i bought an original pair of magnesuim american racing spindle mounts, but they are painted, whats the best way of removing it. Media blasting??
Media blasting would be a great way to remove the paint. Some commercial paint strippers will etch/eat into the mag. I had some mag wheels from a Ferrari stripped once by a powder coater using a chemical dip and just about destroyed them. Use sand or media. There are some very agressive plastic media that will strip paint real well.
Try brake fluid. I've used it to strip paint off of sensitive parts before. I've also stripped paint from the firewall before with it, oops wrong story!
If you are talking 12 spokes, paint stripping could take you forever. Aircraft stripper works the best. Then you have to clean that off, it's a big gooey mess. I had good luck with lightly glass beading my five spokes. Just go easy and don't get too close to the surface. Some will argue that bead blasting will increase pitting. If there are any bubbles near the surface, blasting may pop them into a crater. Mine had so much paint on them you couldn't tell how pitted they were before cleaning. I am still going to paint my spokes so any pitting will be gone. I had my friend with a lathe turn the lips for me that I'll try and keep polished.
I took mine and had my machinest strip them in his aluminum vat. It worked real well for me, but no guarantees. Talk to the vat owner and see what he says. Larry T
On my Ansens there is some "liver spots" of sorts that are on the spokes. I wonder if I have to get them lightly basted too!
I've used paint stripper on painted magnesium wheels with good luck. It does "etch" the wheel and makes them very dark. The wheel on the right was painted silver when I bought them. The big window on the left was polished years and years ago and has aged naturally. I hate when magnesium wheels are media blasted. They never come out even.
Using glass bead is risky (keep pressure low). Using sand is a no no. If lacquer thinner doesn't work find a place that media blast with crushed walnut shells.
Same question, but for painted ET Mags. Best way to clean/strip? Media blast with soda? Any guidance here is greatly appreciated. Thanks. Pete Richmond, VA
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=362943 A good discussion on blasting wheels from a few days back.
C9, yes I read that and some of the other discussions and am more confused than ever. Lots of conflicting advice here. For painted aluminum ET wheels I want to strip and clean up, am I correct in using aluminum oxide or soda, and stay away from glass beads and sand? Sheesh, as long as it took to find them, no way I want to ruin these wheels, and I've been known to mess up a time or two in the past....Thanks for the guidance. Pete Richmond, VA
Why not just try the paint stripper. I'm betting it will work. You can always blast them if they dont turn out to your liking.
Will the paint stripper brighten the non-painted part of the wheel around the lip? That part could stand some attention, too. I don't want them to look like a new wheel, just cleaned up a little. A little crustiness is a good thing. Pete Richmond, VA
Be gentle whichever method you choose. Magnesium is one of the most reactive metals around, and strong chemicals will certainly affect the surface - same for any kind of blast cleaning.
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