Mg Upright Cosmetic Repair

[Rick Iverson]

Gents;

I have a magnesium upright with a few unsightly dings I desire to have dolled up. All superficial, but it is my way.

• Is there a process to remove the black DOW9 that will not embed into the metal, thus impede a good bead;
• The auto-ignition point of Mg is 883 degrees F, so I plan to have the upright Cryo’d after for strength;
• Both front and rear upright will need to be re-coated, but I want them flat black. Any recommendations?

[Bob L.]

I used Keco's Kephos 400 on the RT5 mag pieces..uprights, rims, brackets..... they cleaned, treated...looks great. Centers located in Indy, and NC. check them out on web... Bob L.

[R. Pare]

Alternative - have them bead blasted, then coat with PPG DP90LF epoxy primer. Very common treatment for Indy car mag wheels.

[S Lathrop]

If you are into doing this your self, then I would start with glass beading. Follow that with a proper metal prep for magnesium, similar to Aluminum Prep. (I would contact Aircraft Spruce or Wicks Aircraft Supply for the proper metal prep. I would then paint the parts with a good epoxy primer in what ever color you want. This is a popular way to treat magnesium wheels among the Indy car guys.

The upside of doing this is that you can easily touch up the finish if you need to.

[R. Pare]

Almost forgot - the Dow 9 really does not really need to be removed -it acts as an excellent paint base. However, even with bead blasting, the uprights should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any leftover oils that have possibly soaked into the surface where there were chips.

The good thing that bead blasting will do for you is to make a perfectly uniform finish in the epoxy.

[Rick Iverson]

Gents;

As usual, a plethora a knowledge. Thx.