done properly. Powder coating is the way to go in your case I reckon. Shop around (I wouldn't think it should be any more than $150 all up including striping) ....especially if you wear the red dress  

[Surferdude]

Beerman, I haven't done the ring around of the wreckers, but I might just do that. However, I'd feel a bit like a organ donor recipient if I took advantage of another poor i30 soul.

Think of the poor, homeless, unloved i30 sitting in with a heap of wrecked cars and just be grateful you can give at least a part of it a loving home.

[rustynutz]

However, I'd feel a bit like a organ donor recipient if I took advantage of another poor i30 soul.

Extremely grateful? 

[Ozbrum]

I've no real faith in powder coating UM  in our last house we had several sections of that tubular railing type fence with the pretend spears on the top in between brick pillars, they were a dark steel grey and after 2.5 years looked like grey primer  :o.

With the roof rails and cross bars ... what may seem like a little job can turn out to be a big expensive job ..... with the cross bars and I'm no expert the secret or the knack to a long lasting finish is in the preparation and the main thing is a good etching primer base, can paint spraying is a gentle cross wave of the hand and practice on a few items first  .

Be brave 

[Lakes]

All the powder coatings i've seen were gloss, & the powder coaters i've used in the past do the preparation like sand blasting & so on as the preparation is most important to the finish. any Black is not going to stand up well to the Queensland sun ( if you can find it ) but in the end that what you want so why worry go for it but what are they made from?

[agentr31]

are they metal??

you are going to have a lot of trouble powder coating plastic...

i have a mate who does powder coating... ill ask him if i remember what they can do, but im sure its NOT plastic

[Dazzler]

Pretty sure they are metal.. Maybe aluminium?

[AlanHo]

My experience of powder coating - in a component production factory - is that the powder is emitted from a gun which has a very high voltage static charge. The highly charged powder then looks for an earth - which is provided by the bare metal component. It is attracted to the component surface around the whole perimeter and builds up evenly until it forms a layer thick enough to act as an insulator - at which point no further powder will stick. The component than goes into an oven where the powder melts and fuses to the component surface.

The metal surfaces to be coated have to be absolutely clean and are normally either chemically cleaned or shot blasted. Various coatings can be applied including Epoxy, Polyester, Nylon and hybrids - each having its own mix of qualities such as fade resistance, abrasion limits, temperature range etc

This is an excerpt from a brochure of a company that coats roof rails for BMW and the Volkswagen group

The vehicle roof rail is an example of a product viewed in the highly-visibility eye level zone; therefore its cosmetic appearance is of vital importance. Made from non-ferrous alloy, the carefully prepared individual castings and extrusions have to be cleaned, passivated and coated with extreme care. By utilising strict process controls and zero defect practices, stringent customer surface-finish standards can be achieved.

[Dazzler]

How many strings have you got to your bow Allan.. great info 

[2i30s]

sounds like your from that type of industry Alan.    great post mate. 

[AlanHo]

I have had two careers - mainly the aluminium rolling mill industry in the UK, USA and Middle east - punctuated by 8 years in medical equipment manufacture when I was head hunted as a hatchet man to streamline a failing company.

The medical equipment such as hospital beds, screens, walking aids etc were spray painted when I arrived - but I introduced powder coating to improve quality, reduce manpower and get better durability of the finish. I also introduced robotic welding which brought with it a problem with powder coating.

Before welding, the components around the weld area were sprayed with a silicone spray to prevent weld spatter from sticking to the metal. It is hell on wheels removing this silicone - even grit blasting left traces.  The slightest amount of silicone would cause the powder coating to run away and leave thin (even bare) patches. We had to introduce more expensive non-silcone anti spatter sprays. I understand that modern car polishes contain silicones to enhance gloss and provide that reassuring water wetting quality. I suspect that this makes painting or powder coating parts that have been polished with a quality car polish "interesting" if adequate preparation of the surfaces is not carried out. 

[2i30s]

 

[rustynutz]

Youtube is your friend.....

[Dazzler]

Good find thanks Rusty 

[agentr31]

acid should remove the silicone? i thought you ran stuff through an acid wash before powder coating?

ive always prepared the stuff for powder coating myself to save money! ive always hit it with degreaser, removed all traces of grease/oil, then washed it in water, then sand blasted it clean! and stored it with moisture absorbent beads (silica/some special paper we used to get)

[rustynutz]

Ta Daz...at least it gives people a bit of an idea what the process is...

[Ugly Mongrel]

Stuff that!!! I think I'll just spray paint them myself

[Lorian]

Or wrap them in black insulation tape 

[Dazzler]

Stuff that!!! I think I'll just spray paint them myself

At least if you spray them yourself and they fade you can just do it again in say 12 or 18 months... If you give a light sand with fine emery paper and give them a good wipe over with alcohol or metho and then use a quality black paint should be fine  

I would go to an automotive paint shop even if it costs you say $25 a can for some really good stuff.

I would go a satin finish if available .. Matt would be too dull and Gloss would show every blemish and go off quicker IMO...