This is one of the most important steps in caring for your wheel. Without the proper care, you will ruin your wheel. What if you accidentally ruined it during painting? First, you will need to clean the aluminum. You will do this by using a clean and smooth damp cloth and water hose. You can clean the wheels by yourself at home. How to Refinish Aluminum Wheels by Yourself?
Table of Contents
How to fix it?
Step 1: Clean The Old Rims
In removing oxidation from your aluminum wheels, first, you will need to get rid of all debris, dirt, and burrs from the wheel. You can get rid of these things by using a steel wool pad and water hose. The next step is to polish the wheels with a small polishing brush.
To remove oxidation, use baking soda to clean the wheel. You should then rinse the wheel with clean water. This cleaning method is effective but some people find it messy.
Using two sandpapers, clean and buff the entire wheel. Buffing with two sandpapers is advisable because the entire wheel receives the same amount of sanding. Next, you need to use 200-grit sandpaper to remove the remaining dirt, rust, and burrs from the wheel.
For removing the oxidation, you should use oxygen bleach. However, before you apply this solution, you should make sure that the wheel is completely dry and there are no other dirt particles on it.
Protective coating
After getting rid of all debris and rust, you should apply the oxygen-based refinishing kit. The kit consists of two different solutions: the clear and the dark ones. The clear one is used for fixing tiny dents and scratches while the dark one is used for fixing bigger dents and scratches. You should apply both the kits in the same order.
When you are finished with applying the kits, you should leave them for three to five minutes. After the time frame, you should wipe off the residue with a soft cloth and then dry the wheel with a towel.
Grinding
After ensuring that your wheel has been properly refinished, you should proceed to repaint the entire hub. To ensure that the entire rim is covered, you should sand the outside of the rim to the desired level using the steel wool pad and the right sandpaper. This process should be performed across all the member posts, as only the individual member post is being sanded.
You should also remember not to apply too much pressure when sanding the outer rim, because it may cause the wheel to get loose. Before you are done, you should wipe away the excess sand with a soft piece of cloth before finishing the process of repainting the plexiglass on all the wheel’s member posts.
There are a couple of details left
After the rim has been properly sandblasted, you should proceed to replace the wheel covers and the wheel spokes. You should start by installing new spokes using the standard U-bend straightening tool, then insert the cover snapped into the metal. Then snap the cover firmly around each spoke. The trick to refinishing aluminum wheels is to sandblaster them first before repainting them.
Completion
For heavily oxidized wheels, you should use a variety of polishing substances. You should always start with a zinc-based polishing compound, followed by aluminum oxide, and lastly a chrome-based one. For heavily oxidized wheels, you should avoid chrome-based solutions, as they tend to cause oxidation. For a smooth finish, use a small amount of oil while the wheels are being polished, but don’t go overboard, or the oil can attract more oxidation.
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