Best way to remove paint off wheels?? - LotusTalk

elude · 07-06-2007, 01:25 PM

Ok, ive tried doing a little research about the elise "standard" wheels and believe the conclusion that the wheels are originally powdercoated black, and then painted silver last.

Say i want to remove the silver paint off the wheel, and just get down to the base powdercoat. Is there a paint remover that would be suggested? I just would like to get down to the powdercoat, re-sand, and get a new coat of paint on the wheels.

On my old S2000, before I got my wheels powdercoated, I used "aircraft paint remover" bought at a walmart, which got the all the paint, and clearcoat off and down to a smooth base surface. would "aircraft paint remover" be suggested to get down to the base of the wheels, or would it be too harsh?

Or would anyone suggest just to strip down past the powdercoat, and get down to the aluminium cast of the wheels?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to be able to do the wheel paint removal/strip process at home.

Thanks!

25psi_Elise_Killer · 07-06-2007, 01:32 PM

I assume if you strip off the paint, the powdercoated layer will be stripped as well. I would suggest sand blasting or get them re-powdercoated and the shop will sand blast it for ya.

elude · 07-06-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 25psi_Elise_Killer

I assume if you strip off the paint, the powdercoated layer will be stripped as well. I would suggest sand blasting or get them re-powdercoated and the shop will sand blast it for ya.

thats what i had figured. if none of my options or methods work, sand blasting will be the last resort for the wheels.

i guess i'll be doing a paint strip/removal down to the base alloy of the wheel.

25psi_Elise_Killer · 07-06-2007, 01:39 PM

are you gonna paint the wheels yourself?

SweetDaddyD · 07-06-2007, 01:47 PM

you have to test a spot first but I think aircraft remover would remove the paint and not the powdercoat if you work fast. Many years ago working for an American OEM we had coil spring issues. Much testing was done in salt spray chambers and other things to attempt to intentially weaken or partially remove the powdercoating, then put them on the spring cycling machine. (which as soon as they had some rust on this particular app they would shatter after only a couple thousand cycles- they were supposed to be able to endure one million before failure). Anyway, aircraft stripper would barely touch the powdercoat. We would soak them, leave them in a plastic bag for a week with it on, and it still would still only remove about 20% of the powdercoat.

elude · 07-06-2007, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 25psi_Elise_Killer

are you gonna paint the wheels yourself?

no. i just want to get down to the base coat myself. I have a shop that I will be taking to for powdercoating that Ive known for years, but to greatly save on the cost, I will be doing the paint removal/stripping process myself.

elude · 07-06-2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetDaddyD

you have to test a spot first but I think aircraft remover would remove the paint and not the powdercoat if you work fast.

this is what I will attempt first, and will give me an idea of how thick or the quality of the original lotus powdercoat. i will document my project. thanks for the input and insight.

MattG · 07-06-2007, 01:54 PM

Isn't it possible that the silver is a powder paint as well?

Either strip all the paint, or just paint over the powder paint that's already there.

25psi_Elise_Killer · 07-06-2007, 02:56 PM

You also have to scuff up the paint so the primer/paint will stick to it. Ask your powdercoating shop what grit paper to use to prep it.

xtn · 07-06-2007, 04:20 PM

I'm suprised if it's true that they painted over wheels that were already powdercoated.

xtn

elude · 07-06-2007, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtn

I'm suprised if it's true that they painted over wheels that were already powdercoated.

xtn

according to some posts i read, lotus has a base powdercoat (black) on the standard wheels, and the silver is the final paint. struck me as an interesting yet curious method to why.

t65tampa · 07-06-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elude

no. i just want to get down to the base coat myself. I have a shop that I will be taking to for powdercoating that Ive known for years, but to greatly save on the cost, I will be doing the paint removal/stripping process myself.

The paint removal/stripping process is the hardest and most labor intensive part of painting or powdercoating wheels. Especially the Lotus wheels, both base and LSS types, with their sharp edges and angles. You will spend hours inhaling aircraft grade stripper to clean off your wheels. You'll come away exhausted and 15 IQ points dumber (brain cells killed by inhaled chemicals) trying to do it yourself. You should find some machine shop that has a glass bead pressure blaster and find out how much they would charge you to strip your wheels.

MattG · 07-06-2007, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtn

I'm suprised if it's true that they painted over wheels that were already powdercoated.

I'm not quite sure what you're meaning by 'paint' here, as powder coating IS paint and the Lotus obviously has two different layers of paint on there. Doing two coats of powder paint is no big deal, I've done it before for production parts to get some cool effects (a chrome-like base coat with a transparent colored coat, looked pretty sharp).

MattG · 07-06-2007, 07:46 PM

I just had a thought, the black might not be paint but may instead be an e-coat. It's still like a paint (ie, it's a layer of plastic), but is applied differently and often used to protect metal castings. Might be less expensive than painting.

DaCrema · 07-06-2007, 07:53 PM

Way back in the day....
I had a Austin Healey 3000. The club went to a shop that did bead blasting. I saw the owner take the word Camel off a cigrette. Very expensive but does no harm. The shop was out side College Park Md on Rt1. That was in the 1980s. I do not know if the shop is still around. If I wanted to take paint off a wheel that is what I would look for.
John

British_Marques · 07-06-2007, 09:00 PM

The silver metalic is water borne paint and the all of the base lotus exige and elise wheels are black power coated. It is the toughest stuff to get off. I have may esprit wheel down to raw aluminum so I can scrub on them when ever I choose it is nice but it was a bear to get to. Soak each wheel in a five gallon vat of BIX stripper and you will get the silver off then you will need to glass bead the final on the black. The BIX has little effect on the the powder coat.

sl8anic · 07-09-2007, 05:29 AM

Wish there was a way to completely take the silver paint off and leave black powder coat intact...

Bane · 07-09-2007, 08:58 AM

My silver topcoat is already starting to come off on both of my rear wheels

I can see the black coating underneath but I'm not sure what kind of paint it is.

British_Marques seems to have the information the original poster was asking for

Chococar · 07-09-2007, 10:27 AM

I had to remove the Lotus black powder coat without damaging the wheel because I was going to anodize the wheel, which would show defects/imperfects/scratches/etc. more than paint. The solution that finally worked was to blast the wheels with little pieces of plastic. Sand or glass beads would damage the wheel surface (cosmetically). The plastic was just barely hard enough to remove the paint without damaging the wheel. I do have "before" and "after" photos if anyone wants to see them ...

If you can't find a shop locally, you can drive up to Santa Barbara and take them to Santa Barbara Industrial Finishing.

--Joe

07-06-2007, 01:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
elude 16" all around Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: SoCal Posts: 167	Best way to remove paint off wheels?? Ok, ive tried doing a little research about the elise "standard" wheels and believe the conclusion that the wheels are originally powdercoated black, and then painted silver last. Say i want to remove the silver paint off the wheel, and just get down to the base powdercoat. Is there a paint remover that would be suggested? I just would like to get down to the powdercoat, re-sand, and get a new coat of paint on the wheels. On my old S2000, before I got my wheels powdercoated, I used "aircraft paint remover" bought at a walmart, which got the all the paint, and clearcoat off and down to a smooth base surface. would "aircraft paint remover" be suggested to get down to the base of the wheels, or would it be too harsh? Or would anyone suggest just to strip down past the powdercoat, and get down to the aluminium cast of the wheels? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to be able to do the wheel paint removal/strip process at home. Thanks!

07-06-2007, 01:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
25psi_Elise_Killer Drunk on alcohol Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,778	I assume if you strip off the paint, the powdercoated layer will be stripped as well. I would suggest sand blasting or get them re-powdercoated and the shop will sand blast it for ya. __________________ '06 Evo IX Stage 1E Tuned by Road Race Engineering: Stock:turbo,intake,internals,ECU,Walbro 255lph fuel pump,RC Engineering1000cc Injectors,Espelir downpipe, RRE High Flow Cat, AVO catback, RRE dyno tune flash, Dejon Tool boost controller (325whp @ 22PSI Costco 91 octane, 353whp @ 25psi on 100 octane, 383whp @30psi on E85) , Zeitronix wideband, Defi BF gauges, Stoptech rotors, SS brakelines,Graphic/Interior Design,Brand Identities,Invitations www.nomadic-nomads.com

07-06-2007, 01:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
25psi_Elise_Killer Drunk on alcohol Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,778	are you gonna paint the wheels yourself? __________________ '06 Evo IX Stage 1E Tuned by Road Race Engineering: Stock:turbo,intake,internals,ECU,Walbro 255lph fuel pump,RC Engineering1000cc Injectors,Espelir downpipe, RRE High Flow Cat, AVO catback, RRE dyno tune flash, Dejon Tool boost controller (325whp @ 22PSI Costco 91 octane, 353whp @ 25psi on 100 octane, 383whp @30psi on E85) , Zeitronix wideband, Defi BF gauges, Stoptech rotors, SS brakelines,Graphic/Interior Design,Brand Identities,Invitations www.nomadic-nomads.com

07-06-2007, 01:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
SweetDaddyD Sticker Guy Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: ATL, GA Posts: 6,157	you have to test a spot first but I think aircraft remover would remove the paint and not the powdercoat if you work fast. Many years ago working for an American OEM we had coil spring issues. Much testing was done in salt spray chambers and other things to attempt to intentially weaken or partially remove the powdercoating, then put them on the spring cycling machine. (which as soon as they had some rust on this particular app they would shatter after only a couple thousand cycles- they were supposed to be able to endure one million before failure). Anyway, aircraft stripper would barely touch the powdercoat. We would soak them, leave them in a plastic bag for a week with it on, and it still would still only remove about 20% of the powdercoat. __________________ "Starshield" Group Buy: http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51323 ChuforiaGraffix.com Custom decals, magnetics, banners, stripes, racing numbers,etc.SweetDaddyDelicious@hotmail.com

07-06-2007, 01:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
MattG insert clever title here Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Living above the clouds in Colorado Posts: 7,243 Images: 11	Isn't it possible that the silver is a powder paint as well? Either strip all the paint, or just paint over the powder paint that's already there. __________________ '05 Elise, Magnetic Blue / Biscuit / Hardtop / http://eliseinfo.com Radar detector mounting brackets for sale here

07-06-2007, 02:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
25psi_Elise_Killer Drunk on alcohol Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,778	You also have to scuff up the paint so the primer/paint will stick to it. Ask your powdercoating shop what grit paper to use to prep it. __________________ '06 Evo IX Stage 1E Tuned by Road Race Engineering: Stock:turbo,intake,internals,ECU,Walbro 255lph fuel pump,RC Engineering1000cc Injectors,Espelir downpipe, RRE High Flow Cat, AVO catback, RRE dyno tune flash, Dejon Tool boost controller (325whp @ 22PSI Costco 91 octane, 353whp @ 25psi on 100 octane, 383whp @30psi on E85) , Zeitronix wideband, Defi BF gauges, Stoptech rotors, SS brakelines,Graphic/Interior Design,Brand Identities,Invitations www.nomadic-nomads.com

07-06-2007, 04:20 PM	#10 (permalink)
xtn McLareghini Bugatterrari Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,858	I'm suprised if it's true that they painted over wheels that were already powdercoated. xtn __________________ 2006 McLareghini Bugatterrari, Storm Titanium... <mods> installed: air horn, Scroth 4-point ASM harnesses, Sector111 halon extinguisher and mounting bracket, Von Hep exhaust and rear panel delete, Pagid brake pads, red Volks CE28n wheels, Toyo RA-1 tires, Nitron SA coilovers, Sector111 (WorksBell) quick-disconnect steering wheel kit. awaiting installation: Scroth "pull-up" lap belts, Sector111 RTD Brace, Tony's heater bypass mod, and dropped steering rack mounting plates. </mods>

07-06-2007, 07:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
MattG insert clever title here Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Living above the clouds in Colorado Posts: 7,243 Images: 11	I just had a thought, the black might not be paint but may instead be an e-coat. It's still like a paint (ie, it's a layer of plastic), but is applied differently and often used to protect metal castings. Might be less expensive than painting. __________________ '05 Elise, Magnetic Blue / Biscuit / Hardtop / http://eliseinfo.com Radar detector mounting brackets for sale here

07-06-2007, 07:53 PM	#15 (permalink)
DaCrema Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 351	Way back in the day.... I had a Austin Healey 3000. The club went to a shop that did bead blasting. I saw the owner take the word Camel off a cigrette. Very expensive but does no harm. The shop was out side College Park Md on Rt1. That was in the 1980s. I do not know if the shop is still around. If I wanted to take paint off a wheel that is what I would look for. John

07-06-2007, 09:00 PM	#16 (permalink)
British_Marques Elise...Best Daily Driver Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Missouri Posts: 361	The silver metalic is water borne paint and the all of the base lotus exige and elise wheels are black power coated. It is the toughest stuff to get off. I have may esprit wheel down to raw aluminum so I can scrub on them when ever I choose it is nice but it was a bear to get to. Soak each wheel in a five gallon vat of BIX stripper and you will get the silver off then you will need to glass bead the final on the black. The BIX has little effect on the the powder coat. __________________ 2005 Elise, Starlight Black/Red, stage II exhaust, driving lamps, LED Tail lamp set, hybrid longtail/ and hardtop, Exige rear wing, radio delete, air bag delete, Custom Leather & Alcantra binacle, UK steering wheel, HVAC controller relocated, UK ECU, Carbon mirrors side mirrors, Zoom carbon rear view mirror, and custom wheels that favor the M250, no understeer and a variety of the simple mods.

07-09-2007, 05:29 AM	#17 (permalink)
sl8anic At Dawn They Sleep... Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: West of Boston Posts: 475	Wish there was a way to completely take the silver paint off and leave black powder coat intact... __________________ 05 Elise: Ardent Red, Touring Pack, StarShield, Hard Top, scrape guards 98 Jeep Cherokee Sport: red, dents, scratches, dirt

07-09-2007, 08:58 AM	#18 (permalink)
Bane . Join Date: May 2005 Location: RanchoSahuarita.com, AZ Posts: 2,440 Images: 4	My silver topcoat is already starting to come off on both of my rear wheels I can see the black coating underneath but I'm not sure what kind of paint it is. British_Marques seems to have the information the original poster was asking for

07-09-2007, 10:27 AM	#19 (permalink)
Chococar #334 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 1,354	I had to remove the Lotus black powder coat without damaging the wheel because I was going to anodize the wheel, which would show defects/imperfects/scratches/etc. more than paint. The solution that finally worked was to blast the wheels with little pieces of plastic. Sand or glass beads would damage the wheel surface (cosmetically). The plastic was just barely hard enough to remove the paint without damaging the wheel. I do have "before" and "after" photos if anyone wants to see them ... If you can't find a shop locally, you can drive up to Santa Barbara and take them to Santa Barbara Industrial Finishing. --Joe

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