Stripping Powder Coating
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,466
Likes: 43
From: Auburn MA
Stripping Powder Coating
What can I use to strip powder coating off my aluminum wheel. Long story short you can not buy the OE wheels ZR-1 in gunmetal gray anymore. So I had 2 rims powder coated to match so I could have a spare. Well, while I was shuffling them around I dropped one of the wheels and the spoke has 3 nasty chips in it and the guy who powder coated them cant do nothing with this wheel unless I can get all the old powder off. I was wondering if anyone has this and has some trick stuff I can get my hands on.
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,762
Likes: 14
From: Cumming Ga
What can I use to strip powder coating off my aluminum wheel. Long story short you can not buy the OE wheels ZR-1 in gunmetal gray anymore. So I had 2 rims powder coated to match so I could have a spare. Well, while I was shuffling them around I dropped one of the wheels and the spoke has 3 nasty chips in it and the guy who powder coated them cant do nothing with this wheel unless I can get all the old powder off. I was wondering if anyone has this and has some trick stuff I can get my hands on.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,466
Likes: 43
From: Auburn MA
I was told by the powder coater that thats not possible... The Powder coating is too thick and the to get aggressive with blasting it might permenantly damage the wheel and it would damage the machied lip on it too.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,182
Likes: 94
From: going faster miles an hour...with the radio on in browns mills new jersey
The Permatex gasket remover from FLAPS. It comes in a spray can. The Capt. Lee's paint stripper I pick up a a local Corvette shop. A lot of the vendors carry it. Any stripper with methylene chloride will take off the powder coating.
It isn't a fun or easy job.
A chrome plater quoted me $60 to strip the wheel.
It isn't a fun or easy job.
A chrome plater quoted me $60 to strip the wheel.
Last edited by nassau66427; May 1, 2008 at 10:14 PM. Reason: added bit about chrome plater stripping the wheel.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,466
Likes: 43
From: Auburn MA
The Permatex gasket remover from FLAPS. It comes in a spray can. The Capt. Lee's paint stripper I pick up a a local Corvette shop. A lot of the vendors carry it. Any stripper with methylene chloride will take off the powder coating.
It isn't a fun or easy job.
A chrome plater quoted me $60 to strip the wheel.
It isn't a fun or easy job.
A chrome plater quoted me $60 to strip the wheel.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,466
Likes: 43
From: Auburn MA
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 35,065
Likes: 0
From: Bergen County, NJ Democrats, doing for the country what they did for Michigan
I had powder coating removed from an intake. The machine shop "tanked it" meaning it submersed it in a cleaning solution over night.
I picked it up and there wasn't a bit of PC on the intake.
I picked it up and there wasn't a bit of PC on the intake.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 857
Likes: 1
From: Morrisonville Illinios
Go to any good quality paint store and get some paint stripper that contains methyl cloride in it. If you can find it in the paste form it works the best. If you can find some of the permatex gasket remover at local auto store it works well. Now the secret is to wear 2 pairs of disposable gloves and safety glasses YOU DO NOT WANT ANY OF THIS TO GET IN EYES!! If you get it on your skin it will feel cool for a little bit and then start to burn wash it off with lots of soap and water. Now get a big plastic bag put the wheel in there and coat it with the stripper then close the bag up and let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours. Now wearing gloves/glasses wipe the caoting off and you might want an old tooth brush and see if its all off. The last time I had screwed up on powder coating it took about 4 trys to get it all aff the intake. Bead blasting will not work as well and sanding it is not an option it just makes the powder coat melt.
GOOD LUCK wro87
GOOD LUCK wro87
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,058
Likes: 2
From: Deep inside GM
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,107
Likes: 171
From: Dublin CA
I have a shop next to mine that sand blasts. They don't use sand but glass beads. Do a great job. He does special work for several shops that get wheels that have been powder coated. Blasting will not remove the coating. He has special ovens that he puts the wheels in bakes the wheels for several hours and the coating flakes off by just rubbing it with your hand....wheels are fine.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 635
Likes: 1
Striping is the cheapest way,you can do it yourself.I'm sure not all of the powercoating is going to come off cleanly.You will have to redo area's and maybe even sand some area's to get them clean. I would reblast the wheel anyway to texure it so powder sticks again. some small bits the blaster will be able to clean up and not hurt anything. When I worked as a powdecoater we would sometimes sand around the chip till edges were level,sand the whole wheel,clean it,put in oven tlll 350-400 degree's till powder was soft,then pull it out and powder coat it while it was still hot.This worked most of time and was the quickest way to fix it but not allways the best way. Good luck Tim