Removing paint from wheels.

[leogrande586]

any suggestions on how to, will reg paint remover work? or do I have to sandblast and will sandblasting hurt the rims? T.I.A

[marousek]

Paint stripper will work. I used it on very tiny spots where I had overspray. But I had both wheels re-done and I tell you sandblasting is the only way to go on such a large surface. PM me if you would like to see pics. Turned out amazing and wheels unhurt.

[harrisphil]

definatly get them blasted
the cost probably works out cheeper as well
when you take into account the effort required to do it other ways
what do you intend to do with the rims
paint or polish

[leogrande586]

Polish them I think gotta see how they look after they sandblast them

definatly get them blasted
the cost probably works out cheeper as well
when you take into account the effort required to do it other ways
what do you intend to do with the rims
paint or polish

[harrisphil]

the finish from blasting is usually a matt finnish ideal for plastic coating
to get from that to a mirror finish will take lots of hard work
start with an abrasive and work on down to less abrasive materials ending up with a pollish
The big problem with wheels and any intricate item is getting into the small nooks and crannies
dont for get with wheels the upkeep of the finnish with all the brake dust on the rims which may spoil the polished finnish
The upside is that they look superb

IMHO gloss black powder coat is the best for a combination of looks and practicality

[leogrande586]

Gonna see what they look like after sandblasting, And if I dont like the matt look im gonna do the gloss black powder. I agree the black looks good and I dont have the time to polish them. September-october is my favorite time to ride here in new jersey,(except all the deer get a little crazy in the fall) Thought I could get to the winter with the tires but a steel cord started comming through....Got both tires off the bike,discs removed,sandblast tomorrow,tires should be here wednesday,tires mounted friday,back riding saturday.....I hope. the best layed plans.......

the finish from blasting is usually a matt finnish ideal for plastic coating
to get from that to a mirror finish will take lots of hard work
start with an abrasive and work on down to less abrasive materials ending up with a pollish
The big problem with wheels and any intricate item is getting into the small nooks and crannies
dont for get with wheels the upkeep of the finnish with all the brake dust on the rims which may spoil the polished finnish
The upside is that they look superb

IMHO gloss black powder coat is the best for a combination of looks and practicality

[P_Jensen]

I purchased a spare set of rims (std front and a 5.5 rockster rear) to have powder coated and the lips polished for my roadster. The cost of the powder coating and polishing just the lips was $500 for both rims including bead blasting. I would check with whom ever you plan on having doing the job prior to doing anything to the rims to make sure how ever you remove the paint does not create more work. The surface on BMW rims is rough so it takes a lot of work to polish them to the point of being smooth/polished. Also I would not want to try and clean /polish the whole rim(s), cleaning/polishing the lips is enough for me.

[boxermania]

Blasting is the way to go using aluminum oxide media as it is less intrusive on the surface and does a better job than bead/sand blasting.

Polish is a lot of work pre and post as the cleaning becomes a chore. From the standpoint of durability and maintenance powder coating is the way to go as there is a good selection of colors. If you want the lip can be masked for polishing if one chooses, the possibilities are up to ones imagination.

I was going to paint my 02 Atlanta Blue dark silver (gun metal) and blend into 00 Corvette yellow at the back end with the wheels grey up front and yellow on back. The best way is to Photo Shop what you are thinking of, it provides a good perspective. Good luck.

Now, to all that have painted their wheels.....I don't recall seeing any pictures???