Blast Cabinet for Wheels

[Mike_H]

Interesting thread... hope you don't mind if I sidetrack it slightly. Holy thread revival batman!

I have a DIY workshop for my own projects and a few sets of wheels that need a lick of paint. the standard here isn't a show quality finish. Just shiny and presentable. I might paint in 2K myself (I have the correct masks and so on) or send it to the local powder coaters.

I have a hand media blaster gun and 100 litre 12cfm compressor. I also have a handily sized metal frame that I could use to make a small cabinet - about 3'x2'x2'.

Basically I'm looking for a method that's more efficient than trying to sand all the nooks and crannies. Considering the following as options.

Proprietary paint stripper such as Nitromors. Any risks with using that on Alloy wheels? Will it remove wheel paint anyway?

Media Blasting if needed to remove corrosion maybe. From reading the rest of this thread, it's likely to be far too slow for whole wheels.

Will polycarb sheet be OK for the lining of a cabinet, as long as I'm not directly blasting it? I imagine it'll need replacing every so often, and I would line the bottom with metal to protect it. I don't want to use glass as I won't be able to put the cabinet up in the rafters when I'm not using it - weight + fragility.

Just found myself wondering if an old fish tank is a good donor for a blast cabinet... take water and fish out first, obviously.

 

[rtbcomp]

Moved to a thread of its own.

 

[gavuk]

Can't help with the wheel questions ,but in industry rubber sheeting is often used to line shotblasters,it becomes a sacrificial barrier which is easily changed

 

[nodeward]

ive used nitromors on wheels a couple of times never had any troubles, just gave em a qucik sand by hand after and slapped on some paint, it requires very little effort so its a method i like!

 

[brightspark]

Interesting thread... hope you don't mind if I sidetrack it slightly. Holy thread revival batman!

I have a DIY workshop for my own projects and a few sets of wheels that need a lick of paint. the standard here isn't a show quality finish. Just shiny and presentable. I might paint in 2K myself (I have the correct masks and so on) or send it to the local powder coaters.

I have a hand media blaster gun and 100 litre 12cfm compressor. I also have a handily sized metal frame that I could use to make a small cabinet - about 3'x2'x2'.

Basically I'm looking for a method that's more efficient than trying to sand all the nooks and crannies. Considering the following as options.

Proprietary paint stripper such as Nitromors. Any risks with using that on Alloy wheels? Will it remove wheel paint anyway?

Media Blasting if needed to remove corrosion maybe. From reading the rest of this thread, it's likely to be far too slow for whole wheels.

Will polycarb sheet be OK for the lining of a cabinet, as long as I'm not directly blasting it? I imagine it'll need replacing every so often, and I would line the bottom with metal to protect it. I don't want to use glass as I won't be able to put the cabinet up in the rafters when I'm not using it - weight + fragility.

Just found myself wondering if an old fish tank is a good donor for a blast cabinet... take water and fish out first, obviously.

go borrow a yellow polythene grit bin from somewhere there half made allready

 

[normspanners]

go borrow a yellow polythene grit bin from somewhere there half made allready

Yeh Its agood time now, if yours is anything like our council, they will be empty now it snowing !!!!and if there is a little left you can use it for blasting !!

 

[Mike_H]

Sounds feasible - thanks for all the inputs... I'll not pinch from our hard up council, but have some spare perspex kicking about, and can use a rubber liner at the back and bottom - just leave a clear top and front to let light in.

I may have a recommendation for a powder-coater who will blast and coat a set of wheels for less than £100 as set (cash), so if that works out I might not bother doing it myself... although I do have some wheels that need a tidy up rather than a full strip, and are two colour....

For example... I just bought these alloys for the winter tyres that are on them. Alloys will go on one of the track cars. Tyres are destined for the daily Audi.

I reckon they'll be fine with a tidy up of the outer lip, rather than the centre dish. Polish up and re-lacquer, really.

Will see how they look when I've cleaned all the muck off.