How to Remove the Paint or Clear Coat from Wheels
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- Video tutorial on how to easily strip the paint or clear coat off a set of wheels. Obviously there are various methods that can be used but not everyone owns or has access to the equipment needed. This is an at home method which can be done in the comforts of your own driveway. If you are refinishing your wheels and they currently have peeling issues in the currently coating or extreme corrosion then is it import to remove the existing coating in order to have a good base to work with and ensure a long life for the new finish. If you are polishing aluminum wheels, this method can also be used as well. These particular wheels I am working with are from a Jeep Wrangler, Canyon style with both a machine aluminum surface with clear coat and paint.
Amazon links for various products used in the video for both USA and Canada:
USA:
Brass wire brush: amzn.to/2MJM1ka
Plastic scrapers: amzn.to/3sUQGzU
Canada:
Brass wire brush: amzn.to/36P0jH6
Plastic scrapers: amzn.to/3rRHA5B
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Tools/Supplies Needed:
-putty knife or plastic scrapper
-brass wire brush
-wheels
-rubber gloves (used in the video is Permatex Black 5 mil Nitrile Disposable Gloves #08184)
-paint stripper (used in the video is Permatex Paint Stripper #80577)
-wheel cleaner
-brush
-safety glasses
-respirator
-water hose
Procedure:
-first start by washing the wheels with a wheel based cleaner to remove any brake dust, road debris, etc.
-give them a good scrub down using a brush.
-allow them to dry as we will be using a paint stripper
-if there is any water residue, this will neutralize the paint stripper
-mix the paint stripper accordingly
-work in a well ventilated area, wear rubber gloves, safety glasses, and a respirator
-spray on the paint stripper
-apply a thin or thick coat, which ever is needed
-it takes about 10 minutes for the paint to peal up, you will notice the coating bubble/lift during this period
-once done, you can use a metal putty knife to remove the coating, but I picked up a plastic scraper just to reduce the risk of scratching the aluminum finish
-for those harder to reach areas, I also have a brass wire brush which won’t damage the aluminum either
-do not use a metal wire brush as they are coarser and you do have to worry about metal getting impregnated in the aluminum surface which will cause the particles to rust
-a second coat may need to be applied if you are working with a stronger paint
-dispose of the old paint properly
-then wash the wheel down to neutralize the stripper
Thank you to all those who watch my videos and support my content. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel for future tutorial videos and like my video if you found it helpful. New videos are always being uploaded every week!
© 4DIYers 2013
All Rights Reserved
No part of this video or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author.
Amazon links for various products used in the video for both USA and Canada:
USA:
Brass wire brush: amzn.to/2MJM1ka
Plastic scrapers: amzn.to/3sUQGzU
Canada:
Brass wire brush: amzn.to/36P0jH6
Plastic scrapers: amzn.to/3rRHA5B
you are the only video i’ve found that brings up the concern of impregnating aluminum wheels with steel particles. THANK YOUU everyone should know this.
Thank you for the feedback and happy to help! I find most people don't know this and it's not good to learn this the hard way.
I don’t think impregnating is the right word but I got what you meant haha
@@shanemurphy4285 sorry I meant inseminate
@@shanemurphy4285no, that's proper terminology actually, although it sounds a little weird😂
WAIT! But HOW can I remove the clear coat WITHOUT removing the old paint???
Thanks for this video, you helped me restore some EM1 Civic SI wheels that I had bought for cheap in bad condition. Now they look near new. I bought the Rust-Oleum Aircraft remover in the gel form not the spray can and it worked really good. Then I let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then pressured washed it and the results were amazing
No problem, happy to help!
Nice choice of ride!! Did you just polish them or polish and re-clear??
@@4DIYershave you noticed any major differences between gel and spray?
Awesome tutorial. Thorough yet brief.
Thank you!
Thanks! I’m about to strip a set of Jeep Recon wheels and powder coat them black.
Awesome to hear and happy to help!
I have aluminum wheels with gunmetal accents that i painted black anyway to remove the black paint over the original w out damaging it
I want to try and refinish the rims on my Chevy tracker but have no way to remove the tires,so I'm gonna try and do it with the tires still on the rims.
It can be done, just be extremely careful with the paint stripper as it can damage the rubber.
very nice video, was wondering if its possible to remove the paint on grey aluminum rims and give them an alumimum like chrome shinny finish? thanks
Yes you can, but it's a lot of work getting that mirror shine, especially if they're a rougher casting. Not saying it can't be done, it just takes a lot of patience and time. I've done it in the past. Here's my video on how to polish aluminum ua-cam.com/video/vCIZWyfXlLo/v-deo.html
@@4DIYers thanks!
Just tried to purchase the permatex stripper and was hard to find - was told it is being discontinued. Get it while you can!!
A little tip, if your using stripper the best you can do is wash of with scottex and aceton
Do you have a vid on the next step? I have a 2000 Dodge 2500 w aluminum alloy wheels. But I think w chrome plating. They have some bad spots on them. Thanks, Dave.👍
Hi Dave,
Not as of yet unfortunately, but I will be producing a refinishing video for these wheels. They just need to have the center bored first. If you are dealing with a chrome coating, unfortunately that will need to be removed first. The easiest solution would be having a plating company remove it. If it's clear coat, then that would be much easier. Simply peal up the old clear coat, then you can polish the aluminum, leave it as a satin finish, apply clear if you wish or paint.
Great, can't wait!
did you end up making a follow up video? would love to see it for these wheels!
@@sleepyhead785 i dont think he did fam
Can you do a video on restoring tires and the lettering on them
You can’t really restore tires, unless you mean cleaning them from the brake dust.
My wheels are six spoke and they were like a polished nickel on the face and on the inserts between the spokes it’s black I want to get the clear coat from the factory off without messing up the black paint job in between each spoke and ideas? Thanks..
Sanding would be the best option and you can tape off the black areas for protection.
I have the exact Jeep Wheels whats the next step after removing the clear coat? Thank You
Ik you should take tires off but what if you can’t because you don’t have access to the means to put them back together
You can do it with the tires on but you must be extremely careful. The paint remover can damage the rubber.
There's no part 2? I'd like to see how the restore actually looks.
No part 2 unfortunately. Just got crazy busy with projects and haven't had time to revisit this. They're currently packed away in a shed, this was part of a trailer project.
Thank you for the tutorial. Would this paint thinner and method work for a Lexus NX alloy wheel?
Where can I buy this paint stripper? Nobody carries it.
Does the permatex paint stripper strip off of the clear coat as well? How do you know if your wheels aluminum wheels have clear coat or not?
They all do.
I removed the paint successfully but how to remove the primer. My wheels have a primer layer now which dusts after rubbing with sandpaper.
Does the paint stripper etch the aluminum? Also, do you know if this method, or another method, works for removing powder coat from aluminum wheels without etching, scratching or damaging the wheels in any way?
It will not etch the aluminum, just make sure you do not use a steel wire brush. It should work on powder coating, but not long after this video was made, paint stripper formulas were changed so they're not as aggressive. You may need to do this multiple times or apply a plastic wrap on the stripper so it doesn't dry and has more time to attack the coating.
@@4DIYers I needed to follow a similar procedure (applying plastic wrap) when removing vinyl flooring from concrete. The vinyl was approximately 50 years old and the adhesive used back then was so strong that decades later, it could still probably survive a nuclear blast. I needed to use a hand held heater to almost melt the vinyl surface layer in order to strip the surface later. Then poured water on the exposed vinyl backing, keeping it submerged for half a day, in order for it to become more receptive to liquid penetration. After the water evaporated but the backing was still saturated with water, floor stripper was applied, and on top of that, a plastic wrap to prevent evaporation. Then it soak for 12-18 hours before arduously being scrapped off by hand. The job took 19 days and approximately 230 hours. There's still two more sections that will require another 2 or 3 days. I could have put tile over the vinyl but really do not like to cover up problem areas. Best to fully expose and fix problems. Thanks for your input on the wheels. When the time is right, and I'm able to put my car on jack stands or a temporary set of wheels, I'll put together a plan to strip the powder coat and have a fresh powder coat applied, or consider some alternative coating. Ultimately, I want the refurbished wheels to have a durable finish that looks like it came from the factory.
Brass will definitely scratch the aluminum. Hard plastic bristles will work best.
If you get a fine brass wire brush, then no. These will will be painted eventually so even any fine scratching won’t matter.
How much do you think it'll cost to take it into a shop to remove paint from rims?
Of course I find this video after a full day with flapper wheel, wire brush, sand paper, and steel wool.... should have consulted UA-cam earlier *facepalm*
I just need to remove chipped clear coat not the black paint,any suggestions
Unfortunately it'll be tough removing or cleaning up that peeling clear coat without damaging the base color underneath. Another option would be stripping the whole wheel and painting it one solid color.
What spray did you use?
Hi, what if you just want to strip the lip and want to keep the painted part as is? Will masking tape hold up ok with that stripper?
If you have multi piece wheels, then I would recommend splitting them down just like I did with my BBS Style 5s. If not, well you could tape them off, but there is a very good chance the coating will be damaged so it would be best just to use tape and wet sand.
4DIYers Thanks
Any ideas how to remove the clear only and NOT the base? I need a better way of doing this as 80 grit on the DA to peel off the clear is too aggressive, plus doesn't get into hard to reach surfaces and with bead lip.
Unfortunately the base coat is very thin and it will be extremely hard not to damage it regardless of what method you are using. Don't forget to subscribe!
Haha, I tried my luck earlier today trying to smooth out some bubbling in the clear with a frsh piece of 220. Got the bubbling out, but quickly discovered just how thin the base coat was. FYI, my job is sanding wheels every day at a body shop for auction cars, so I'm free to test most theories within reason. Live and learn I guess. I'll definitely sub to your channel!
Thank you! Auto body paint is the same issue too, I tried a little experience a while ago and in no time using 800 grit it sanded through the base while trying to feather in the edge of the clear coat. Clear coat is significantly stronger and thicker than the base. You're pretty much stuck with repainting the whole wheel unfortunately.
I built a blast cabinet for wheels, but every so often a set comes through where we want to remove the clear and save the base, but sometimes the base has minor damage. I'd like to brush on some base coat, but we're not there yet. Masking the face to respray the inners would be a nightmare, so I hope the touch up idea will pan out. I'll let you know though, the next time that situation arises.
Definitely looking forward to the results. Feel free to share some photos on my Facebook page as well. Might be easier to respray the whole wheel, depending how much work and money in material you're willing to invest. Dare I say Plasti Dip is an option?
What wheel is that, picked up 4 for 50$, and I wanna know what they are
Jeep Wrangler TJ wheels.
does it remove bondo or epoxy on my curb rims ive fixed some rashes with bondo dont want to mess that up
Jose Banderas Same here. After stripping i can see primer layer beneath. Primer has no effect of paint remover.
What is the next step?
They look like 15x8 Jeep Canyon Rims
They're definitely from a Jeep, bought these for a trailer project.
Can this paint stripper remove a coating in a wheel?like a silver coating?
It will remove the paint and expose the alloy base.
doing wheel for 25 years doing 100 to 200 a night we burn the paint off
I have the same rims , after striping what is the next step, my rims are in bad shape
I will be refinishing these wheels eventually, haven't found anyone to bore out the centers as of yet (they're for a trailer). You have a couple different options for finish and this will depend on how much time you are willing to invest. The corrosion can be cleaned up using some form of blasting which won't damage the aluminum or sanding. Considering these have a textured machines surface, the sanding will affect this. So instead use an abrasive pad which are available in a variety of grits. The smooth areas can be sanded. Aluminum is different to paint than compared to metal, so an etching primer is needed. Apply a paint of your choice and if you have bare aluminum, I would considering using a clear coat which is compatible with aluminum.
Is this method for rims that have chrome peeling off?
No, chrome is a type of plating so it's much different than a paint coating.
Hi mate.
Looking at the wheel once paint got removed - is it possible to go from here to “brushed” finish? Bearing in mind those deep scuffs?
Cheers!
L
Part 2?
Unfortunately I haven't had a chance, these wheels are supposed to be for a trailer project I've been meaning to build.
Have you tried Aircraft Remover? I bought a quart and I’m not at all happy with the results. Curious if you have compared them
Sometime between now and when I made this video, all companies that made paint strippers changed their products. They're no where near as effective now. Try applying more stripper, then wrap the surface in plastic and let it soak for about an hour, just make sure it doesn't dry.
@@4DIYers thanks for the heads up about their formulation.
I’ve already tried laying it on thick and not letting it dry. Best result thus far is patchy removal, and what’s remaining is discolored and looks like iron oxide on alloy wheels. I’ve even tried pressure washing, thinking the increased water pressure would help, but nada. Thinner, acetone, turpentine, mag wheel cleaner, and degreaser are ineffective as well.
I have muriatic acid I’m seriously considering, but part of me thinks hand sanding and scotch brite pads may be the best option, albeit painfully slow
No problem. Laying on plastic is pretty common in the auto body world, keeps it wet and reduces any chemicals evaporating. You can clean up aluminum with a brighter, similar to a wheel acid but specifically for bare aluminum. Definitely don't use muriatic acid, it'll eat up the aluminum. Only other option is having the wheels media blasted.
That wheel looks like hell. I am trying to find a video that shows how to restore a aluminum wheel to like new condition.
It doesn’t look good because it’s raw aluminum. The title said specifically how to remove clear or paint and that is exactly what the tutorial shows. How you decide to finish the wheel is your choice. You can sandblast the aluminum, polish it, or apply a paint.
Could you just mask off the tires?
You can, but be extremely careful.
Permatex paint stripper and jasco not available in Canada. Any alternatives?
A generic aircraft stripper would be fine too.
Ahh anything with Methylene Chloride has been taken off the shelves in Canada.
I heard oven cleaner can do the job. Ever tried that?
*Does this work to remove the corrosion as well?*
No, this is only to remove the clear coat.
@@4DIYers dang, I've got some rough corrosion spots
@@STR8SICCC corrosion is like rust on metal. So material will have been deteriorated and you'll need to sand the area, removing material to smoothen it out. In a situation like that, you maybe best using a high build primer and paint.
@@4DIYers thanks for the tip! I'll see what I have for sandpaper tomorrow, was planning on trying to polish them out for now honestly.
Is there a way to do this without damaging the paint on my gold honeycomb grand cherokee wheels?
Will this remove a powder coat?
Yes it should.
Am I the only one that has tires already on the rims? Or I’m the only one that doesn’t have a tire changing machine. Thought this was a “in your driveway” DIY method?
This is an at home method. Get a local shop to unmount the tires. My local shop in town typically does it for like $30.
I'm just going to work around it and do the best I can.
How long did you leave the paint stripper on the wheel before scraping? Will the paint stripper damage the wheel?
Depends on the product, it can be anywhere from 15min to 30min. Always read the instructions just to be safe. And the paint stripper is safe on alloys and metals.
You should always sand ‼️as this will make and help take off damage on the wheels ‼️
Is that an aluminum wheel?
Yes I believe so. I don't think they're magnesium.
Ok of spray can is for REMOVE.OF. PAINT??? OR JUST OF CLEAR??
It'll remove both.
damn i want those wheels...
Unfortunately not for sale lol. They're supposed to be for my trailer project, whenever I get around to it.
would this work on a clear coated headlight?
Not necessarily as it may damage the plastic. Try brake fluid.
As in DOT3, not brake cleaner :-)
jackrios4040 if you're talking about correcting the crystallized spots you probably need new headlights....
why clean the brake dust if you're going to spray paint stripper? Shit takes off paint it's going to take off brake dust too.
Not all paint strippers work the same, it's best to have a clean surface so it doesn't have somewhat of a barrier or soaks into the brake dust more than the paint. Some waxes and oils will prevent paint stripper from working properly.
After you strip the clear coat off, what are those spots that remain (the dark spots) and how do you get rid of them? I have those on my jeep wheels.
Those are corrosion pits. Can sand them out and buff back.
or plan B: contact someone , who still has access to your old workplace, and pay him a few bucks to get the rims sandblasted for U (by hand of course) :D
Haha, connections are the best! Don't forget to subscribe :)
I have a used set of Chevy 2500.alloys that the clear is bubbling on. after stripping off clear, can I go straight to a rim polishing paste or should I wet sand first? if so, how fine of a grit?
Are they the typical Chevrolet wheels with the small polished aluminum finish and larger oval holes? If they're the wheels I'm thinking of, they don't have a machined textured surface so you can use this tutorial here ua-cam.com/video/vCIZWyfXlLo/v-deo.html
Can't view the photo unfortunately. You can upload it to my Facebook page or even link a Google image here.
Acid
At the end those wheels still look terrible.
They're not supposed to look better. This is a first step to to aid in the refinishing process, either for painting or polishing.
What are those rims???*
They're from a Jeep Wrangler.
Canyon Rims.
P