Hey guys... looking to buy a set of rims this weekend. $50 for the set off a guy, they are chrome but they are rusty. (Some may have seen the thread about them earlier) ... anyway... Would this work...

I have a power washer that we use on our farm to wash the hog barns. Could I turn up the pressure and use a different tip and blast off the chrome and rust? I know this isn't sandblasting... but it is sort of the same, just water instead of sand. Has anyone tried this, or any thoughts/insights... would it hurt rims?





thanks guys

 

Don't like the rims you have? Personally I dont like the new ones as much, but to each his own. I would just have them cleaned and re-bathed in a chrome bath for a few hundred.

 

spend a few hours cleaning them up. my friend got a set and he cleaned them up and turned out to have no rust.

another option is clean them up, sell them.
clean your stocks up, sell them.

buy what you want.

 

What kind of pressure does your power washer get?

 

This should be in the wheels and tires section. It might get more hits.

 

From the looks of things what do you have to lose.

 

my bad, i guess i should have explained a little more.... Im picking these up for my winter rims... We always have some nasty salt here from the snow/ice and I've seen some friends rims get messed up, so I am putting them up for winter and will eventually use these after cleaning up repainting/powder coating... just seeing if maybe i could use a pressure washer instead of sandblasting to save some $$... then paint myself or something.


yeah... im not real sure I guess...

And yeah, I wasn't real sure what section to put this in... just wanted something that a lot of people view to get more opinions

 

I read that Caustic soda {lye} will romove the chrome. Just google it {chrome caustic soda} and read through the links.

 

What size rims are they?? they look like 15"

and you sure they're the right bolt pattern?


Wire wheel could help too

 

They guy said they are 20x8 and fit late model F150's.... which means they are the 6x135. Im going to check them out this weekend. 2 hrs away so hopefully they are correct. Guy said he just bought a dodge so doesn't have use for them anymore


... and I'll have to check out that chrome caustic soda.

 

The Soda takes some time soaking. But it works. That stuff is harsh. So~
"Don't get any on ya!"
They would have to be in very bad shape for the pressure washer to work.

 

My dad thought maybe if I used a Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner and left it on over night or soemthing then power washed it might work.... Thoughts? Insights?

if you read Easy Off Oven Cleaner caution thing that says
"Do not use on exterior oven surfaces, aluminum, chrome or baked enamel. Strong oxidizing agents or acids"

 

A friend of mine that does car lettering says, Easy off works on the one shot paint he uses for his work.
I don't know about the chrome.

 

Okay..... well I put a heavy coat on all the rims and let them sit for 24hrs.... Well, it did not work, i guess some did come off, got all the flakes off and some chrome came off the inside, but nothing from the front. It did however seem to take off the rust and cleaned them up i guess. I guess now the key is to go get them sandblasted unless someone else has another idea???

 

If you have access to an air compressor, you can get one of those cheap home sandblasting kits from flea market or northern tool and a few bags of sand and sand blast them in your driveway.