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Wire Wheels [ Mediablasting & Painting ]

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NapoleonV

Senior Member
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Hello everyone. Planning on doing something about the wire wheels, either replace them or restore them.

Can wire wheels be blasted so I can paint them or will this process weaken the wheel? Any recs on primers before painting the wheel? Thanks.
 
Cottontop

Cottontop

Jedi Warrior
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Re: Wire Wheels questions

I think that blasting a wire wheel would be OK if you do NOT use an abrasive, such as sand or AlO2, as those will remove metal from the rim and spoke. I think that a non-abrasive media such as glass beads or nut shells would be OK.

When I did my wheels, I used several applications of "aircraft paint stripper" to remove many coats of "rattle can" paint and then a 2,000 psi power washer to clean them off.

Since the spokes and rims WILL flex, I primed them with a light coat of epoxy primer, then sprayed a coat of urethane silver metal flake paint. Finally, I applied several light coats of urethane clear coat.

I expected the paint/clear coat to chip and/or peel, especially where two spokes touched each other. I think because I used light, dusting, coats the paint didn't "web" between the spokes and chipping and peeling hasn't happened.

I have not been easy on my wheels (see "wire wheels" thread in this forum), but now, five years later, they still look (almost) as good as they did when I painted them.
 
Keoke

Keoke

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
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Re: Wire Wheels questions

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif Cotton Tops' suggestion is good, here we regularly "bead blast" all wheels that need a repaint. To repaint spokes requires as has also been mentioned several light coats.-FWIW---Keoke---Liquid strippers will also work but they are so messy.
 
S

spritenut

Luke Skywalker
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Re: Wire Wheels questions

I just had my wires media blasted at a local shop. They used a plastic media.
I used an etching primer on them followed by an epoxy primer and a few coats of gray paint.
The wires look great, it's the rest of the car that still needs lots of body work.
 
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