Best way to strip paint off wheels?

ElrodKTPQ_89 · Nov 13, 2014

Self explanatory. I need to get the paint off my FR500's so I can powdercoat them. A friend of mine has a bead blasting cabinet but it's powered off a small air compressor so it would take foooorrrreeeevvveeerrr to do a set if wheels with it having to constantly stop and let pressure build back up. Someone suggested some type of aircraft paint stripper but I'm not sure about that on aluminum wheels. Anyone here have any experience or suggestions?

Ferocious · Nov 13, 2014

Aircraft stripper should do the trick, just check the label. It will tell you what you can and cant use it on. But if not I believe you can get them sandblasted for very cheap.

ElrodKTPQ_89 · Nov 13, 2014

Ferocious said:
Aircraft stripper should do the trick but if not I believe you can get them sandblasted for very cheap.

Limited access around where I live. I'd have to take them a lil over an hour from home so I'm trying to leave that as my final option.

I already hate Tapatalk...

Burninriverdiver · Nov 13, 2014

I second the aircraft stripper... Used this to take off the clear coat on some old civic rims, and I watched the paint fizzle and literally melt off. Great product

chris91 · Nov 13, 2014

Aircraft paint remover will remove the clear off the lips also. Not sure if you care about that but figured I'd warn ya.

whiplash473 · Nov 13, 2014

This here. Get a bunch of cheap house painting brushes and apply this excessively, wait 10 or 15 minutes (it works pretty fast but don't start removing before it's done it's job) and get to removing it with whatever works. A roll of paper towels seems to do the trick. Make sure you clean the area very well afterwards, you don't want any residual stripper to just sit and eat away.

chris91 · Nov 13, 2014

They sell it in spray cans too. Less mess that way.

ElrodKTPQ_89 · Nov 13, 2014

chris91 said:
Aircraft paint remover will remove the clear off the lips also. Not sure if you care about that but figured I'd warn ya.

Thanks for the heads up Chris! I think some of the clear is already coming off anyway though so I may just get them re-cleared afterwards.

whiplash473 said:
This here. Get a bunch of cheap house painting brushes and apply this excessively, wait 10 or 15 minutes (it works pretty fast but don't start removing before it's done it's job) and get to removing it with whatever works. A roll of paper towels seems to do the trick. Make sure you clean the area very well afterwards, you don't want any residual stripper to just sit and eat away.

Thanks Tyler! I'm going to town in a few and I'll see if I can find some of this stuff or it's equivalent.

whiplash473 · Nov 13, 2014

ElrodKTPQ_89 said:
Thanks for the heads up Chris! I think some of the clear is already coming off anyway though so I may just get them re-cleared afterwards.

Thanks Tyler! I'm going to town in a few and I'll see if I can find some of this stuff or it's equivalent.

I didn't see it in the post until now but it's alright to use on aluminum wheels. My wheels are proof. Also, try to find Klean-strip brand, it's the best out of the three I've tried. For what it's worth - that's what we used, when needed, at the body shop.

ElrodKTPQ_89 · Nov 13, 2014

Found it at O'Reilly's, guess I'll try it out tomorrow!

ttocs · Nov 13, 2014

that is some pretty nasty stuff so be careful to wear gloves and work on it outside. If you do not want something that is as caustic I have used a citris based stripper that you can find at walmart called citristrip. Its not going to work as fast as the aircraft stripper but you can do it indoors as it just smells like oranges. I just put it on really thick and then leave it overnight myself and the next day most of it came off with a wire brush and the hose and there was only a couple of small areas I needed to let soak again.

ElrodKTPQ_89 · Nov 13, 2014

I'll be doing it under my carport so I should be ok. That is if I can make myself get out in the cold tomorrow. Winter decided to surprise us here today, it was snowing lightly some places around here. :rage: :suicide:

ttocs · Nov 14, 2014

I would check to make sure it will work in freezing weather. I know the stripper I use seems to work better if you can set it out in the sun on a hot day for an hour and it says not to use it under 50 degrees but it is a mild stripper.

whiplash473 · Nov 15, 2014

ttocs said:
I would check to make sure it will work in freezing weather. I know the stripper I use seems to work better if you can set it out in the sun on a hot day for an hour and it says not to use it under 50 degrees but it is a mild stripper.

That's a good point. I'd never thought of that since I've always used it in a controlled climate.

chris91 · Nov 15, 2014

I dont really see weather effecting that shit too much. Its pretty radical. It peeled the powder coat right off a valve cover of mine back in the day. It was cold as hell in the garage too.