To sandblast or not

Chachiboy

Chachiboy

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Hey all

I have heavily corroded...and I mean heavily corroded rear wheel. I have started the clean up process on the cover by having to wetsand 220, 400, 600. Before i even try polishing them, I will go to higher wetsand grit.

Has anyone sandblasted their aluminum rims? My hands just can't get into the center wheel to get at the creases. There is a place near me but it's $80 an hour to blast it yourself. Weighing my options here
 

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There is a big difference between “Sand Blasting” and “Glass Bead Blasting”
3A941F5A-6843-41F9-990D-61E128CD56F1.jpeg

and there are different pressures and volumes of the medium being shot through the nozzle.
I would not recommend “SandBlasting”
On your aluminum wheels. That is likely too aggressive. You may consider the softer glass bead but even then be light.
You may quickly produce a rougher finish into the aluminum than you desire which would greatly increase the effort to polish after.
-R
 
You can also try "soda blasting". Just like it sounds, your media is baking soda. It's a one-shot deal, since the soda disintegrates during use, but it'll clean the aluminum down to the bone, without tearing it up. Great for engine cases and hubs (where a rough-ish-looking surface is okay), but maybe not for rims, especially if you're looking for a more polished look. It could be a start, though, before progressively finer sand papers, then, buffing. Good luck, and keep us posted!
 
I used a brass brush in there. Then I cut 5 pieces of binder twine about 4 feet long and tied them together on the ends. I smeared some metal polish on the middle of the binder twine strands and on the hub. I threaded the binder twine through the spokes so that it was touching half of the hub diameter. Then using both hands I did a sawing motion back and forth while moving the binder twine to different spots. Then repeated on the other half of the diameter of the hub. I wouldn't say that it is "polished", but it is clean and shiny. While sawing I used my knees/feet to hold the wheel while the wheel was on cardboard to avoid scratching it. It was way easier than it sounds here.

Scott
 
It does sound very labor-intensive, Scott. I used (stiff) Scotch-brite type wheels in a drill. Also, bronze wire cup brushes and wheels, a Dremel (with same), varying grits of sandpaper, and just about anything else I thought would work to clean them up. Here's the before:
020.JPG
Unfortunately, I don't have the "after" yet, but, they're at the point of being buffed so they look "not awful". They'll actually look half-assed when I get done re-lacing them...
 
My wheels rims were tarnished/gouged/dinged very badly with the spokes/nipples rusted so bad that I had the whole wheel sandblasted by my powder coater. They came back and I thought about powder coating the whole wheel, but didn't. I cut the spokes and started to sand the hubs, then polishing them. They came out nice. The rims didn't mainly because of the gouges and dings,so I ended up buying new ones along with spokes from Mikes. I could have spend loads of time sanding and polishing, but I didn't. I'm happy with my decision. BTW, I have those rims available
 
My rims have very tiny 'dimples' in them and no matter how much I wetsanded they were still there. The front wheel took me several days, couple hours each day just to sand the garbage off. It's cleaner looking but not mirror shiny. I used mothers on them which actually put a film on it and made them duller even after polishing it all off. They look shinier after sanding than do do after mothers!

I was considering having them powder coated black (easy way out) but I like the old school shiny look, plus I don't want to spend $300. The place near me charges an additional $15 for softer compounds so now it's close to $100 to blast them myself.. Yah I am cheap. Does any one have pics of their wheels after they have been blasted? I love seeing before and after pics if possible.
 
59Tebo said:
You can also try "soda blasting". Just like it sounds, your media is baking soda. It's a one-shot deal, since the soda disintegrates during use, but it'll clean the aluminum down to the bone, without tearing it up. Great for engine cases and hubs (where a rough-ish-looking surface is okay), but maybe not for rims, especially if you're looking for a more polished look. It could be a start, though, before progressively finer sand papers, then, buffing. Good luck, and keep us posted!
Click to expand...
......... soda blasting is a good idea first but if you do wear safety glasses and definitly a mask or you will be tasting bi carb for a week
 
I'll see yours, FLEA, and raise you one... safety glasses and a mask are good if you are soda blasting with a cabinet. If you're doing it out in the open, you should have a respirator and goggles, under a hood, be wearing a tyvek "bunny suit", and blasting gloves. And you'll probably still be tasting bi carb, as it gets everywhere (even where the sun don't shine! :yikes: ) Yup. Messy work, fer shure. It might be why the "wet blasters" cost so much...
 
Chachiboy, here are my front and rear wheels after sand blasting. You really can't see much, but had I knew about vapor blasting, I might have looked into it. (the rear wheel drum is semi-polished in the pic)
 

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MrBultaco said:
Chachiboy, here are my front and rear wheels after sand blasting. You really can't see much, but had I knew about vapor blasting, I might have looked into it. (the rear wheel drum is semi-polished in the pic)
Click to expand...

These look pretty good. I found a place near me that does vapor. Waiting to see how much it is. Hope it's not too expensive
 
It was a type of sand they use for pre-powdercoating items. Very fine, I presume.
...I should also say that it didn't remove the gouges and knicks.:laugh2:
 
Chachiboy said:
ound a place near me that does vapor. Waiting to see how much it is. Hope it's not too
Click to expand...
Is Vapor blasting going to have any effect on the pitting on these corroded wheels , I doubt it.
Vapor blasting looks really great for engine components where precision fit is important ! Or Carbs even .,,
:umm:
 

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