Cleaning up old wheels

[bigstick1973]

So I picked up a set of wheels off ebay. the clear coat was pealing off so I started off using some oven cleaner to try to remove it. It kinda worked but turned some areas black. I then tried a can of paint striper witch I sprayed it on thick and let set for about 15 mins. it seemed to work without turning black. it didn't remove the clear coat completely but did a good enough job to use a green scotch bright to rub off the rest of the clear coat. I then started with 220 grit then 400 then 600. wet sanded with a bucket of water with dawn dish soap. then used 0000 steel wool. took me about 3 hours. there not perfect and will still need new spokes. but sure do look alot better.

 

[gggGary]

Yes those look nice, yes cleaning up spoke wheels involves lots of labor. And like you know, for best results respoke and do the wheels while they are apart.

I like buffing wheels/compound on my angle grinder with the wheel bolted to a fixture so it spins. Still hard work but less work and faster results.
And yes oven cleaner is a no no on aluminum. Acetone loosens the early clear coat pretty quickly. Paint stripper works great but that MEK is NASTY stuff.
If the rims are rather corroded nylox rotary brushes are a good start but will leave a rippled finish in the gutters.