Wheel Corrosion

Michael

.020 Over
Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Messages
23
Location
Branson, MO
I have received several requests for the process I used to restore my R3 wheels, which I thought were beyond help. So, I've pasted my response here to Dave, with an additional caution. When I hit the wheels with the green Scotch pad, I was astonished at the "damage" (scratches) the pad immediately created. But, I was quickly rewarded with a relatively easy shine with the Wenol. I would suggest you try this on a very bad, small spot first to see if this is the manner in which you want to restore the wheels.

[FONT='Tahoma','sans-serif']Dave, glad to hear from you! I bought this bike two years ago and take fanatic care of it! I wax it virtually EVERY time I take it out and try not to ride it when the roads have been salted. When the temperature dropped into the teens and below, I put it inside my dry shop and just gave it a glance every once and awhile during the winter. Then, when temperatures warmed up, I noticed the wheels "sweating" but felt I could simply wipe the moisture off, maybe Wenol them and I'd be OK. I couldn't believe it when both front and rear wheels had stains that simply wouldn't come out. I tried 600, 800, and 1,000 grit "wet and dry" sandpaper dry, wet (with and without Dawn), and with Wenol (similar to Semichrome), then Mequiers Metal Restorer with no luck. I used buffer wheels and loose buffing cloths, as well as hand application; two days of work with no luck. I then went to Maas polish, rubbing compounds of coarse and fine grit, and finally Turtle polishing compound. Even though the stains were not pits (you couldn't feel them with your fingernail), you could still see them after all the shining I'd done. Then, I tried the "green" ScotchBrite pad with only clear water. This immediately BADLY scratched the aluminum, but removed the stains quickly - probably because it was so abrasive to the finish. Then, I followed it up with Wenol hand applied - and the wheels now look better than new. So - lots of work, but better than buying a new wheel - $765 through Bike Bandit! Hope this works for you! If you're ever through Southwest Missouri, let me know!! Mike[/FONT]
 
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