Should I try and clean or trash ?

[LFC]

I just bought a set of rims and tires from a member here...he mentioned in his add that they had some filiform corrosion.
He delivered them across country and when I saw them I was somewhat let down but took them because I just didn't feel right after the fellow toted them 600 miles.

I've owned two Airtreams a 1999 and a 2000 and honestly didn't know what filiform corrosion was and when I saw it today I thought it could easily be removed. Boy was I wrong SOS and Brillo pads won't even touch it.

My main concern is now I own a 1977 Avion with no signs of any corrosion and I 'm worried if I put these wheels on my trailer that this hideous corrosion could spread to my Avion.


Should I try and clean these up or just throw the rims away and chalk this up to experience ?

[AWCHIEF]

I plan on soda blasting mine. They are looking pretty nasty with the clear coat peeling off. Depending on how they come out I may leave them as is or polish. I have a friend with an SOB that soda blasted his. They look really good as is and no more peeling finish or corrosion. Soda blast will not remove any metal only the corrosion and clear coat.

[LFC]

I tried some Aluminum Bright from Napa Auto Parts it seemed to help a little...I also found a small soda blaster on eBay I guess that's next.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251615101183...84.m1438.l2649

And I came up with another cheap one.

http://www.eastwood.com/soda-blast-intro-kit-53591.html

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by LFC

I tried some Aluminum Bright from Napa Auto Parts it seemed to help a little...I also found a small soda blaster on eBay I guess that's next.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251615101183...84.m1438.l2649

And I came up with another cheap one.

http://www.eastwood.com/soda-blast-intro-kit-53591.html

I have a couple different set ups from HarborFreight. A cabinet and seperate gun for larger parts such as the wheels we are discussing. HF normaly has them on sale plus using the common 20% off coupons makes for a good deal.

[LFC]

I'm not sure if a regular sand blaster will work for soda blasting ?

The soda blaster I saw at Harbor Freight was about a 100 bucks.

[xrvr]

It won't spread, it's an AS thing.

[TRIPPPIN]

Check around your area and see if the cost of professional refinishing is a good option. We have a guy in London Ont. that will do it for around $100 per wheel, strip and powder coat, in many colors or clear. Tire and stem removal is required however.

Filliform corrosion will not spread to the trailer from the wheels.

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by LFC

I'm not sure if a regular sand blaster will work for soda blasting ?

The soda blaster I saw at Harbor Freight was about a 100 bucks.

It will. I use both my blasters for sand and soda.

[LFC]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

It will. I use both my blasters for sand and soda.

That's good to know, thanks for the soda blasting tip I'd never heard of it.

[polarlyse]

I bought a set of aluminum wheels some years ago. They were pretty rough. I sanded them to clean them up, painted with silver aluminum paint. ( Most wheels are painted. Clear doesn't stick to most aluminum very well) and clear coated. Looked good and held up well for a couple of years and went with the trailer when it was sold. The key here is the clear coat. I have a friend with a body shop and he did mine. Spray can clear may not hold up very well.

[Al and Missy]

I read somewhere, a car board, maybe, about using oven cleaner to strip and then polishing. As I recall, the oven cleaner really darkened the wheels but they polished up good. Try anything on the back side first. I used Jasco Premium Paint and Epoxy Stripper from Lowes to strip powder coat off of a grill mounting rail. It took two applications, covering with plastic wrap to stop evaporation but it didn't attack the aluminum at all. Citristrip should work as well, it takes clearcoat off of trailers. The thread I read used a Griots Garage cone-shaped polisher in a rotary tool after stripping with oven cleaner.

Al

[m.hony]

I sold my wheels with slight corrosion to a nice man in Indiana who was restoring a 70's Airstream.
I cleaned them as best I could before I sent them to him.
3 out of 4 looked nearly new after cleaning.
1 had some stubborn spots I could not get off, but still looked nice at 20' away.
He was happy.
I don't think the corrosion will leave the wheels and get on your trailer...

[Don McKelvay]

Originally Posted by TRIPPPIN

Check around your area and see if the cost of professional refinishing is a good option. We have a guy in London Ont. that will do it for around $100 per wheel, strip and powder coat, in many colors or clear. Tire and stem removal is required however.

Filliform corrosion will not spread to the trailer from the wheels.

Hi, I would appreciate the name, address and tel of the guy please.
Thanks,
Don

[ijustlee]

The corrosion won't spread off the wheels but it might spread under the paint if you just paint over the wheels. You probably have to get an anti-corrosion chemical under the paint to stop filiform. Or you could just paint the wheels with aluminum paint and not worry about it, it would take decades to cause a structural problem with the wheels. The best thing would be blasting then polishing the rims but that requires some power tools so you don't wear out your fingers!

[tjdonahoe]

New wheels are only $110 each, to your door, you can't spend much for used ones.... It isn't economical....