Fuchs, DIY stripping question
 

Economics being the way it is, I'm doing my first DIY Fuchs polish.

MOST Fuchs have cooperated and given up the paint with oven cleaner and/or stripper. I have a pair that is being uncooperative. I've gotten them down to about 20% left.

What grade steel wool or sand paper will finish the removal but leave the least amount of scratches?

TIA

I'd like to see you results as I am about to embark on the same jorney...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297708765.jpg
I want to remove the old black paint and get a nice polish look instead.

I usually just send them out to Al Reed. I'm sure I'm not the only one on this board who is trying to save a buck.....

Joe Bob, I'd wouldn't recommend steel wool or sand paper. Both would be to ruff and leave scratches. Try to find find rubbing compound or jewelers polishing compound and use a cloth polishing wheel on a electric drill. The compound come in various grit sizes lower numbers being coarser (use these to remove residual paint) high grit levels are for polishing.
Waxing or clear coating after polishing will give you a long lasting mirror finish.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
P.S. it's a good idea to clean your wheel often. This is done by running the drill or grinder over a rough surface or edge of a work bench. Just be careful of kickback from the drill.

[QUOTE=P.S. it's a good idea to clean your wheel often. This is done by running the drill or grinder over a rough surface or edge of a work bench. Just be careful of kickback from the drill.[/QUOTE]

Took me a little while to figure this out, your talking about the polishing pad on the drill or grinder. Joe, there are tons of threads on just that here.

Aircraft paint stripper would get 90% of the paint off and the rest was done using a drill with small 3m scotch bright pad. if your going to repaint all black centers just wondering why you would want to remove 100% of the paint?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297721328.jpg

Gonna do a full polish.....

have you tried Aircraft grade paint stripper?

Joe,
Don't use steel wool. It can embed in Aluminum and later rust.

Going to throw another 15 bucks at them for Aircraft Stripper. Found an automotive paint store that carries it.......the guy said that even though it's called Aircraft Stripper, it's not recommended for aircraft. Go figure....

I always figured an aircraft stripper would be helpful in joining the mile-high club! :cool:
Now looking for a local automotive paint supplier...

I have a wire brush dremel bit that does a good job of removing paint that is stuck deep in the recesses of the wheels, but is gentle on the aluminum.

Got a pic of the wire brush Dremel attachment? Or better yet the part#? Take a look here.....any of these?

Dremel Wire and Bristle Brushes, Dremel Cut Off Wheels 1/8 Inch Shank

Here you go

My Porsche 911 | Wheels and Tyres

I would try the oven cleaner again w/ a plastic scraper, then 600 wet sand, 1000 wet sand then buff-out...

you might try gasket remover as mentioned below:

Removing Powder Coating Quickly and Cheaply -- Chopper Surplus

coxy......nice write up. How were your fingers afterward? Mine tend to lock up, double joint kinda. Not looking forward to that.

I want to paint the centers of my wheels black like zippy gg'shttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297826611.jpg

Hey Joe Bob,

howzabout some before and after pics? :)

Hey Joe Bob... get one of these .. The fuchs you have give pletty of room to get in the corners. Not like deep sixes....http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297874012.gif

What is it? Where to get it?

I get them at the Canadian version of your Pep Boys but on line i found this you may look at.4" Diameter Abrasive Scotch Brite Ball 80 grit aluminum oxide

I use this in combination with 3m scotch bright sanding pads and it gets the job done. there are red pads and grey pads... the grey pad is final step before polishing ... ask for them at car parts store... Also if you have deep groves you need to be taken out of the metal. sanding disks should be used first.

Slather on the aircraft paint stripper, then cover the wheel with saran wrap or put it in a white plastic garbage bag. Sealing off the wheel helps the stripper work better. Also, make sure the work space you are doing this in is not too cold, but for crap sake don't do this in a garage that's attached to your house or has the furnace located in the garage. The wife will be really pissed when the inside of the home smells like that nasty paint stripper!

Also, a pressure washer helps to blast the paint off the wheel once the paint stripper has softened it up. I've had to do 4 - 5 layers of stripper to get all of the paint off of a wheel. It still beats sanding by hand.

Results of the finish using scotch bright pads

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297875071.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297875092.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297875120.jpg
Finally i clear coated the wheels to protect them
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1297875145.jpg

If I see the word "stripper" one more time, I'm going out to break a 'c' note into singles.

I'll pick up the "sex worker in a can" manana......

Must support single moms! :D

You are so hired! :eek: Awesome results!
Can you give some details on how you painted the centers and what you used...?

I've done a few paint jobs on Fuchs.....when I was changing colors of side graphics every couple of months. Blue ( low glue residue) masking tape and color matched rattle can Krylon. I've had wheels in Gulf Blue, Emerald Green, Guard's Red, GP white, black and just polish......I prefer the clean look.....hence the total strip.

If you are gonna be a concours weenie (CW), Wurth Satin. A nice clear over it....well, I don't like clear. I prefer a single stage paint and then the ability to polish the rest. Clear can yellow in the UV light. It's getting worse now with the low VOC crap being forced on the hobbyist.

Powder coating is an option but the high heat needed to cure the product can effect the forged wheels. Rumor has it the heat is as bad as chroming. PC is also REAL tough to get off if you wanna do a strip and color change.

I've had as many as 4 different colors before stripping. I also never found the need for primer.

YMMV

Sure... i used Oil based Tremclad paint... First a primer it was actually brown. No need to use zinc oxide primer i was told. then Tremclad satin black... the final clear coat was duplicolor clear coat for mags.