Sandblast Wheels

[The Dude Abides]

Just curious if anyone here in iowa or anyone else out there knows where i could get my wheels sandblasted. I dont want them painted i can do that.

 

Ben

[Andy FitzGibbon]

If there is a cemetery monument company nearby they will sometimes blast stuff for you. They use pretty agressive sand, so there will be a definite texture when they're done.

Andy

[GLCraig]

Check the yellow pages, any bigger city will have a couple of shops that do sand & media blasting.

[GeneralDisorder]

You are going to be looking at a minimum of 1 hour's labor on a blast cabinet to do a set of rims. Probably closer to 2. At my shop our hourly rate for shop time is $82 - we don't do media blasting as a seperate service, but we have the capability to glass bead parts and components of machinery as part of a rebuild or service procedure ect. I often spend an hour or two doing various parts that our hot-tank will damage, or that need to be extra special clean.

 

I've heard it's around $100 to have a set of rims blasted around here locally.

 

It definately beats the hell out of sanding things by hand. I often stay after work to play in the sandbox with various Subaru parts

 

GD

[Quidam]

 

I've heard it's around $100 to have a set of rims blasted around here locally.

 

It definately beats the hell out of sanding things by hand. I often stay after work to play in the sandbox with various Subaru parts

 

GD

 

Wheels, rust, yuck, lots of work. I had a quote locally for a $100.00 to do four. That's after me hitting them with paint stripper first, then me going over them with the mini grinder with the wire brush. What he would then do is glass bead, clean, and immediately hit them with a good primer.

 

I passed. Keep in mind that once you go to bare steel, it's important to primer ASAP. Etch, etching primer are options as well.

 

So, I bought some on-line and used the best I have after refinishing and ended up with ten good ones.

 

Now here is something I'm sure will work, you can do it at home, but it takes time. I may be forced to do this to wheels at some point. A bit of money, and a container big enough for a wheel with a cover on it.

 

Let me tell you what I did first. I have a 40 year old fuel tank from a rototillar. It was rust, in and out. I bought 7 gallons of regular white vinegar @ $1.50 per gallon. The tank, tank straps, and other parts have been soaking in vinegar for about two months. "All" the rust is gone. I kid you not.

 

Try it, you'll see. Cheap too.

 

Doug

 

Edit: It took the paint off as well. I degreased everthing before submerging. Here's what I'm talking about.

[The Dude Abides]

how important is it to sandblast the whole wheel. Im not talking just front and back. Im talking about the part the wheel goes over where the air is:)

[Quidam]

how important is it to sandblast the whole wheel. Im not talking just front and back. Im talking about the part the wheel goes over where the air is:)

 

Man, I had to think about that:)

 

If it's got good paint, no need to bother that. I find here in the rustbelt, the area of the bead, where the tire seats...clean it up, good.

 

I've had wheels so rusted, I could cave them in with a tire iron on the tire machine.

 

I stopped into Hubcap Annies in Columbus three years ago. A store full of wheels, hubcaps, trimrings, lug nuts, and such, only.

 

He warned me then, I'd have trouble finding good wheels.

 

Doug

[The Dude Abides]

believe it or not i could probally sandblast these one at a time at my work. But 1 i would half to take the tire off the wheel. 2 might be alittle hard to smuggle them in. 3 might take alittle long and someone might notice me being gone most of the day.

 

Ben

[ShawnW]

Gotta dismount them.