heres the deal moving along with the buildup on my rpu , have the tires dismounted now and want to get them stripped to get them painted - powdercoated , was going to sandblast them but they have a large flange on the back that would make it difficuld to get them really clean , they are mclean spoke rims and i would like to get them absolutely clean so i can get them painted or probbably powdercoated due to them being equally hard to get paint every where , any one know of sompthing i can soak them in that will remove the paint and leave them clean and ready ? thought of taking them to the local chromer and having them stripped i believe they have a large tank for stripping parts ? thanks for the help brock !
Powder coaters here do all their own sand blasting. Could you just drop them off at the powder coaters and let them handle it.
Bead blasting usually does the trick, if you are hell bent on stripping them chemically though, call a furniture restoration company as they have tanks suitable for doing wires. Jon
yeah our powdercoaters here used to but changed hands and dont any more . i have my own blast cabinet so its not a problem just think dipping them would do a better job , especially getting all the paint out around the spoke ******s ! sandblasted a couple 40 ford wheels and had em powdercoated the sand must have not gotten into the area where the center meets the wheel cause when i got them back there were a few blems like bubbles that had popped around this area ! just looking for the best solution to get them absolutely clean !
There is a product that I use, I get it from the local paint supply, its called PEALER. Its a spray can. I use it on all the tough hard to strip jobs. Its the best paint stripper out there. Easest to clean up too.
I personally hate any chem stripper it always seems to hide in the crevisesw and come back to trash things later ,use soda blaster maybe
If these wheels have adjustable spokes you don't want to use a liquid to strip them, you'll always have a problem with rust around the threads. I'd blast them and paint them if they were mine.
I use a mol***es bath for all my stuff 7 to 14 days usually get rust and paint off. There was a thread done by Povertyflats on cleaning wheels with mol***es about one year ago or PM him. I also had wheels powder coated and I just left it upto them (sandblasting and all), all my jobs have been good. Best trick is to ensure they use a primer 1st up and then the color, gives a better finish.
Here is another one from electrodudes post http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142435
I'm not sure if it's best for your application due to the threaded spoke ******s, but the cheapest recipe for paint stripper I've used is a lye solution (drain cleaner). I use the Red Devil crystals, (Draino has aluminum shavings in it to make it foam so I stay away from it). They're usually side by side on the shelf near the cleaning supplies. Rubber gloves, eye protection, and extreme caution mandatory, it'll eat anything organic (read body parts) in no time. Read the cautions on the label. Mix into water slowly in a stout container as it releases heat that could soften flimsy plastics. The stronger the mix the more aggressive it'll be. Works good on hard metals like steel, but eats aluminum fast. I'd test other metals before dipping. Rinse with water. If you need to neutralize, diluted vinegar or other weak acid would work. Don't tell the DEP but I once used it and a power washer to strip the side of a painted brick house. Of course after the job is done you've got a bucket of corrosive chemical laden with what's probably lead paint residue to dispose of.
Sandblast them or beadblast them, clean and paint with a good epoxy primer then finish paint with primer matching paint. Seal the spokes inside the rim and use a rim liner to protect your tubes if you use tubes.
In an oven,(outdoors), at about 425-450 degrees, and it will kill the hell out of the paint that is there................... My buddy that runs a powder coating outfit told me about doing this, as he is an old car and Cushman collector and restorer. Kill the paint before you try to remove it mechanically,(Blasting). I would try to avoid the stripper, too many nooks and crannys to try to get it out of............ The mol***es, on the other hand, sounds like it might be the ticket for the "stripper" route................
thanks for the help guys , got the tires dismounted today and guess i will try to bead blast em , might try the moll***es trick on some other parts , thanks for the help brock !
Do you have a progress report on what you did with your wheels? I would like to know what method you used and how they came out? I have just picked up a set of Chrysler painted wire wheels for Plymouth and Dodge applications and need to strip the original paint from them. Some guys insist that the "Molases method" will strip the paint and other say it will only strip the rust? I am willing to try the method since I can easily get my hands on molases and a plastic drum to leave them in while it works. Yes Chrysler made a painted version in the 50s. they were 15X5 where the chrome ones were 15X5.5 or 6 and they had the smaller 4.5 bolt hole pattern
Give Metal Rehab in Arlington Texas a call. They quoted me $45 per wheel to chemically strip a set of 1991 S10 Blazer alloy wheels. They use a alkaline solution in a hot tank which strips metal bare of paint and rust. Shipping would cost about $125 for five wheels. Alkaline stripping is much better than bead blasting. The old acid bath stripping is a thing of the past thanks to the EPA, besides acid stripping will remove metal whereas alkaline stripping will not. http://www.metalrehabinc.com I used Pro Strip in Dallas many times for all my wheels, sheet metal body parts and cast iron engine parts but the EPA and IRS put Pro Strip out of business about ten years ago. Pro Strip used the same process as Metal Rehab. The EPA really watches those type businesses because they deal will hazardous materials and the waste disposal is closely monitored and it is expensive. The metal plating shops have the same problems with the EPA. That is why most plating shops now use zinc plating instead of the original style cadminum plating. Cad plating is really bad on the enviroment and is as bad as lead in the enviroment and plating tank vapors cause brain damage to the employees who work there. That is why people who work in plating shops act a little crazy. Lacquer paint causes brain damage just like lead, cadmium and other heavy metals. Automobile painters who still use lacquer paint or have used laquer paint in the past, also act a little crazy.
decided to have them baking soda blasted , a little more work gettin them clean but i disn't want problems with chemicals messing up the powdercoating process !
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