View single post by Tom Bradley
 Posted: 09-03-2015 11:16 pm
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Tom Bradley

 

Joined: 07-15-2013
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 I got curious and did some experimenting on one of my spare wheels. What I found was that I had to start with 400 grit sandpaper to get the bare parts smooth without spending outrageous amounts of time. Then going to 800 grit wet/dry (done wet) made a pretty good surface. The original finish was never mirror-smooth, so stopping here might look fairly original. I also went over portions with 1500 and 2000 grit w/d. The 1500 grit also looked good. After the 2000 grit it was definitely shinier than what I remember, but maybe that is good.

If you have a spinning pedestal like a wheel polishing shop has, most of it might go fairly fast. But the bare spots between the black squares I had to smooth out by going in and out radially because the surface was pretty uneven in that direction. Doing that part seems like a lot of work, but the result is probably better than any sort of sand blasting, even with very fine sand. Paying $160/wheel does not sound that bad, considering. Depends on how they do. I would like to see a close-up pic (especially of the spots between the squares) if anyone has one. But there is the satisfaction of being able to say that you did it yourself, which I always like.

Last edited on 09-03-2015 11:17 pm by Tom Bradley