Wheels from start to finish

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

  So  So  we have 16 wheels to do.lets get started.

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

A big vise really helps. Even then a 40 year old tire may need some lube and even heat to remove. Just heat the rim with a propane torch on the stubborn ones

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

Pretty nasty,with some pitting pretty deep around the valve stem. Only one way short of sandblasting to remove the rust

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

A battery charger electro solution, and time will take care of a lot of it. A lot of the paint comes off as well. Poly brush type wheels work better for me than steel wire wheels to remove the remaining paint,

[WHNJ701 4,165]

I just use a plastic tote with vinegar for a few days same results if not better for rust/paint removal 

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

 almost all the rust has vanished or has been brushed away.  Do the wheel a favor and use metal etch. A lot of guys use  etching primer, but I spray the metal etch on and wipe it dry as soon as it turns a bit blue. Rustoleum Damp Proof red primer is old school and highly recommended by one the guys here.

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

So here is my wheel spinner. It is just an old MTD rear axle. I use a plywood base with a can screwed on that holds a long neck --- No, you have to save some up so you can paint sober....  the cool thing about it is that you can flip the wheel over without touching it.  Liquid laundry soap bottles hold the rear wheels and just fit the center holes fine. They taper just right so you can paint the whole wheel one coat after it flashes off.  Some short PVC pipes inside thelong neck help to keep the front wheels stable when you move them to the drying rack.

 

The spinner makes the paintso much more even and avoids most of the runs.

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

This picture shows the sequence in painting a wheel. You do the dish and back bead. Let that paint set and flip the wheel with gloved hands to avoid skin oil.. On the finish coat it is a better idea to let the paint dry hard and do the other half the next day. My paint had hardener , so i was able to finish them all the same day

[SylvanLakeWH 25,609]

Nice thread and nice job!

 

Pics of finished product?

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

Here is the finished wheel. I suppose that I should mention the paint gun was the Harbor Freight purple gun with the air gauge. Less than 20 dollars.  If you experiment with the width and direction of the fan spray,  the rate of rotation and things like that, the results are much better than moving your body and the gun around the wheel. The wheel cleans up nicely with Nylon Abrasive Wheel [item 60325 from Harbor Freight]  and is much slicker than when sandblasting.

 

  It only takes about a minute to paint half a wheel with two thin coats, but all that depends on the paint viscosity and how you have your gun set up.Using the rotation method is very fast and the paint goes on so much more even. On the deep dish side of this wheel,there are from three to five angles of spray to get an even coat. The only thing you can do is experiment to see what works for you. I am not sure, but I think Dennis Thornton is the one who suggests using Damp Proof Red Primer by Rustoleum.

Edited September 8, 2018 by ohiofarmer

[pacer 3,174]

12 hours ago, ohiofarmer said:

Just heat the rim with a propane torch on the stubborn ones

 

Doggone farmer, this is one NICE post ---- and

And the tip for heating that rim to loosen the stuck tire is what Ive been waiting for. I have one right now that I have been struggling with, -- Thanks

[KC9KAS 4,741]

@ohiofarmer Thank you for the photos and the narrative on wheel painting.

I was looking at the MTD axle spinner and 1st thought you just spin it by hand, but as "Tim the Tool Man" would say, MORE POWER then I saw the cordless drill!

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

  I tried both a corded and cordless drill and neither one worked out as good as spinning by hand. Now if I was in the full time business of painting wheels, I would make a variable speed drive with a foot pedal input.

 

  Yep, those old tires are something else!  I have had them so stuck that i had to use a beveled 4x6 , heat, and drive a truck up the 4x6 ramped up on the tire to pop them loose..A Bobcat skid steer with pallet forks works also....Very quick as you can get the perfect approach angle to the tire bead

[ebinmaine 67,729]

Great thread with great advice !!

Thanks for the visual with the pics too.

Those wheels look really nice.

Love the spinning trick.

 

 

'farmer and @pacer and others... My honey went and bought us a harbor freight manual tire changer a few weeks ago.

That is one of THE BEST tool investments we've ever made.   ($40)

It's lag bolted to my shop wood floor through a joist. That's a MUST.

 

The one disclosure I'll put here is to remember it's "Manual". I'm a big guy so I have plenty of leverage to move it.

 

It costs $5 or more to get a tire dismounted around here so it paid for itself within just a few removals.

 

It works to break the bead on 8 inch wheels as well. Have to hand remove them still though.