!!!Grrrrr!!! I just did a VERY BAD thing...I used Aircraft Paint Stripper and striped the paint off of some rims that had tires mounted...then I sanded down the rusty areas and sprayed on some OSPHO. Later I came out to find that the wide whitewalls are brown with rust stains. They were super clean prior to the sanding/OSPHO process. Ive tried Bleachie-White, Comet, muratic acid, and every combination of bad word I can think of and no use...the brown stains stay there and are not even touched. I am off to try some CLR. Has anyone solved this rusty whitewall problem???? Note to self: Never...ever...EVER try to prep/paint rims with tires still mounted on them...it is a COMPLETE WASTE of time/money.
Don't really know but I have a small brass wire brush made for whitewalls that takes off some pretty nasty marks. Maybe???
This has been the mainstay for whitewall cleaners all my life, it is still marketed this way and is also called black majic by the same company. if anything will make them white again this stuff will.
When I was a kid and used to build model cars I would paint their black walls with white wall tire paint. It came in a one-pint can at Western Auto. I don't think they make it nowadays. But, there was a guy in Norway I think that marketed a WW tire paint, come to think of it. I was mistaken, there are some vendors. Here's one; http://www.rangerpaint.com/ Scrape a rust spot with a razor blade to see how deep the stains go. Then you'll know if you want to try buffing them out or not.
Go to the grocery store and get whink it is meant to take rust out I use it in my sink and have had white rubber mats in my sink that have had rust spots And it takes it right out works on fabrick and even paint. Your not out much and scrubbing won't take it out.
I've worked in a tire store for 35 years. The white rubber is thick enough to endure some careful buffing to expose some clean white rubber. I've used a rasp wheel on a die grinder. Be gentle Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Nothing to lose at this point so try everything/anything: paint remover/lacquer thinner/mean green/lemon juice concentrate (I know it removes rust) etc.
OK...THANKS for the input. I tried the following with ZERO success: Mariatic Acid CLR Molassa (soaked over night) Bleachie-White Scrubbing with SOS pad I am now soaking the whitewalls in Naval Jelly under a layer of cling wrap over night. Scrubbing with and SOS pad and Bleachie White had very minimal effect...but helped some. I'll let you know the results...
That's not rust, it's staining. The phosphoric acid stained the white walls. I think you'll need to sand them to get it off.
Ok here's what I've done with success on different occasions: CLR with a soft scotch brite pad... Comet powder mixed with a little water to make a paste also applied with a scotch brite pad, then reapply and let it sit 'till it dries and scrub off. If all else fails use white shoe polish, it may not last forever but looks good for a while. Good luck !!!
As mentioned many people have turned blackwall tires into white walls by gently grinding them down. So to make white wall tires white again I suggest you gently sand them down after trying everything else. I've used Bleche White or SOS with Comet for years!
try Castrol Super Clean. Spray it on and scrub with a grey scotch brite pad, rinse with warm water. Most white wall manufacturers do not reccomend cleaning products that contain bleach