suzuki Takasago rims

[LWC82PE]

i have had that problem before after welding up cracks, then getting them re-annodized and the crack re-appears after annodizing. it think the thing to do is heat treat after welding, but the annodising still reacts with the fresh filler rod anyway, so any rims from now on that are cracked i just bin. its not worth spending hours on polishing and then get them annodized then the crack re-appears.

i have had DIDs done in silver and some takasagos done in gold before and they didnt come back cracked at the joins and i had done no welding them, so im confident on getting any rims done that havent been cracked and re-welded.

[RMJJ]

Leigh.
Have you heard or do you now of Buchanan wheels in the US.
They are importers of Takasago rims in the US.
They have a good reputation.
I emailed them and asked the finish question.
This was their reply which is interesting and informative.

"John,
The takasago rims are silver anodize with a clear coating over the anodize. We don't offer re-anodizing service on used rims. The only thing we can do is polish them for you. The estimated cost for polishing an used rim is $90.00 each.

Regards,
Angel

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 8:45 AM
To: Tech Support
Subject: Takasago excel rims

Hi there.
I am in the UK and wondered if you could help me with some advice.
I want to restore some old 1980's takasago rims which are scratched and stained.
Can you tell me the process that takasago use to finish the alluminium rims ? The ones I mean are the silver finished ones, not chrome or gold or blue, just the natural silver colour. I notice they have a different finish to other manufacturers.
Are they polished and laquered or are they anodized somehow. Or maybe a different process altogether.

If you could help me that would be great.

John."

[LWC82PE]

so i wonder what the clear coating over top is? its obviously something more substancial than clear paint
i just bought a NOS 1980 suzuki takasago front rim so i will send it to the annodizers and ask if they can copy that finish
PS -name spelt Leith pronounced Layth

[rocketfrog]

No Lieth I am not an anodiser, but I have dabbled with Annodising at home. I recommend preparing several test coupons from an old rim that you dont mind cutting into sections. Get your annodiser to trial different plating times record the results until they match the finish you require, as the duration of plating time has an effect on the depth of colour (this is not as important if you require a coloured finish- but then the coloured finish will require further experimentation to achieve the depth of colour you desire because dwell time in the dye also effects the final job appearance). If you have an old rim to experiment on, apply a small amount of sodium hydroxide at 40% WW (caustic soda) to the surface with a cotton tip and observe the behaviour of the reaction.The metal initially fizzes a white colour if pure aluminium (annodising ) is present, and will turn a dark grey to black when the solution begins to react with the base alloy. This blackening is termed "smut" and what you are witnessing is the copper within the alloy reacting with sodium hydroxide. Fresh water rinse and apply vinegar (acetic acid 10% WW)to neutralise the reaction, then repeat fresh water rinse and dry. When the vinegar is applied, you will notice that the smut disappears. Weldments often annodise a darker colour because the filler used in the weld does not match the base alloy-It is more than likely the reason that weld repairs fail as well. Depending on the composition of the alloy, annodising will appear different in colour for any given process, the protective coating will still be present in the end, but asthetically, may not be what you were hoping for.  4000 alloy has a high silicon content which aids flow characteristics in casting and is often chosen as a weld filler for its low melting point and flow. I suspect that the silicon is cause for darker appearance as I have trialled annodising cast alloy with the result of being dark and not readily accepting a colour (except black). The bottom line is that you will need to experiment a little to find out suzuki's secret recipe for the OEM finish, but a plater who is willing to trial a few settings can get the finish right. Provide a sample of the correct finish and some test samples of the same rim type and see what can be done I say

[LWC82PE]

good stuff, i have a cracked PE rim i had gold annodized and is basically an ornament. i will get it stripped, polish it a bit again and then cut it up into sections to get some sample annodizing done on it and see what happens.

[RMJJ]

PS -name spelt Leith pronounced Layth

I knew that. didn't notice my typo. sorry mate.

[RMJJ]

Just descovered a new company in the UK.

They say you can get clear annodize.

http://www.realitymotorworks.com/Anodising/anodising.htm

http://www.realitymotorworks.com/index.htm