Hydrographics

[JB GTI]

One word...Witchcraft !!
Has anyone had it done. I know some of the designs are stomach turning but a very dim light has gone on in my head and was wondering if this could be done to change the lower mesh grill from the current Matt finish to Gloss Black ??
Does anyone know how durable it is whether it would stand jet washing for example and more importantly, how expensive it is.

[Brenbo]

From my experience in the print industry most print or coating processes are variations of a similar process. I have looked up the immersion coating process and from what I can see it could be a good way of coating a gloss finish on to a matt finish grille.

The witchcraft you speak of is simply submersing the product under the surface of the liquid then floating the graphic material on top of the surface and pulling the object back up through the floating graphic material to apply it to the surface of the object.

The durability and wear of the coating will depend on the coating applied.  There are some websites online which suggest their coatings are used for corrosion and wear protection.  As to withstanding a power washer I am unsure?  It may worth a try on something small which will be cheap to test the durability with your power washer.  Then if all is OK coat the parts of your car you wish to coat as gloss black.

[JB GTI]

Thanks for the detailed reply Brenbo   

[Exonian]

When I was getting my tyres changed over to my new wheels the guy told me (they are a refurbishment company so take great care when fitting tyres and are the only people I trust) that they have a company that do a similar thing for alloy wheels where they paint the wheel so the back is one colour then put a transfer over the face of the wheel then lacquer over the top so you can have almost any pattern or design on the wheel face.
Quite a neat idea.

[p3asa]

Like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKuXyeAGzEU

What are those paisley pattern wheels like!?!

[Brenbo]

Have watched the video and the way the guy is dipping the wheel has produced a distorted pretty rubbish result.  Because he is dipping wheel at an angle from above the graphic material in to the solution the carbon fibre effect is stetched and distorting in places.  You would have at least expected him to dip the wheel face flat on to the graphic so the face of the wheel you look at is perfect without distortion and the inside of the wheel which is less visible is getting the distortion.   This problem is similar to laying out UV's in 3D modelling.  Getting very technical now, I suspect unless the graphic material was set up to avoid distortion (same as UV layout in 3D Modelling) and the wheel was perfectly lined up to a specific area of the graphic when passed through so the anti distortion parts of graphic line up to the wheel you will never avoid the distortion of the graphic on any one part of the wheel. 


Also yes Paisley is a rubbish idea to have on a wheel. 

[Bluefloyd]

I am sure I watched an episode of wheeler dealers where they did a snake skin effect on alloys using this method, looked ok if your into that kind of thing. 

[JB GTI]

I was only thinking of a Gloss Black finish not snakeskin diffusers and Paisley print wheels 

[p3asa]

I was only thinking of a Gloss Black finish not snakeskin diffusers and Paisley print wheels 

But that's how it starts 

[JB GTI]

I was only thinking of a Gloss Black finish not snakeskin diffusers and Paisley print wheels 

But that's how it starts 

Lol