Wheel Finish - How To?

[Jim Doak]

I had my Halibrand Cobra III wheel centers painted last summer. Had 'em painted a bright white. I'm not loving them and think that I'd like a natural, as-cast aluminum finish a lot better. They were originally a dark gray and I didn't like that either, that's why I went with the white.

Anyway...I'm thinking about sand blasting the centers to get the desired finish. I checked out the wheels on a local guy's ERA FIA that he's building and it has the finish I'd like. A nice, rough, unpainted aluminum center.

Question, how can I come close to getting that finish? The local firm that painted my wheels recommends glass beads but I'm afraid that that'd leave a too-smooth finish.

Any recommendations on what abrasive media that I should use?

Thanks.

[tkb289]

Jim,

I am not an expert, but I know that walnut shell grit is used for stripping, without major changes to the substrate. This might be a good way to start, get the paint off first and see how it looks.

- Tim

[Three Peaks]

Use the finest media you can that will do the job, coarse media may take off metal and make the metal finish porous.
Once you have the paint off, you can always step up a grade or two at a time to get the finish you want.

Bob

[RACERAL]

After you blast them, get some of that Eagle one MAG wheel cleaner for cast aluminum and spray on them.. it has some acid in it and really makes them look like what you are after.. you will need to polish the rim after that.

[frdfver]

When I first got my wheels they were a dull grey color, which I didn't like so I blasted them with crushed glass in my cabnet. I liked how they looked and thought that I would powdercoat them with clear, so I tried one, that also made them go gray. So I blasted the powdercoat off and found some powdercoat made by eastwood that is as close as it comes to looking like natural blasted aluminum, So my next step is to try one wheel as soon as I get to that point again.

[joyridin']

To remove the old paint, I would use Behr paint remover and apply it with a brush so as not to get it on the polished finish. In about 15 minutes, it will eat the paint right off. Then just hose them off.

The finish underneath may be what you are looking for. If not, the Eastwood stuff mentioned does look great.

[427 S/O]

Jim, I also like the cast look, blasted mine with 'black diamond'. It's a blasting media that doesn't pit like sand, made by DOW.

[wtm442]

Try the blast media on the inside of the rim first.

[Jim Doak]

Some good advice here.

One thing about by wheels; the lips aren't polished but they are machined.

Last summer I got a couple of gouges in the lip one of my front wheels. So the local wheel repair firm first painted the entire wheel white and then machined-down the lip to get rid of the gouges and continued on to just "kiss" the aluminum to machine-off the white paint on the raised portions of the spokes. After that was done they sprayed clear coat on the entire wheel, including the machined lip. Then they did the same thing on the other three wheels.

Here's my plan, let me know what you think. (1) I tape-off the parts of the wheel that I don't want blasted. That includes the machined lip and raised portions of the spokes. (2) I begin blasting the wheel centers with a fine abrasive to remove the paint. If I don't like the finish, I continue with more aggressive media until I get the desired finish. (3) I then remove the tape.

Question: Should I clear coat the wheels after removing the tape? Remember that the machined surfaces already have a layer of clear coat on them.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks.

[franklin]

I thought your rims looked good white, but if you want to change them, then I can't wait to see them when they are done. I'm sure they'll look great when you are done.
Todd

[Larry N Johnson]

Jim,

Your plan sounds reasonable.
If you don't like the color when done blasting or whatever, there is a spray can color for brakes called "NU-CAST" that may look the right color you are after. I did the engine-tranny-rear in this color.


Larry

[bobcowan]

I would start by bead bloasting the back of the wheel. Try it and see what you get. If you don't like it, you can move up to differant sized beads, more or less pressure, or try something like walnut shells.

[Frank Messina]

Have you looked into dry ice blasting as an option? This is a procedure that leaves the substrate completely unchanged and has applications from mold remediation to oil and grease removal from machinery to paint stripping. The best part is there is hardly any mess and no contamination. I've seen it in action and it's a pretty amazing.
Frank

[LMH]

Personally, I like the look of Perry Henry's wheels. They have have that old-school comp look.
Best place to buy glass bead that I've found is Harbor Freight Tools. Thats what I use in my blast cabinet.
Larry