[dataway]

Not sure where else to post this ... anyway, I have a set of steelies I'm going to need sand blasted ... sometime during their life someone globbed on latex paint of some sort on top of the factory pain ... huge paint to chemically strip and due to the softish nature of the latex ... and apparently pretty good adhesion my cabinet blaster (barely large enough) is a pain to use on them.

I was going to drop them off at the local industrial blaster I usually use for large projects ... problem is, he uses some very course grit and of course high pressure. He's not going to change a bazzillion pound media hopper for me so I would end up with a fairly "textured" finish (fine for frames and such) ... say around 120 grit sandpaper type finish.

Question is, and I should know this after blasting a million things ... what are the odds I can throw these in my cabinet after he is done with them and glass bead them to a smoother finish? Don't think I've ever tried this. I'd just do the fronts, backs would be fine as is. Any chance the bead, or even black beauty would peen them enough to get a more appropriate finish for painting?

[RedDirtRoad]

I do this all the time
I have 90 grit in my blasting cabinet. I just re blasted my rally wheels. Only problem is it's hard to see what you reblasted since the wheel is already clean and free of paint
It you look closely you will see the sheen of the Sand blasted wheel change to a more dull or satin color
That's when you know it's much smoother
Good luck

[4zpeed]

You can use a thin guide coat to keep track of progress.


Frank

[Chief of the 60's]

An 80 grit sanding disc by hand will clean it up and knock it down making it just right for good primer adhesion.

[SR-71]

Another option is to take them to your local machinist with a steel shot tumbler and have them blasted in it. They will look like new when you get them back.

[My442]

Try a needle scaler.....those work great on undercoating.

[dataway]

Hey, some good ideas there, that gives me a few options to try.

Thought about a scaler since I do have one ... but this latex has run down into all the the crevices, even stripping with chemicals two or three times didn't get the job done.

Now that I found the last dated Steelie I need I hope to have wheels and tires on the chassis this summer for the first time in decades.

[android 211]

When they are primered the roughness will be filled in. You can scuff them a little smoother after primering if you're not satisfied.

[dataway]

Actually .... I was thinking of not priming them since the OEM wheels were not primed. A good alkaloid enamel should do a decent job. A good primer seems to add enough thickness that a set of OEM dog dishes have a hard time going on.

At least I know black OEM steelies were not primed .... I'm guessing the wheels painted body color might have been. I'll probably shoot the back side of one with no primer before deciding.

[4zpeed]

Try your torch, shouldn't take much heat.

Then you could blast them yourself .


Frank

[dataway]

Never thought about that .... could probably use my heat gun. Might give that a try tomorrow .. thanks.

[Chief of the 60's]

I took it as though you already had them blasted and you were looking to make them smoother. If it is heavy paint build up use a torch and burn it off, then blast it clean.

[dataway]

Tried the torch on them last night ... it would be a long job and I was starting to worry about annealing the metal

Looks like the route I'll be going is to have the industrial sandblaster do them, and then I'll reblast the fronts with something finer.

First I'll check with my machine shop to see if they have a steel shot tumbler.

[Chief of the 60's]

The only way you are going to effect them with heat is if you get them cherry red.

[428goat]

Find someone that does soda blasting. Takes off the paint but does not bother the steel.

[Chief of the 60's]

If the paint is that thick that he is having a tough time with a torch, soda blasting will laugh at it. He needs media that will cut it, like Black Beauty sand.

[dataway]

This old latex is weird stuff .... has great adhesion, but it's relatively soft ... blasting kind of wears it away rather than chips it away .... I'm sure every cabinet user has come across coatings like this.

If I still had my old powder coating oven I'd just throw them in there and roast them at 450 degrees for a while.

Yep ... soda would probably take a long time. The blaster down the road uses course black beauty. He did my frame, rear end etc.

I bet this latex is good old lead containing stuff from 30 years ago .... why anyone would paint their wheels a flesh pink/brown color I will never know. The places where it ran is like trying to get off slightly soft epoxy.

[My442]

Goof Off dissolves latex paint...give that a try.

[Chief of the 60's]

Do you have any chemical strippers in your area? A couple hours in a vat of stripping chemical, some pressure washing and that crap will be gone. There is one out here but doubt you want to drive to Corfu, NY to have them done.

[dataway]

I seem to live in a 100 mile exclusion zone for any useful automotive professionals. No soda blasting, no chemical strippers, no good machine shops. Some industrial outfits ... but I've found they can be a pain to deal with.