Media Blasting Question

[MosportGreen66]

Wheel Media Blasting Question:

I would like to know if media blasting a magnesium wheel is at all bad for the wheel structure? Will it damage the wheel? Create uneven surfaces or low spots that could present problems for painting? Thanks guys.

-Dan

[Belair62]

I think it depennds on the media used and the guy blasting......why blast a magnesium wheel ? Whats wrong with it ?

[resto4u]

Dan if your doing the stripper wheels, try plasic media. That should polish them. If not try walnut shells. Neither of these should harm the wheel in anyway. Roger

[Pantera]

Wheels that have a high content of Magnesium in them will oxidize easy. Water anywhere near them in storage will destroy one in a few years if you don't notice it.

The ultra lightweight Mag wheels on my Lola (17" wide by 15" dia. that weigh 5lbs) will clean up and stay in good condition when you spray them down heavy with WD-40. It will help break up the white buildup sometimes if it is not too bad and has not calicified hard.

You might waste a can on them and see if it will help before you blast them. BTY: blasting if done with light air pressure and sand media by someone that is not a dumbass should not hurt the wheel. The material is soft so move fast and use a lower air pressure and by all means protect the machined surfaces if you can.

Pantera

[All American Racer]

Mosport, plastic media will not hurt magnesium wheels in any way. I do this several times a month. The thing you must do is make sure the media is not contaminated. We keep a padlock on our blaster to make sure people don't try putting their grills and other nasty things in there. When I'm through blasting I blow off the excess dust, wash them in a alchohol bath and blow them off again. Marc

[MosportGreen66]

Thanks for the great info guys! Who said I blasting strippers ?

All American Racer -- what kind of alcohol do you reccomend and where can I get some?

[All American Racer]

Just regular old Isopropyl. It's like what your girl would have in the medicine cabinet but in a bigger bottle. We get one gallon jugs and 5 gallon containers. We then dump them out into squeeze bottles, spray bottles, or into small (12"x18") baths. It all depends on what you want to do. Where to buy the stuff in that quantity you ask. I don't know but I'll ask at work tomorrow. We use tons of it for paint preparation. It dries fast with little residue. You may want to have some of the other guys chime in about what to put on the bare magnesium once it's been blasted and cleaned. We prime and topcoat the wheels we do so that's not an issue with us. Let me know how you make out. Marc

[NCGuy68]

Good advice here.. but first, try scrubbing the wheels with Dawn dish detergent and a soft brush. Don't laugh! Dawn is highly alkaline, removes dirt, grim and is harmless to metal alloys. Members of the NCRS recommed it for use on survivor cars.

Follow-up with plastic media or walnut shell blasting only if needed. Of course, stay away from sand, glass, aluminum oxide or other aggresive methods.