Clear coated aluminum wheels

joleyred

joleyred

New member
Dec 2, 2015
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I have a motorcycle trailer with aluminum wheels that have a combination of paint and polished Clear coat. With almost no exposure to weather, the clear coat has broken down and allowed surface pitting to start. It's obvious the clear coat was poorly applied and won't last , which it's failing now. I want to remove the clear, polish the surface and just keep it protected with a coating, and polish it when I need to. I'm thinking of just sanding this clear, then polishing the surface. I need ideas on how to polish this surface to a high gloss. I think I can keep these wheels looking much better this way. Any ideas?

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I stripped my SS wheels which are polished aluminum and clear coat. You can remove the clear very easily and non destructive to the finish underneath using CitrusStrip Gel from a home improvement store. Coat the wheels heavily then wrap in plastic bags so it doesn't dry out, let that sit as long as you can. Remove bags and use a plastic scraper to remove the clear, it will peel right off. Repeat the process as necessary. I tried other strippers but only the CitrusStrip was effective.
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Boudin said:
I stripped my SS wheels which are polished aluminum and clear coat. You can remove the clear very easily and non destructive to the finish underneath using CitrusStrip Gel from a home improvement store. Coat the wheels heavily then wrap in plastic bags so it doesn't dry out, let that sit as long as you can. Remove bags and use a plastic scraper to remove the clear, it will peel right off. Repeat the process as necessary. I tried other strippers but only the CitrusStrip was effective.
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Your wheels look super nice in the after shots.

Do you think that chemical would safely work for removing the UV coating on headlights?
 
Thanks, after I stripped them I repolished them to a better than new finish.

I would be hesitant to use a stripper on plastic. I would think it would cause hazing. I have some old headlights laying around, I can try it out and see. Are you trying to remove the OEM coating or something like Spar urethane?

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Boudin said:
Thanks, after I stripped them I repolished them to a better than new finish.

I would be hesitant to use a stripper on plastic. I would think it would cause hazing. I have some old headlights laying around, I can try it out and see. Are you trying to remove the OEM coating or something like Spar urethane?

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I’d be trying to remove Meguiars Headlight Coating, which they say is pretty much clearcoat paint. I think it’s beginning to gradually turn yellow again, and the last time it happened on these particular headlights I had to sand it off.

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Either ways it’s a bit concerning because what if this were to happen if I had coated some brand new headlights? This has only happened to these headlights so I’m not sure if it’s a normL occurrence with this product but in this case it’s a PIA to remove.

Which metal polish do you use on your wheels? Do you polish them by hand or machine?
 
Some mineral spirits or paint thinner may work for that. Or gasoline

I did some sanding work by hand with progressively finer sandpaper, then used Mothers aluminum polish with a foam cone attachment on a drill.

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Boudin said:
Some mineral spirits or paint thinner may work for that. Or gasoline

I did some sanding work by hand with progressively finer sandpaper, then used Mothers aluminum polish with a foam cone attachment on a drill.

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Yea, I’m also a fan of the Mothers’ metal polishes.
 
Thanks Boudin, that sounds like it will get the results I'm looking for. I've used Mothers Billet polish for years and really like it. What grits of sandpaper did you use? I have some slight marring to fix before I polish.

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@Boudin- Those look really nice!. Guess I know what next winters project is going to be
 
joleyred said:
Thanks Boudin, that sounds like it will get the results I'm looking for. I've used Mothers Billet polish for years and really like it. What grits of sandpaper did you use? I have some slight marring to fix before I polish.

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I started at 1000 and worked up to 4000. I had originally stopped at 2500 but in direct sunlight I could still see some find sanding marks even after I polished. I would start at the highest number grit that gets the job done, kind of like paint, least aggressive method that works.

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hoyt66 said:
@Boudin- Those look really nice!. Guess I know what next winters project is going to be
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It's definitely I time consuming project! But the results are rewarding. If you're going to re clear them, I would use a 2 part clear coat like Max 2k High gloss Clear.

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Thanks for the help, since I'm only doing this on a trailer, it's only 2 wheels. Also, they are only polished on the spoke faces. Shouldn't be a big chore, looking forward to it now.

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Nice job, Boudin..Since you took the time to strip the clear and polish, are you planning to clear again? If not, what would you use to protect the finish?
 
Rsurfer said:
Nice job, Boudin..Since you took the time to strip the clear and polish, are you planning to clear again? If not, what would you use to protect the finish?
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Thank you. A 2 part high gloss Clear Coat was used.

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I bought the citrus paint stripper like you suggested Boudin. In probably an hour all the clear coat was bubbled up and came right off. I'm amazed. I took pictures of the surface, it looks like little worm trails in the dirt. Should clean right up. I'll post some before and after pictures this weekend. I looked online for 2 part clear coat and found it in a spray can. You activate or mix it by pressing a button on the bottom of the can. You suppose it would be any good?

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joleyred said:
I bought the citrus paint stripper like you suggested Boudin. In probably an hour all the clear coat was bubbled up and came right off. I'm amazed. I took pictures of the surface, it looks like little worm trails in the dirt. Should clean right up. I'll post some before and after pictures this weekend. I looked online for 2 part clear coat and found it in a spray can. You activate or mix it by pressing a button on the bottom of the can. You suppose it would be any good?

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Excellent, glad it worked for you, it really is amazing how easy clear comes off using CitrusStrip.

That aerosol clear sounds like the same thing I used, and it's very glossy and durable.

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I used Optimum power clean to remove polish oils, then Mckee's N914 wipe down in coating prep dilution (1:8). I do alot of painting and N914 has proven to be a great paint prep alternative.

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I stripped the wheels as Boudin suggested with great results. I buffed the unpainted surfaces, which is basically the faces of the spokes only. I used several different methods, I used the Mother's cone and several compounds. Mother's Billet Polish worked the best, I used a 3" yellow foam pad on my Flex PE-8, and the best results were with a 3" wool pad and the Mother's billet polish. It worked best at about 4-5 on the speed dial, I would spread a thin layer of the polish on the wheel face and just work it around with the wool buffer and it looks like a mirror. I have ordered the 2 part clear coat in a spray can and will probably put that on. However, this is on trailer wheels and I usually leave the wheels inside the trailer until I am ready to use it and then put them on. I just have had so much bad luck with the clear coat breaking down on aluminum wheels that I am tempted to just put a coating on them and repolish when necessary. When the clearcoat allows weather to get under it, it causes pitting and then that has to be sanded out. If left bare or just coated with paint coating I would think repolishing would be the extent of the maintenance. I have several pictures of the process and don't know how to attach to my message. I will send pictures if someone can tell me how.
 
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