[paitken76]

Wow, refinishing these things can be a costly pain. I went the route of using Aircraft Stripper / Steel Whool etc. The refinishing kit sold at many shops and online stores. Well, to say the least about 10 hours later I was less than happy with what turned out of my old rims. I waited, I sanded, I polished, I did just about all I could think of and then quit after spending the weekend and about $200 total in materials on two phone dials. Then I explored other options. I found a place that specializes in wheel refinishing. They quoted me $650 for the four to be good as new. Then I found a body shop that would sandblast those babies and powdercoat them for about $450. Hey thats a bit cheaper. Then I looked into renting a sandblaster myself. By the time you rent the gun, the compressor, the suit and helmet your looking at about $220 without material to blast. I read somewhere that you should use Walnut Chips for the alloys but I'm not sure.

What I'd like to know is have any of yo usand blasted phone dials before. What should I get, do and use. What pressure etc. Anything that could help. Or is there some extremely potent stuff I can bathe these in that would remove the clearcoat, paint and primer leaving me with nothing but raw alloy?

I want a quick fix, something that will work and won't break the bank. HELP!