Stripping paint from alloy wheels
Turbo Mini Forums

I've got a set of Rover Minilite style alloy wheels I want to take back to the metal. I've tried Nitromors and it has taken 3 applications just to remove the lacquer and it seems to be having very little effect on the paint. I have also tried shot blasting them with 80 grit aluminium oxide at 8 bar but that is far too slow although it does leave a nice surface finish.

What I would like to know is if there is a paint stripper which would be more effective? Alternatively should I be using a different blast media? The aluminium oxide is very effective at removing paint and rust on steel even at lower pressures so I'm surprised how ineffective it is on these wheels. Otherwise is there another method that I haven't thought of?

How long did you leave the Nitromors on for? If you are impatient it won't work, but leave it for ages and its never failed for me.

I have left it for at least 20 minutes but probably more, the instructions say to apply more nitromors once the paint starts to blister but although the lacquer did the paint just seems to go a bit softer but not enough to remove it no matter how much I put on.

When I did my wheels it took a few goes with Nitromors to get through the layers of paint/lacquer.

Make sure you are very generous with the nitromors and it should do the job.

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

I dont think nitromors is as potent as it used to be,

I've just used close to 20 quids worth stripping a mini roof....

in the end i found sticking a puddle on and leaving it, then scraping it and repositioning the used stuff back on the same patch and repeating a few times worked.

Were they painted or powder coated originally though?
Nitromors may not work as well on a powder coat finish.

you can get some industrial stuff which is amazing, it removed the powder coat on my friends bike no problemo

However I dont have the foggiest what the name of it is

Well your no fucking use then Nic lol

I just gave mine to a wheel refurbing place. Cost £20 a wheel but it was a piece of cake for me

put the nitromoors on & put loads on, wrap the rims in clingfilm & leave them overnight!!!!

put lots of paint stripper on!!! & truy to make it close to air tight with the clingfilm

if that dont work take them to lap tab in birmingham & if you ring them 1st & get ya ass out of bed early & be there no later than 9:30 they'll do them in about 3hrs £100 & the receptionist is a cutey1 P

SKYLINES ARE LIKE CLITS, EVERY FLANGE SEEMS TO HAVE ONE: see this sticker on my silvia

the Search-section on this forum is blummin superb & simple to use, unlike some other forums, without the search-section & the help of this bunch of chaps on here i'll never be able to !!!Start the day with a 998cc turbo!!! :) i'm getting closer though!

Tom Fenton says: I have it all, make me an offer

nitromors on for 20 minutes and then brush with a nitromors and thinners solution worked best for me when stripping the paint off my car.

Thanks for all the replies, I will give some of those ideas a try. Ideally I would like to find a paint stripper which really works as it seems this is going to take a lot longer than I had intended.

the other option for you is to find a decnt blasting place. There must be someone localish who would do it? We can do it here, but were down in poole, so a bit far for you to travel i would have thought..... usually costs around £15/rim to blast (gets the paint or powder off) then bead (softens the finish) ready for paint or powder coat.

Try scratching a bit of coating off with a blade to see whether its paint or powder coat. If its powder coat, then nitromors wont be that great, you best option is to either blast it as above, or go over it with a blow torch and try and blister the powder coat so it will scrape off. I know the guys in the blast shop always tell people with powder coated odds and sods(garden chairs etc) to throw them in a fir before they bring them in, but i really wouldnt recommend doing that with a set of wheels....

hth,

Pete

And on the 7th day........... God created turbochargers!

I think they are painted, they seem to have a high build primer under the silver, it is a lot thicker on the face of the wheel than the rest of it. I have tried shot blasting them but I'm running at the limit of my 14cfm compressor and it really isn't effective. It removes the corrosion from the alloy very quickly but takes far too long to get through the paint. I did wonder if I was using the wrong blast media but maybe it just requires a bigger compressor.