Chemical stripping wheels

Re5Guy

Re5Guy

Junior member
Location
New Zealand
I have a RGS Corsa that I am restoring.

I have had the wheels vapor blasted and then repainted. However my paint shop had just started using a new paint system and the wrong hardener was used for the black coat and the paint is way to soft, so it needs to be removed and done again (which the paint shop said they will pay for).

The vapor blaster can obviously do his thing again, but he's telling me that I should just get them dip stripped as it will be much quicker.

Talking to a couple of strippers, they are nervous to do them as they don't want to damage the wheels as they quite soft and may have magnesium in them.

Has anyone dip stripped these wheels???

cheers
 
Re5Guy said:
I have a RGS Corsa that I am restoring.

I have had the wheels vapor blasted and then repainted. However my paint shop had just started using a new paint system and the wrong hardener was used for the black coat and the paint is way to soft, so it needs to be removed and done again (which the paint shop said they will pay for).

The vapor blaster can obviously do his thing again, but he's telling me that I should just get them dip stripped as it will be much quicker.

Talking to a couple of strippers, they are nervous to do them as they don't want to damage the wheels as they quite soft and may have magnesium in them.

Has anyone dip stripped these wheels???

cheers
Click to expand...

I wouldn't usually listen to a couple of nervous strippers🤣, but in this case I'd take their advice and vapor blast again, why risk it?
 
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The magnesium content should be considered and vapor blasting twice may have some effect on them. If the paint didn't properly harden, industrial stripper should remove it. Personally, I've found powder coating wheels gives a nice slick surface that's easy to maintain, but it can chip along the edges if the tire changer isn't careful.
 
Had my GSXR wheels dipped prior to plastic coating which worked well with no problems (they had been refinished with a plastic coating before I bought them - dipping was suggested by the company doing the refinish for me).
 
Unless someone can verify low or no magnesium content I'd blast again. i know of no effect from vaporblasting which would hurt.
On the other hand I know of magnesium wheels lost in a stripping bath.
If you're in Wellington, you may be dealing with the strippers involved in that monumental cock-up.
 
After doing some research, I,d say that vapor blasting would less intrusive, but I have heard of older mag wheels that develop stress cracks so look them over before painting. There,s a dye that supposedly will show cracks.
 
Pretty low Mg content in these old lumps, most aluminium alloys have a bit of Mg mixed in.

Never had any issues with either chemical stripping nor blasting, vapour or dry.

Yes, they can develope cracks, but they don't generally suffer from corrosion in the same measure as a high-Mg content alloy. Careful inspection after blasting/stripping should show up any cracks, if unsure, perform a dye test. RGS wheels seem to hold up quite well, at least a lot better than the early thin-web FLAM/Laverda wheels. But they were still lagging behind contemporary technology.

piet
 
Thanks for all the feedback chaps.

With Piet's comment plus a chat I had with Malcolm Cox I think I will try to find a dip stripper. I will report back to add to the general knowledge.
 
Don't know the firm's name. Doubtless i know someone who will if i pushed it. Just drop Dallas Rankine's name into the conversation and if they flinch it's them. Dallas of course ran BMS in Wgtn and in particular some very fast Ducatis with people like Robert Holden riding.
Landed a set of very expensive Italian top of the line race wheels for a Ducati. But they were the wrong colour....
Went back a couple of days later to pick them up after stripping and was told they couldn't find them in the bath. Nothing left.
Not happy at all.

Well known story at the time. One of NZ racing legends now. Holden told me about it at the time.
 
Dipping sounds like it could be risky depending on the acid bath strength and dipper's knowledge. If that paint didn't thoroughly harden you could try brushing on industrial strength paint stripper. I used it on powder coated wheels and it worked well, but required a few coats. Vapor blasting could be used to remove any stubborn spots.
 
I understand most dipping baths are alkaline based. I'd expect the operator to have profound knowledge of what goes and what doesn't...

Acid on any kind of aluminium alloy is not a good idea. Having said that, most alloy-wheel cleaner is based on mild phosphoric acid, most alloy wheels are coated/painted. The stuff leaves ugly stains on unprotected aluminium if not rinsed off quickly. I have found it to be able to remove light corrosion on crankcases by scrubbing followed with immediate rinsing, but it is devastating on zinc-plated fasteners

My GSXR rims have cat piss stains on the polished edges that I cannot remove... :rolleyes:

piet
 
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I'm not saying this video is gospel, but I used this stripper on powder coated wheels, so it should remove the paint on yours. It can be messy but it's doable- wear protective gear including a respirator and do it outdoors w/ a fan to blow away the fumes-
 
I’m racking my brain trying to think what I used to strip the powder coat off Sport Classic hubs.

Pretty sure I got the tip of this forum. Rattle can application…., red print on tin can ….. I’m thinking maybe a gasket remover?

Spayed on, let it soak and the power coat came off with a quick squirt of the garden hose and hey presto.
 
Wasn't that Mag wheel cleaner with the now-banned Bone dissolving chemical in it Chris? I seem to remember those wheels spent some time sitting at my place a long time back, mid-delivery.
 
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