Refinishing Fuchs -- A different approach
 

I have read the post about refinishing fuchs where the owner stripped the anodizing and polished various parts of the wheel. They look really nice but I prefer the brushed look.

What happens if I strip the anodizing and clean up the pitting and then rebrush the finish?

How do I make metal look uniformally brushed?

Thanks

I am not sure what you mean about a brushed look. But have you thought of sandblasting your rims?

Anodising prevents corrosion of the alloy surface, plus it is much harder than the base metal.
When you remove the anodised layer, you expose the base alloy. No matter what you do - polishing, brushing, etc., - it will be really easy to scratch it up, and it will corrode.

If you are doing this for looks, there will be a lifetime of polishing/brushing to kepp them looking decent.

Some pro refinishers clearcoat after they polish, but that is nowhere near as durable as the factory anodised finish.

Anyone know where I can get the wheels anodized for a very reasonable price. I have seen the wheels done by Wheel Enhancement and while they look beautiful my wallet would shoot me if I went that route.

I have had Fuchs re-anodized after polishing for about $25-30/ wheel. It is a common process and should be available at any commercial plating shop in most cities.

Besides protecting the surface from corrosion after polishing, it also brings back the muted "matte/satin" look of the original finish. A finely polished aluminum surface looks almost chromed, it is so bright, and to keep it that way after a few weeks in the weather requires a lot of elbow grease. The anodized surface only requires washing (and maybe a little vaseline for a protective coat) to maintain a consistent, nice look.

The reason many companies like Ernies Alloys, Al Reed, and WheelEnhancement are in business is for the polished wheel look. Do you really think if the finish was a tenous as you described, they would produce such a product? I have stated this may times before, but the forged alloy is so hard, it will oxidize and tarnish at a barely impercievable rate. I would much rather spend a "lifetime" of polishing these once or twice a year, they have the dull anodized look. My preference. And the anodization does wear and is prone scratches and chemicals also. Some may argue that that is the way they came from the factory, but seeing the added labor and cost it takes to polish compared to anodize, you can see how they have to save some money in someways. If your looking for a brushed look, sand or lighter media blasting is a nice way to go.

If you want a satin/matte finish reanodize or even paint silver.
If you want a gleaming finish then go for the full polish.
Don't chrome, over time they'll flake and pit.
I'm in the process of going for the full polish right now. You'd never get a uniform brushed effect on the wheels. I've tried a multitude of things to ease the process but it looks like I'm down to elbow grease. Oh well, it's snowing in Cleveland right now so I'm not going anywhere.

JG

Have you actually had to maintain a set of fully polished Fuchs? I can assure you that that the gleam is off them in a matter of weeks, not months. All the top refinishers either re-anodize or clearcoat after polishing to preserve the looks of the polished portions.

Actually the wheel guys charge more for anodizing. I asked Harvey Weidman (who does beautifully anodized wheels) why and he explained that the wheel needs to be polished before it is anodized to acheive the smooth finish.

So anodizing is actually more work than polishing.

BTW anodizing will outlast the polished finish. Which looks better is a matter of personal taste.

Picture is showing a set of 7 and 8's that I got on the car that had polished rims. These have been through numerous DE's with every type of track compound pad. I have only polished them occasionally. As far how they come from the factory, perhaps the lips are polished prior to anodization, but the centers area's that are painted are generally full of flaws that need removal for polishing. Again it is preference. But the finish of these polished wheels are extremely durable and maintenance free.

forgot the pic!

Are you sure those wheels are not anodized? I can't tell from the picture, but if you have not had to polish them much, I would bet they are either coated or they don't see much wet weather.

The lips on factory Fuchs are most certainly polished before anodizing, and I can tell you that after having two sets fully polished (including removing the paint from the centers), they are not "generally full of flaws that need removal for polishing". The forging process produces a very consistent and smooth surface everywhere on the wheel, and the centers polish up very easily.

The first set of Fuchs I had fully polished I left bare and mounted the tires. In two months, small white spots of corrosion started to appear on the surface and the shine had turned generally cloudy and murky. I live three blocks from the Pacific Ocean, so the atmosphere is admittedly corrosive here. An hour or two of vigorous application of Mother's aluminum polish and they were back to clean and bright, but when I did the next set, I had them re-anodized after polishing and they have maintained a consistent finish with just a mild detergent wash. A little duller shine than the polished set, but very user-friendly.

Here's a pic of the first set (6" Fuchs on my old '66 autox car under braking):
http://members.rennlist.com/tweedt/porsche4.jpg
and a pic of the newer anodized 8s & 9s on my '73 after the flares were put on:
http://members.rennlist.com/tweedt/flares3.jpg

YMMV,
TT

Having completely refinished 3 sets of Fuchs, (One fully polished, one polished lips, one RS style polished petals) personally and not just "having" a set, I can tell the difference between anodization and bare metal. Geez, you guys don't give up! After removing the anodization, many pits are found in the metal, even on the lips. The centers are not "perfect" either. Forging almost always produces imperfections, and those that have done this themselves with attest to this. This is getting off the topic anyway. Perhaps it is your salty air or caustic smog, but around here, little is needed for them to stay shiny. Pictures below is refinished fuchs that were not perfect after paint removal. No anodization present also!

I've had mine reanodised. I was asked whether I wanted gloss or matt anodising.

I wanted it to look like the early wheels (a sort of satiny finish) so I chose matt anodising. Newer wheels (eg SC and beyond) appear to have gloss anodising.

Once they are anodised, look after them with vaseline. Think about it - this is a 20 year solution. Why argue about whether polished alloy needs to be repolished every 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, whatever. The anodising lasts much much longer and isn't exactly expensive...

Hey 89....calm down, man - there is no defense required.

The fact that you like you wheels polished is fine - they look great.

To assert that that polished alloy is a more durable and lower maintenace finish than anodising flies in the face of decades of metal finishing experience.
Anodising was developed specifically to provide a hard, stable, non-oxidizing surface for light weight alloy parts. Fact.
Anodizing is a higher cost finish than polishing. Fact.
Porsche has anodized stock wheels for decades. Fact.


Its fine that you prefer polished wheels, and there is no doubt that the many professional re-finishers do a sweet job. Enjoy 'em.

OK, OK, OK, I'm calmed down.;) I need to go to work, too much time off with the vacation! I guess I'll go downstairs and repolish those Fuchs!!!:D

There used to be a guy named Henry in Costa Mesa, CA that polished wheels. Did a lot of dealer work and did a heck of a nice job. Especially the masking and reapainting part. The wheels gleamed. But, it was a strictly back yard operation. He had a tire mounting machine and a computer balancer at his house!

I can assure you though, that he had no provisions for anodizing. My wheels faded in months. I repolished them by hand and by hand held power tools until I was sick of it. Never did they look quite as good as the first month. Once they reached the *brushed look,* they stabilized somewhat. But, I could never keep them the way they were right after Henry finished them.

I don't know what to tell you. When they are polished like that, it's spectacular. You can tell right away that it is not chrome. You could count your eyelashes in the finish. But it won't last.

89911 - I'm guessing you didn't put a clearcoat finish on yours after the refinish and polish, right? I am about the polish up the lips on my fuchs. Any tricks to it...aside from the tech articles? I hope that since I'm on the east coast I'll have results like yours.

Nathan
PS: I did some more searching....and read some of your old posts, gave me enough info, thanks.

There were quite a few finishes on the factory Fuchs. Here is what has come to be called the "rsr" finish. It is a factory original wheel, with the tire as old as the rim (i.e. never refinished):
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads/DSC00084.JPG
That rim was polished only on the last cm. of the edge after the forging process, before anodisation. I have also seen some NOS 9 and 11X15 where the same area was obviously VERY lightly sanded, maybe with steel wool before the anodisation. The finish was almost the same with a polished outer lip, roughened rest of the lip before anodising, but you could see the marks of the sanding/brushing on the inner part of the lip.
This is a favorite of mine.
GeorgeK

I've had my 89 with paddle-polished Fuchs for nearly a year now. When I got the car the wheels were gloriously polished and definitely not clearcoated as the PO used to polish them from time to time. So now, 10-odd months later, the polished parts are still nicely shiny - not as mirror-like as originally, but certainly not dull. I'm going to repolish in the next couple months. At this point, seems like repolishing will be a once per year job for me.