Reply to "Powder Coating Campy Wheels at home"

As has been mentioned before, combining magnesium annealing with powder-coat pre-cure baking can be done, but don't skimp on the time at temperature. Lockheed Missles & Space Co uses 275F for 4 full hrs to anneal mag, followed by really slow cooling. Depending on how clean you got the porous casting and what (if any) solvents were used to clean, shorter bake times or higher subsequent cure temps can result in pinholes or bubbles in powder coats, as 'stuff' slowly bleeds out at the higher temp.

SLOW cooling to ambient is also important in annealing- wrapping the hot, baked wheel in an old blanket, putting it back and turning off the oven until morning works best. And some powder materials need more heat than 275F to fully cure. I've seen some that needed 500F or more! Some shops will no longer powder-coat cast magnesium due to expensive experiences in learning how to properly handle our porous wheels. Much of the trouble comes from skimping on the time-at-temperature by being in a hurry.