[Impetus]

I know. Flame away if you're inclined.

I have a pile of parts on my kitchen counter to build wheels- Hope Pro4 hubs, Sapim Race spokes and polyax nipples, and a pair of Spank Oozy Trail 345 rims.

I bought the rims based on price, weight/width specs and generally positive reviews.
But I don't like the giant SPANK logos every 1/3 of the way around the rim. Pretty much nothing else on my bike has bright logos, and I kinda like that. Even the frame's Vassago downtube logo is satin back logo on black powdercoat.

Would it be super ghetto to rattle-can satin or semi-gloss the whole rim before I lace it up to make it less flashy?

**These logos are NOT stickers or decals, they are laser etched****

If they were decals, obviously, I'd peel them off.

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[Renzo7]

If I recall correctly, the spray paint comes off easily. Perhaps some black stickers on top of the logos could be more durable.

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[*OneSpeed*]

I've painted aluminum rims before building wheels. It requires a bit of prep work but the results were great.

I used 400 wet sandpaper, then denatured alcohol, then 3-4 coats, then clear.

 

[127.0.0.1]

I too dislike friggin monster logos

clean rim with acetone or alcohol and then murder them with rattle-can black

 

[fredcook]

Are the rims flat, or semi-gloss? And how deep is the letter etching? How about trying to fill in the etched letters with high-gloss (or flat if the rims are gloss/semi-gloss) paint and wiping off the un-etched areas before the paint dries? It may be that the letters are too wide to do it easily, but maybe wipe off excess by wrapping cloth around the rim and using a buffing action to do this. Maybe that will keep the rag from wiping paint from within the etched area.

If this worked, it would resemble your frames satin black/powder coat logo design.

 

[aerius]

I used to repaint silver rims black back in the day. Works just fine as long as you give the paint enough time to properly cure & harden, which takes at least a week. Paint may dry overnight but if you build the rims up the day or two after painting them the paint's going to scratch badly as it's not fully cured & hardened yet.

 

[Timothy G. Parrish]

I painted a set of brakes recently. I scuffed the surface with some Scotch-brite pads, sprayed 3 light coats of color, then sprayed 3 coats of clear. The finish is holding up well. Avoid using rattle can stuff from the big box stores and get Testors spray lacquer. This is much more durable. I have those Spank rims, and the surface is rough already, so I would avoid using sandpaper. You'll probably sand down the higher spots leaving aluminum colored dots everywhere.

 

[J_Westy]

A coat or two of self-etching primer is a good idea:

https://www.duplicolor.com/product/self-etching-primer/

I also agree with a long drying time to let it toughen up.

 

[plummet]

You would really want to etch prime and paint with a 2 pack epoxy automotive paint. That would cost you more than buying new rims.

You could try going to an automotive paint shop. They may be able to blow some paint on there with existing paint stock for less than it will cost you to buy all the supplies.

 

[keen]

I wanted to "spray paint" an alloy frame I had laying around so I thought why not visit the local automotive paint supply house. I asked for gloss black and was asked if I had a paint code??? I told the counterman that I didn't have a code as I was painting a bicycle frame. He pulled out a dozen or so color chart samples. Made my choice and of course I asked how much? A single can of paint would be $66! I was a little taken back but after some conversation it boiled down to "You get what you pay for".

 

[BigHerm]

I have those Spank rims. I was also not a huge fan of the logos. They look better when they are dirty.

I don't think the finish will take paint well. Ride them hard, don't use soap. Problem solved.