what paint stripper for ali wheels ?

[arther dailey]

bought some bartoline stripper , does nothing so far , dont want to spend on blasting so anyone know a stripper that works on ali wheel paint ? thanks

 

[norsa]

Sad to say, there is nothing off the shelf suitable. Most alloys are powder coated so need dipping/baking to do the job.
Nick

 

[arther dailey]

Sad to say, there is nothing off the shelf suitable. Most alloys are powder coated so need dipping/baking to do the job.
Nick

thanks , wondered if it was powder coated as its flaky more so than the chocolate bar , might try the baby needle gun..or blow lamp

 

[bert]

I've tried blasting alloys before, after 2 hours and not managed 1 I accepted defeat and spent the £45 a wheel having them refurbed

 

[Ross365]

I once saw the area of a very busy powder coating shop where they prep'd wheels before re coating. Seemed to be mostly strong acids and looked a bit like a Health and Safety hell and most of the staff looked like they were from Eastern Europe and probably did not know very much about COSHH.

 

[arther dailey]

I've tried blasting alloys before, after 2 hours and not managed 1 I accepted defeat and spent the £45 a wheel having them refurbed

thanks for the advice ,appreciated.

 

[Kram]

Have a photo? Most wheels will be 2k paint, not powder in my opinion, unless they are not original.

DCM/Starchem stripper, is very strong stuff and will usually get all paints off. Available on ebay. However note there is no suitable PPE, and ideally would only be used by professional dipping in tanks of the stuff, in a proper controlled environment.
With great care, in an outdoor environment, many pairs of gloves and a filter mask, I have got away with it.
Without any mask it will give severe headaches and would be very stupid. Mask stops the smell and headaches but likely lets a bit through.
It will eat gloves in seconds, then make your skin tingle. Dont get any on your gloves and change immediately if you do.

Its best used in cool weather (boils at 40c), needs care to store in summer. Apply with a brush then cover in a PE bag/film to keep it from evaporating too fast.

 

[arther dailey]

Have a photo? Most wheels will be 2k paint, not powder in my opinion, unless they are not original.

DCM/Starchem stripper, is very strong stuff and will usually get all paints off. Available on ebay. However note there is no suitable PPE, and ideally would only be used by professional dipping in tanks of the stuff, in a proper controlled environment.
With great care, in an outdoor environment, many pairs of gloves and a filter mask, I have got away with it.
Without any mask it will give severe headaches and would be very stupid. Mask stops the smell and headaches but likely lets a bit through.
It will eat gloves in seconds, then make your skin tingle. Dont get any on your gloves and change immediately if you do.

Its best used in cool weather (boils at 40c), needs care to store in summer. Apply with a brush then cover in a PE bag/film to keep it from evaporating too fast.

that sounds a bit too strong for me ! wheels are off a mitsi l200 2012, i will try blow lamp /mini needle gun , obviously needles will leave marks but not looking for polished finish.

 

[Kram]

To balance my above post, DCM is the same chemical that used to be in Nitromoors and all other decent paint strippers, back before the 1990's when H&S went a bit mad.. so theres a good chance you may have used it previously.

 

[arther dailey]

To balance my above post, DCM is the same chemical that used to be in Nitromoors and all other decent paint strippers, back before the 1990's when H&S went a bit mad.. so theres a good chance you may have used it previously.

ah , but maybes in nitromoors it was some what diluted in comparison , don t think I will chance finding out as I find my lungs rather usefull these days..they have taken enough punishment over the years , cheers though

 

[keithski122]

I've used the starchem stripper before and would certainly recommend it.
I used gardening gloves for protection and yes it does tingle a bit if you get it on your skin but it wasn't a big problem.

 

[norsa]

Starchem is as good as I can get professionally. Alloy wheels are powder coated from the factory as paint is too soft for hot brake dust. Therefore if Arther's paint stripper did nothing, the answer is they're powder coated and therfore need dipping as I've said.

 

[Kram]

Therefore if Arther's paint stripper did nothing, the answer is they're powder coated and therfore need dipping as I've said.

Have you used the Bartoline stripper before, as mentioned by Arther? From the SDS, it wouldnt strip chocolate.

A useful tip, before buying any chemical product, look up the SDS to see whats in it. That will firstly tell you, if uts safe to use and what protection/precautions you should use, and secondly, if its any good!

We have a culture of manufacturers hiding the ingredients/safety information as it helps them to sell useless shiet.

Dichloromethane /Methelyne chloride is widley reguarded as the only useful paint stripper for 2k paint.

There are some acidic/caustic strippers that will work, but not ideal for aluminium parts. I have had mixed results where Lye did nothing but sulphuric stripped quickly. Requires a good knowledge and PPE.

 

[Smallfry]

My local wheel refurb place offer a strip only service. Might be worth an ask ?

Where I used to work, we had a tank of Applied Chemicals Metastrip 6. That does it in seconds, but I don't think its available any more.

It would bring the ally up like new, but only needed about 30 seconds a dip with alloy. If left overnight it would disappear. I used to dip engine blocks and heads, manifolds etc. After a pressure wash, was all ready for painting.

The trouble is now, that anything that actually works, will be very expensive. Probably more than a company would charge.

 

[arther dailey]

Update ..left overnight the stripper has started to bubble in places and around the friable edges where its flaky , so slathered on another layer , maybes it needs bagging but dont smell any of the "normal" fumes you get with this type of stuff . Thanks for all the interest and replies , I am being tight (as always) due to on a pension and have more time tham monies and with no rush its always going to be cheapest method first.
ps I would suspect powder coated due to flaking where a crack has let salt in ,much the same as it does on a gate/railings when they have nt been galvanised first and rust starts.

 

[Kram]

In a week you may come back to a shell of powder coat and the wheel is gone

 

[arther dailey]

In a week you may come back to a shell of powder coat and the wheel is gone

love it ( now that is banter)

 

[RWD3M]

I've tried blasting alloys before, after 2 hours and not managed 1 I accepted defeat and spent the £45 a wheel having them refurbed

Which is, quite frankly, money well spent.

 

[Smallfry]

Update ..left overnight the stripper has started to bubble in places and around the friable edges where its flaky , so slathered on another layer , maybes it needs bagging but dont smell any of the "normal" fumes you get with this type of stuff . Thanks for all the interest and replies , I am being tight (as always) due to on a pension and have more time tham monies and with no rush its always going to be cheapest method first.
ps I would suspect powder coated due to flaking where a crack has let salt in ,much the same as it does on a gate/railings when they have nt been galvanised first and rust starts.

ANOTHER millionaire pensioner ! Just like me. Apparently.

Yes, cheapest method first. But remember, although we have more time than money, but do we ?

You could have used your winter heating allowance for this !

 

[arther dailey]

Soo, had a scrape and its pealing off , nother layer on ready for another go tomoz if its not raining