# FlipKung Painting?



## Viggy (Mar 3, 2016)

Hi Folks,

Recently picked up a FilpKung Maxim Champ blank...toying with lots of ideas of how to personalize it. I want to keep it minimalist....wrapping it with some cool bike handlebar wrap (or something else -- not sure yet). Anyway, I'm thinking about possibly applying a bit of paint. My question is -- after sanding: will this work? Not sure, even with a primer will a spray paint like Krylon or Rustoleum be effective? Might be fun....or just the silvery finish of the aluminum is always nice. Thoughts?


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## Tremoside (Jul 17, 2013)

Hi Viggy,

If you have a chance I suggest you to check an anodizing workshop. The FlipKungs are made of very high quality aluminum and you can make flawless anodizing. If you used silicon carbide sandpapers it may affect the output but not that much. I have an anodized Flipkung and the anodizing is pretty durable (can handle forkhits too).

Powder coating may be an other option but PC quality is really workshop dependent.

Polished and clear coat is also a great option. I do not recommend simple paintings but that's just me. If you decide to go with paints my tip is to make sure you have no too sharp edges. It's hard to coat sharp alu edges with paint.

Hope you enjoy your Flipkung,

Tremo


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## Viggy (Mar 3, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback. Loving how this shoots....


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## Can-Opener (May 11, 2013)

Rustoleum actually has a primer specifically for aluminum. I got mine at lowes


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## fsa46 (Jul 8, 2012)

If you decide to use paint you might want to Google " How To Paint Aluminum ". I had an aluminum boat with a 1/4" hull that I was going to paint and I recall it said it was very important to acid etch it first for the best adhesion.


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## Viggy (Mar 3, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback. I sanded it down, tried a test spot of paint....didn't really like it. Shows every minor imperfection in my finishing. So....more sanding with 000 steel wool and got it looking smooth with a bit of shine to it. Will play around now with various wrapping strategies...


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## Viggy (Mar 3, 2016)

So this is what I've got so far....It's handlebar tape...this is Newbaums bar tape-- it's cotton with an adhesive back. It's thin which is nice. Tied off with some hemp twine. Nothing fancy but I like how the bar tape can cover the corners where that seems to be hard with paracord. I'll probably put some shellac on the hemp after I redo things.


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Paracord servers well for wrap...it is cushioney and useful in a pinch for other things like a tourniquet or elephant dental floss. Agree with the anodizing suggestion...there are youtube vids on how to anodize and dye, it's pretty simple...even a camo anodizing with various dye colors brushed on the surface after anodizing initially is done.

I tried to copper plate aluminum when I was a kid with my home made copper platter (a peanut butter jar and copper sulfate solution and a battery) but plating won't stick to aluminum because it is impossible to remove the instantly oxidized protective molecular coating of aluminum oxide (sapphire). Acid etching makes the surface more porous for better adhesion of surface treatments as said above in a post...there are vids on youtube for that too...what acid to use, method etc.. Once al is etched however it's uglier than a bucket of arseholes so you are then committed to paint.

If it were mine I'd round off the sharp edges (radiusing) first so it doesn't dig into the hand or elastic. A harsh sharp edge if partly exposed from incomplete wrapping, will bug you after fifty or so shots unless you use gloves or have incredibly calloused hands. Sharp edges are also not so appealing as rounded ones in my very humble opinion.


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