Prepping alloys for paint...Advice

[hondamad2204]

Hi folks, been doing abit of reading up about how to strip my recently aquired alloys, in preparation for paint. Im looking into alsorts of methods but what one person says, another disagrees. Lol. So... Is Nitromors safe or not?, is sanding by electronic sander too abrasive?, is doing by hand the longest but best way?

Any advice really,just clear, simple, layman's terms preferred please.

James

 

[hoho]

From a personal experience I won't use Nitromors paint stripper to remove the paint. I used it my brothers alloy wheels and I messed it up proper hahaha ...I will say good old manual sanding or electric sander will do the job

 

[Chewy]

Depends really on if it's factory paint, or if someone else had resprayed them before...either way as long as the paint is in reasonable condition, I personally would be inclined towards just giving them a good once over by hand with some 1000 grit and be done with it.

That'll create a nice enough surface for the new paint to stick to without going through all the effort of removing the paint.

But that's just me

 

[Dan Evans]

Ive done a few sets and always done it by hand. It can be a very long process but probably worth it. It all depends on the state of your wheels of course, I had a set dipped in the past as sorting the corrosion by hand would have just taken too long.

 

[hondamad2204]

They look like this in the centre of all of them,.... various spots similar on the back too. I would have just roughed them up and started the process from there like Chewy says, but thinking taking it off would mean I don't have this to look forward to in a few years is what I'm thinking.

 

[Chewy]

Now that changes things a bit, Haha.

Yeah, get it all off mate...The paint doesn't seem to thick to tackle it by hand but if you have an electric sander that'll get in all the 'nooks and crannies' go for it, just be careful and don't use anything to abrasive.

 

[Mark_teg]

Shot blast them?

 

[Erm]

sand by hand is the best way..... but i'd probably machine sand what you could there and then finish off the rest by hand as they are in quite a state

 

[hondamad2204]

what type of sand blasting?? I understand there are different methods? some are harsher than others, and obviously I don't want these to get "pitted"

Yeah I realised they were abnormally bad, but I like a challenge. I'm in no rush to get them on, so I want as best a finish really, and I think blasting them would be the most reliable way of getting into all the nooks and crannies and removing all that salt corrosion.

 

[Mark_teg]

Depends on the 'shot' / 'sand' I suppose.. Isn't there a sand blast cabinet at your work mate?

 

[Josh16v]

I've always done wheels by hand. No point using a DA on them unless the spokes are mega fat.

Rub away all that corrosion with something coarse, say 120. Finish it in 240 and use some red scotchbrite around the prepped area.
Spot prime what you've done in 240, no need to do the whole wheel if the rest of the paint is sound.
Flat the primer with 800 wet, prep the rest of the wheel with grey scotch and you're good to go!

 

[hondamad2204]

Depends on the 'shot' / 'sand' I suppose.. Isn't there a sand blast cabinet at your work mate?

I remembered that too haha im popping over to see him tomorrow lunch, but im pretty sure its only a baby one so it may not fit

 

[hondamad2204]

I've always done wheels by hand. No point using a DA on them unless the spokes are mega fat.

Rub away all that corrosion with something coarse, say 120. Finish it in 240 and use some red scotchbrite around the prepped area.
Spot prime what you've done in 240, no need to do the whole wheel if the rest of the paint is sound.
Flat the primer with 800 wet, prep the rest of the wheel with grey scotch and you're good to go!

Lol I said layman's terms haha.

Ok so the red scotchbrite is some sort of primer / filler? Also what do you mean by spot prime dude?

I understand the different grades of paper etc, just confused trying to imagine it.

They deffinately arn't mega fat spokes, im just worrying about putting deep scrathces into the surface. They are all random with where the corrosion is so thats why i thought get them all taken off, but i suppose if its sanded/prepared right it should be good spraying over old? No chance of it bubbling up after a while?

 

[hondamad2204]

Scratch that, just googled it. Makes abit more sense now, haha just this spot prime, which im guessing is prime the affected area, after if sanded it back, then sand that specific area again, then the whole wheel, then spray as normal. Think thats what your saying ... Haha

 

[Josh16v]

By spot priming I mean only prime the area that needs it, IE the part you've sanded.
There's no need to prime the whole wheel if it's only the middle that's corroded / damaged.

Say you have a wheel with some damage around the nut holes, a bit around the lip, some on the spokes etc then yes it may be quicker to coat the whole wheel with primer so it wet sands down easier. But if it's just one area, spot prime it and wet sand until the new primer is 'smoothed' out at the edges into the old paint.

Are we talking rattle cans or spray guns here? 240 might be too coarse for aerosol primer to cover.

 

[hondamad2204]

Right gotcha. Yes rattle cans and my garage with a hair dryer.

 

[Josh16v]

If you're after a good job it will be worth taking them to a bodyshop mate.
Rattle cans don't compare to proper paint and clear

 

[Rom]

Really depends on how much time you have. And how good you want them.

Dipped or blasted is by far the quickest. And will give the best uniform finish. But, you cant really do it at home (easily).

Theres a huge difference between flatting paint back to be repainted, and tackling that level of corrosion in intricate areas. Ive sand blasted loads of wheels without pitting. The media breaks down anyway over time, and gets progressively less abrasive. So unless its brand new super coarse there shouldnt be any problems.
And high build primer can cover a myriad of sins!

If it were me, i value my time. Id just get them blasted. Its literally 5-10 mins per wheel. VS hours per wheel probably by hand.

 

[Justintian]

I think if I were look for a good reliable finish I will look into the powder coating way rather than paint.

 

[hondamad2204]

Really depends on how much time you have. And how good you want them.

Dipped or blasted is by far the quickest. And will give the best uniform finish. But, you cant really do it at home (easily).

Theres a huge difference between flatting paint back to be repainted, and tackling that level of corrosion in intricate areas. Ive sand blasted loads of wheels without pitting. The media breaks down anyway over time, and gets progressively less abrasive. So unless its brand new super coarse there shouldnt be any problems.
And high build primer can cover a myriad of sins!

If it were me, i value my time. Id just get them blasted. Its literally 5-10 mins per wheel. VS hours per wheel probably by hand.

Very true, and that's what I'm thinking.

Just enquired at work, but its not a big enough box for an alloy

Just trying to now find a local sand blaster to strip[ them for me. I can get the tyres off no problem, and I have plenty of time. I was hoping for them to be on by Japfest but I may let that slip just to take my time with them.

It's a project I've given myself to keep me sane after a hard day teaching students, so powder coating isn't an option. I'm looking to do as much as possible to keep costs to a minimum, not because I can't afford it,.... but if I can do it myself, I will. :xgrin:

I would get fed up with the sanding, so I think starting with a level playing field and getting them blasted is the way for me.

I know its never going to be a "Paint shop finish", but then I know its also got a chance of damage at some point so as long as I take my time, It will be fine.
I like having a sense of achievement, it makes me "tick" so to speak.