I'm repainting a set of wheels i bought used, the thing is, the previous owner did a very crappy job. I'm pretty sure he used Tremclad with a paint brush, as there was a lot of marks on the wheels, I've already started stripping the paint with good quality stripper. I've used a BBQ brush to scrape off most of the paint and finished with steel wool... but as there were 3 different coats of paint (factory+red paint+black tremclad)so it's really a PITA to remove everything...

I know that preparation is everything, but i was just wondering if i really need to completely bring the wheels back to bare metal before painting? I really don't want to mess this up, thanks!

 

prep is EVERYTHING. If you want them to look as good as possible it's a lot easier to spend time sanding then to have to re-sand after they don't come out how you want

 

lol yeah i know that... only thing is there are still spots of paint, what i want to know is if i have to take everything off, so far i did a pretty decent job, i'm thinking of using a wire brush on my drill to sand it... btw how do you make sure to avoid fisheye problems?

 

Don't you know a company who can do that with a machine?

In the Netherlands we call that "glasparelstralen" They have a machine, that has a lot of "pearls". And they blast all those pears with a compressor on the rims!

I've hit the translating machine, and the translation of glasparelstralen is: Glass bead blasting... Don't know if that is the correct translation!

After this you or they can coat the rims!

YouTube - Glass Bead Blast Cabinet - ABS Products

It's pretty cheap! I have paid about 175 euro's ( 215dollar.. ) for blasting and coating 4 rims ( orange )

It can be a lot cheaper if you only let it blast and paint it yourself!

 

^ aka sandblasting

 

Exactly

But sandblasting is thicker material... With glass it looks better/nicer/it has a better surface

 

This method is used extensively in the USA for removing paint on airplanes. It's called glass-bead peening. It leaves a real smooth surface for the paint later.

Question: When they removed the old paint on your four wheels, did they leave the tires on?

 

Blasting was without tires...

 

Off topic, but I can't stop laughing at Machiel's pic there!

 

I used aircraft paint stripper, then I took 400 grit sandpaper to get the rest off and then used 600 to get the surface ready to prep. Then primer, wet sand with 1000 grit. Paint, wet sand with 1500, and then clear coat. Leaves a great smooth finish.

 

yeah i tought about sandblasting too... might be an option, so far it's going pretty well i tried the wire brush... it works well for harder to reach spots. Tomorrow i will try striper one last time, and it should be enough... if not i might know someone with a sandblaster

 

ever thought of using a sandblaster but with baking soda? it can take the paint off a coca cola can without touching the metal. look it up.

 

well it does seem like a good alternative, but i only have spots remaining, and i doubt that anybody near me as a baking soda blaster

 

those spots will show because the paint will adhere and contract differently than to the metal.