Thanks to everyone who responded. Since lots of you also wrote me
and said "tell me what you find out" I thought I'd post this to
everyone... For those of you that didn't see the original question,
I was curious about the best way to strip off paint from alloy
wheels. NO ONE suggested chemicals (unless you were to take
the wheels to a pro).
Almost everyone agreed that bead blasting was the way to go, although
finding (1) a place to do it or (2) getting beads in a bag (like sand)
might be tough. In fact, there seems to be only one place in Austin
that does bead blasting; I didn't find anyone who actually sold beads
or shells... However, my search was by no means exhaustive. Who knows,
maybe every body shop worth its salt has a bead blasting apparatus on
the premises? I didn't check. The most INTERESTING note I got was
"Try sugar instead of sand" Has anyone used sugar?! If so, how
does it work?
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As for repainting, well I got a bunch of mixed responses. The wheels
had already been done "properly" -- 2 part epoxy primer, body colour
paint, and a couple of coats of clear. Problem is that body colour
is not the "correct" colour for the TR7/8 alloy wheels; Moss'
Wire Wheel Silver is supposed to be THE colour. (BTW, it was NOT me
who finished the wheels the first time.) I don't have a spray gun
or a compressor so I'm looking for something I can do with limited
"stuff." So, after I get the wheels down to their shiny aluminum alloy
selves, I need to prime it with something. I'm betting the 2 part
epoxy primer stuff needs a spray set up, right? I don't suppose there's
something I can buy off the shelf that'll work almost as well?
Someone told me to do it right the first time (Roger?) so I'm again
asking for help. Any suggestions? Again, I'll collect all the responses
privately and then post what I find out.
Thanks again,
jim
jtc@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
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