Post
by Snakeoil » Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:17 pm
Thanks. Something I noticed on the rims after I laced and trued them is the clear coat over the chrome powder coat has stress lines in it at the nipple dimples. Obviously the clear powder coat is not as flexible as the steel rim. It looks the same as old plexiglas looks. What this causes me to believe is probably all powdercoat does this, but you cannot see it. With clear over silver, the stress lines can be seen in the clear and have depth.
So, this raises the question of whether powder coat is really good for stressed components. With cracks in the coating, there is now a way for moisture to invade and attack the metal from underneath, just like the pores/flaws in regular paint allow. Of course it could take another 40 or so years to finally show up. No doubt the coating is tougher than regular paint, which is the primary purpose. But not sure it provides any better corrosion protection than regular paint... maybe less. It's just more durable.
regards,
Rob