Where to send my chrome faces to get stripped?

[Bullydawg]

I'm in England and they don't have places to acid strip Chrome. I am trying to get my Equip faces stripped and looking for a good place to send them... Anyone have any suggestions and how much it usually costs?

Thanks,
Aaron

[Bullydawg]

Bump. Just got the tires removed and will be ready to ship back to the US to be stripped asap! Will be sending the lips to be repaired as well! Here are a few shots!

[zoo]

Why the US? There are plenty of places in Eastern Europe that can remove the plating.

[1badg35]

chrome stripping usually results in visible pitting of the aluminum. I would take this into consideration before sending them to be de chromed.

what is the ultimate plan for the wheels? like are you planning on powder coating, polishing, or brushing? the best method might result from the answer to that question

[Bullydawg]

I would like to leave my options open... But as for now, a brushed polish look. I wouldn't be against powder coating. And I can't find any places out here in England who can strip chrome. I have called 5-6 of the big name places out here.

[Bullydawg]

This is the look I am going for...

[pDubs]

Not sure on the exact procedure on stripping chrome but hopefully it won't require sandblasting if your goal is a nice brushed finish. Sanding out all the blasting pits would really suck. Powder coating would be easy.

[Bullydawg]

If I powdercoated, wouldn't it show the pitting as well?

[Bullydawg]

What would you guys do in my situation? Doesn't the chrome need to be stripped regardless if I am going to powdercoat them?

[chandlerGTi]

Anyone who does chrome can strip it, in theory and if they are willing.

[inupdateeve]

chrome stripping usually results in visible pitting of the aluminum. I would take this into consideration before sending them to be de chromed.

[Bullydawg]

What are my alternative options? If I get them powder coated, don't I need to strip the chrome regardless?

[Crankey]

if you try sand blasting the chrome off, the wheels will have a rough texture but this texture should be fairly even over the whole thing. it's just aluminum, it will sand out easily. and if your going for paint or powder you don't need to get 100% of the pitting out. just 75-80% or so. the rest of the pitting will provide a texture for the paint or PC to stick to.

if you go with chemical stripping, I believe the chrome layer will not come off evenly over the full surface. where ever the chrome stripping starts to brake through to raw aluminum, it will start to eat pits into the surface first. and continue to etch deeper as more plating comes off. so I believe the surface will have uneven surface pitting that reflects how the plating erodes away.

I would try sand blasting first on the back side and see how it looks. just a small spot. also protect the bolting surfaces for the lips and barrels.

if I wanted a brushed or polished face on those, I'd go for the sand blast. then I'd start sanding them with a DA sander at 320 grit. then maybe 600, then 1000. keep the sandpaper wet with soapy water as you go and wash the wheel face clean at each grit change. after 1000 grit I'd go to hand sanding with 1500, 2000 and 3000. I'd use a firm, but flexible bad to sand with. it will be a bitch to do inside the windows, but no pain no gain I guess.

after sanding them to a very fine grit like 2-3000, I'd make a tool like a compass that would fit in the center cap hole, and has an arm that can hold a scotch brite pad. this would allow you to scrub in the brushed lines and as I said, like a compass registered in the center cap hole, rotate the pad around the face making concentric lines on the face. some experimentation will be needed. but you can make a tool like this with some wood on a band saw. scrubbing the wheel face with scotch brite will more or less bring the surface back to about a 6-800 grit stage so if you decide you want a full mirror polish, then you'll be back to the sanding steps again.

you can also experiment with brushing patterns into the wheel face, masking off areas with masking tape and scrubbing lines in different directions. different direction lines will catch the light in different ways and could look really cool. however, this kind of work would eventually be rubbed out after multiple cleanings unless you maybe powder coat them with clear to protect the designs.

[Bullydawg]

Awesome post! Thanks! Looks like I need to find a sand blaster... Should be easier to find that someone to strip the chrome out here. I don't mind putting in the hours, I'm just really want to get going on it so I can toss them on my Typhoon so I can start working on my vision for the truck!

[Chris@fifteen52]

I had a chrome Carlsson 3/6 face chemically stripped and then had a friend polish them and they came out great. Could not tell what face was stripped.