I just got some used Iforged wheels and the uncoated polished aluminum lips need a little help . They are not bad but have minor scratches/swirls in one direction . Is there a way to get them out ? Metal polish alone will shine it up not but doesnt really remove swirls . Is it possible to maybe wetsand the scratches out and polish back out ? Also some questions on what polishes and wax/sealant works best . As far as wax/sealant im looking at : PB wheel sealant Wheelwax DP wheel glaze collinite 850 For polishes im looking at wenol opt metal polish DG AP 3m mag polish ANY products that work better than whats listed also ?Dont know what to get ! Heres some pics of the scratches/swirls im talking about .Really noticable in the bottom pic top left . yup i know the faces were badly painted .Im stripping it as we speak and will be pc'ing gloss black .
MY advice would be to have the lips polished by a professional and then just maintain them. As for powdercoating the wheels, I wouldn't do it. A client had two sets of wheels powdercoated black and although the finish was durable, they scratched up VERY easily.
Very interested in the advice that might be given in this thread. I have some True Forged wheels that need some help. I actually took one apart and began an process to bring them back to life. I wet sanded with either 600/or 800 then followed up with 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, then 3000. Then used Mothers Power Metal Aluminum, then Optimum Metal Polish with both Mothers Ball, and my Griots 3" polisher with an orange pad. Then white pad. I feel like it isn't enough. Perhaps I should use a kit like this: Wheel Smoothing And Buffing Kit Don
i was thinking of sanding and polishing back out like i do with smaller parts except with smaller parts i do i use on a bench buffer with tripoli compounds and polishes .Wheels are to big to do that though . Yours is a big improvment . Mine however isnt that bad and just have fine scratches . What polishes and wax should i buy that work good? Btw iv never had a problem with pc scratching and anything would be better than the cheap spray paint the owner before me used .
man those rims looks awesome. I had some polished aluminum non clear coated rims on my truck and i always wondered if i could sand them down and polish them out . . . . . but that headache is gone now as i sold the truck and rims. It's good to know though what to do in case i encounter any rims that are trashed and can be revived. So you can only sand clear coated or non clear coated rims?
Well i know you can sand uncoated aluminum because thats how it was made in the first place . Iv taken bumpy cast aluminum parts and polished them beautifully but iv never done somthing as big as a rim . I would like to know what tools to use after sanding when it cant be polished on the bench . The answers to that probably should be asked in a metal polishing forum though since im thinking most people here dont do it . To sand you want to start as high a grit as possible to remove the intial scratches then step up grits going all the way to 3000 . Iv done parts where i started at 40grit to 3000 at the end .I finish out on a bunch buffer with spiral cotton wheel and tripoli compound and polish .I found a site that looks like a good place to start . Buffing Polishing Supplies Buffing Wheels Compound Polishing Aluminum Polishing Kit - Caswell Inc. I just want to know what metal polishes work best and sealants here for maintenance polishing .So far for sealants i hear good things about PB wheel sealant .Anything better ?
I am using the Poorboys Wheel Sealant. Easy on, VERY slick, and smells great. If there is an easier way to polish the wheels I would love for someone to chime in. Especially if they used the Eastwood or Caswell kits. I am not sure how those would work with battery drill. Don If anyone has taken the wheels apart did you use Loctite on the wheel bolts when putting together? I found a video on the CCW website about torquing the bolts 30-32 pounds, but no mention on Loctite
cool how is pb for durability and repelling brake dust ?Yes you do have to use loctite on the bolts . Use blue cuz red is too strong . i heard some people say not to reuse the bolts but im not sure if thats the truth .
I am not sure about durability and repelling of brake dust as I just put it on the wheel. I have heard pretty good stuff about it, but there are other wheel sealants out there that are just as good or better as far as what people are saying. I called CCW yesterday after I watched a video of them putting barrels together and then bolting on the inner part of the wheel. The guy just used a air ratchet to tighten the bolts. When I talked to them about using Loctite they said you didn't have to. Don I am really surprised that there isn't a lot of people out there who have taken apart and polished 3 piece wheels.
