Trogdor636 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 What are my best options for cleaning these wheels? I've used a couple different "rim cleaners" and put some elbow grease into it, and they still look like this. I plan on painting them black so I am sure I could put a little sanding wheel on my dremel and sand it off, but I'd prefer to get something that just cleans. Thanks for any tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 if your painting them anyway, sanding is part of proper prep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) Probably a phosphoric/sulfuric acid mix will work, but perhaps a little nasty to deal with... likely a good idea to remove the tires first I'm assuming there's a less drastic option. Edited October 22, 2011 by sewebster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 if your painting them anyway, sanding is part of proper prep I think part of my reason for painting them was I'm not sure if they can be cleaned. Plus, I'm not completely sold on painting them black because my Pathy is black. And I was gonna go along the lines of scuffing them up, I didnt want to full on sand them, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Presumably that "dirt" that you can't scrub off is some kind of oxide layer. As long as THAT is "clean" and prepped paint will likely stick. What it looks like doesn't matter before you paint, just that the paint stays on. Might be easier to just paint them and hope for the best... if it doesn't work then deal with it and paint them again... shrug? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 Presumably that "dirt" that you can't scrub off is some kind of oxide layer. As long as THAT is "clean" and prepped paint will likely stick. What it looks like doesn't matter before you paint, just that the paint stays on. Might be easier to just paint them and hope for the best... if it doesn't work then deal with it and paint them again... shrug? I think your right that they are oxidized, but I was unsure on painting them with it still there. I might just give it a shot like you suggest and hope for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I dunno, mine look the same way. IIRC my dad said it had something to do with the stuff the DOT here uses instead of road salt. I haven't tried to do much about it, though. If rim cleaner doesn't budge it, it's probably solid enough for paint. Hit it with some aluminum primer, then paint it, and let us know if it holds up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 It's not the road salt it's what the brake dust does to the wheels. On my legos only 2 of them are like that, the front 2 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) Did you try straight simple green? Or that purple power cleaner that Orielly sells? I used the purple stuff to clean aluminum heads and it got everything off. I agree with adamzan, we never get anything put on our roads and my Lego's look like that too. It hasn't bothered me much though because mine usually stay covered in mud. James Edited October 23, 2011 by JamesRich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Can always try calling your grandfather and seeing if he has a bottle of the old (good/actually worked) Naval Jelly too... that stuff is great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) I agree the brown spots that are left behind after cleaning are the result of letting the brake dust remain on the wheels for a long time, after a while it won't come off as it gets embedded into the surface. When I bought my 94 PF from my buddy the wheels were like that as all he ever did was put gas in it and drive it, he never does/did any cleaning or preventative maintenance. After I bought it I think I used some wheel cleaner I had lying around, no idea what brand it was and I probably used some purple power also, I did use a toothbrush to get in all the hard to reach places, most of the brake dust did come off but if the wheels were neglected there will be areas that will not come clean. I'm sure you have all seen my pics where I re-painted the center caps, using the wheel cleaner with the toothbrush and a razor blade to scrape off all the old paint. The color I used was like aluminum or something I think and they may not match the stock wheel color but they look pretty close. after cleaning with painted center cap: If you are considering painting the wheels why not just prep them and paint them the same color since you said you may not want to paint them black as the truck is black. I think the way the lego wheels lool with all the nooks and cranny's are part of the reason I bought new wheels when I lifted my old hardbody, ease of cleaning plus needed a wider wheel for the larger tires. Edited October 23, 2011 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 What are my best options for cleaning these wheels? I've used a couple different "rim cleaners" and put some elbow grease into it, and they still look like this. I plan on painting them black so I am sure I could put a little sanding wheel on my dremel and sand it off, but I'd prefer to get something that just cleans. Thanks for any tips. after cleaning with painted center cap: CLOSE ENOUGH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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