Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[trampintransit]

Is sand blasting too aggressive for 1940's steel spoked wheels?
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'60 Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire
'80 Reliant Scimitar
'47 Jaguar MKIV --- in bits!!!!

[peter scott]

When I first got my car on the road I had the wheels sand blasted and respoked.

This proved to be an interesting learning exercise.

1. This taught me that only heavy duty inner tubes are any good.
2. It taught me how to repair punctures by the roadside (since the frequency with which I got punctures tended to exceed one puncture per journey.)
3. It taught me that blasting sand gets into the little drain holes in the rolled edges of the wheel rims and then manages to make its way in between tyre and tube. (...and then punctures standard weight inner tubes.)

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Keith D]

I had my Austin Seven steel spoked wheels sandblasted as a prelude to powder coating back in 2006 and have had no problems at all regarding punctures. I am using motorcycle tubes and have found them trouble free. However, the Seven is obviously a very lightweight car and I only run the tyres at 20psi.

Keith
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1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[Bitumen Boy]

Look at it this way. If the wheels are past it then it's much better to find that out now through blast cleaning than having a brown trouser moment later on when one or more of them fails while out on the road.

[MikeEdwards]

Might some form of acid-based rust removal be better in terms of not leaving a load of blast media floating around for ages?

[trampintransit]

Bitumen Boy .. They are so bad I'm concerned about physical deterioration. Just thinking that sand may cause too much pitting to leave a good finish for paint, or damage the spoke threads .

Hadn't thought about Peter's issue about media being caught in the wheel

Soda blasting might be a better option.
_________________
'60 Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire
'80 Reliant Scimitar
'47 Jaguar MKIV --- in bits!!!!