I'm going to powder coat the wheels on my golf over the Christmas break. Does anyone know if those would be paint, or powder coat (99 golf, stock 16" wheels)? If its paint I suppose I'll get aircraft stripper and have at it, then media blast the stubborn bits. Anyone ever stripped powder coat? When I'm stripping, do you want pics
I did every bit of the Radical (aside from the chassis) last winter. Control arms, hubs, sway bars, brackets, links - maybe 30 parts total.
Here's what I arrived at after a little experimentation:
Wipe the part down w/ lacquer thinner and burgundy Scotchbrite. "Opening" the surface helps a lot.
Start w/ a fresh can of aircraft stripper - the methylene chloride is very, very volatile and it will have evaporated to some extent from an older can. And shake the can very well - it striates and settles over time and the good stuff is in the bottom.
Get a bunch of cheap chip brushes and polyethylene take-out cups. Put about a cup of aircraft stripper at a time in a cup and daub as thick a coat as possible on the part. Then wrap it in polyethylene sheet, glad bags, or grocery bags.
The coating should be well bubbled up after 30 minutes. Unwrap and while wearing thick rubber gloves, full sleeves and wrap around eye protection (and lots of fresh air) scrape off the loose coating w/ the variety of putty and drywall knives and odd sharp bits of metal you'll have amassed in the process.
Repeat.
at this point I'd run everything under a fairly fine 8" wire wheel in a 1/2hp pedestal grinder 'til it was spotless, wipe with lacquer thinner, and lightly bead blast so the new PC would have excellent adhesion.
It wasn't too hateful a job, and the powdercoat shop said the parts were a dream to work with.
A handy should be worth at least a five spot.
I stripped a set using Jasco gel stripper. Worked pretty well. Spray-on "aircraft stripper" with a little airplane on the can was useless.
Definitely use the gloves.
Powdercoat can be removed with a Methylene Chloride based stripper as well. It is the miracle solvent for stripping.
The paint on OEM VW wheels is some sort of baked on epoxy. Tough as nails. Chemical is your best bet. Sandblasting is almost useless on it. Anything other than very coarse traction sand just burned the surface.
This stuff is cheap and at every hardware store. It will do the trick.
I came into a mini drum of pure Methylene Chloride through work once. I just dunked wheels in it and came back an hour later and was able to shake off most of the finish. What was left was easily removed with compressed air. Even tightly sealed it only lasted a few weeks. Super volatile stuff.
Thanks folks. I figured the Germans used something other than paint so I'm glad ditchdigger chimed in, and thanks for the step-by-step moto. And I concur with Keith, I used some of the stuff with the airplane on it a few years back. It seems to be just thick brake clean haha.
N Sperlo wrote: A handy should be worth at least a five spot.
and you touch them- they aren't allowed to touch you.
Whatever you do, if you use methylene choloride get black neoprene rubber gloves, black ones from HD for 5$ a pair. Bad ass solvent will go through rubber gloves like nothing, if you start itching it you are getting exposure.
Whatever you use, don't get any on your hootus.
I would say pick a good song, make eye contact and have fun with it!
Whitesnake is a good choice.
I knew I could count on you jerks to derail a perfectly innocent thread with jokes.
Also, be sure to tell your driver to stick around in case the crowd gets out of hand.
You'll need a stage name too..
Secretia sounds pretty good.
Maybe Sinnamon?
In reply to Trans_Maro:
Good idea. Working "sin" into the name lets people know you're a pro. I used to do some work for a young man who would go by the name "Syndi". Swapping the "y"s and "I"s makes it even hotter. He/she would dance to Stryper and wore a wild yellow and black striped costume.
With a bit of creativity and some hard work you could make some big money. Good luck in your endeavor.
Trans_Maro wrote: You'll need a stage name too.. Secretia sounds pretty good. Maybe $innamon?
FTFY
Wally wrote: Whitesnake is a good choice.
Motley Crue- Girls Girls Girls
or really screw with them and throw on some old Waylon or something like that..
novaderrik wrote:Wally wrote: Whitesnake is a good choice.Motley Crue- Girls Girls Girls or really screw with them and throw on some old Waylon or something like that..
Led Zep--Kashmir.
...although the hottest stripper I've ever witnessed (back in the perpetual bachelor party days) came out to Gary Wright "My Heart Is On Fire" and it forever altered my perception/appreciation of that song. 
novaderrik wrote:Wally wrote: Whitesnake is a good choice.Motley Crue- Girls Girls Girls or really screw with them and throw on some old Waylon or something like that..
Booty clappin to old man river....
Chatted up a stripper in WVa.
Her stage name was Eave.
Eave??
She did home improvement during the day
troof
cherry pie - warrant
ttiwwop
Ping pong balls.
Just make sure to not reveal too much too quickly, you don't want them to think you're that much of a whore....
"Brass in Pocket"
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