So I have a set of OEM BMW Double-Spoke I wheels that had a bad black spray-paint job and I couldn't sell them for the life of me... so I decided to strip the wheels. Based on what people had luck with here, I picked up a product called Aircraft Paint Stripper.

The APS has gotten me about 60% of the way there... it removed the crappy brack spray paint top coat like a charm. But it didn't do so great with the top OEM layer of paint, which is a metallic silver color. It damaged and cracked this layer of paint - which is fine, I actually wanted to strip the wheels to the bare metal - but didn't take it off. With elbow grease and steel wool, this layer of paint is coming off. But I can tell its not going to be a fun or reasonable amount of work to do on all four wheels. Underneath this metallic top OEM paint is a thick, thick grey color. I think it may be powdercoating? A razor blade cut through it but the Paint Stripper and some Mineral Spirits didn't affect it.

What do you recommend? Right now I can think of a couple options...

(1) Elbow grease, steel wool, and a big waste of time.

(2) Strong liquid paint stripper from Home Depot, fill up a cylinder 8 inches deep, dip wheel face in paint stripper overnight and see what happens.

(3) Find a body shop or wheel repair shop and see if they can professionally strip the wheels... since powdercoating wheels costs about $100/each, I figure they can just strip it for about $30/each.

(4) Just get all the black off, don't worry about the different layers of OEM paint, and give it a new silver rattle-can paint job.

(5) Before wasting time, killing the environment, or wasting money, I could post online and get suggestions from you guys!

Paint stripper at work...


The layers...






Ben

 

You can use Aircraft Remover or get it sand blasted off or sanding it off

 

try sandblasting it! a body shop is going to charge ya an unreal amount of money! food luck

 

GrnTurtle, did you even read the thread? I obviously know I can use APS! haha... anyway, how do I sandblast? Is that DIY?

 

aps sucks

you need a some jasco

 

just hit up someone that goes to an autobody class.. most classes have the sandblaster/beadblasters..

 

the only way you're going to cut through the powdercoat evenly is by sandblasting or bead blasting. there are home sandblast/beadblast kits out, you need an air compressor to run them. search around for them from any major tool supplier.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mr_mbuna &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">GrnTurtle, did you even read the thread? I obviously know I can use APS! haha... anyway, how do I sandblast? Is that DIY?</TD></TR></TABLE>

sorry didn't erally make out what aps was.

sand blasting is the best way to go, don't know how much a shop charges. if you were local i would be able to do it for you, freinds got a shop with the machine.

 

I have a 1.5 gallon electronic air compressor max 135 psi... but on continuous operation it only pushes about 40 psi pressure.

Here's what another coat of Paint Stripper and ten minutes with my pressure washer on the second strongest nozzle did...






One wheel is particularly stubborn. And I'm not getting the intended "bare shiny metal" that I had planned on. I think I'm going to exchange the clear spray sealant that I got for a silver spray paint/sealant and put a fresh silver paint coat on these wheels. Let's just hope the black doesn't bleed through on the sides of the spokes.