See photo of back-side cleaning with course sand.
Until the next report,
Sam

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Walnut blast lead to a CH-47C helicopter crash in Germany in about 1983 - clogged coolant or oil lines during major maintenance. Whole bunch of paratroopers died. I refuse to use walnuts because of it.

Check the link (pretty revealing pictures):
http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/history/aircraft/C_Models/74-22292/74-22292.html

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Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

I don't see much correlation between a chinook transmission and mercedes wheels. I think you'd be safe using walnut on the wheels.

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1983 300SD

Yikes, maybe viewing that photo on my laptop makes it appear even more so, but that seems to be a little too coarse, even for the back side. I don't know Sam, I don't think I would even consider using the coarse sand on the front. That appears to me like it would take considerable filling and cause possibly nearly irreversible pitting. Maybe walnut shells are slower but I would think they would save time in the long run by having to apply fewer coats.

(I'm not a paint pro but I would hate to see you end up with irreversible damage.)

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I would advise caution using any abrasive method on alloy wheels. The risk of damaging the smooth metal surface is too great.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Sorry if I unintentionally misled you… I never intended to use the course grit sand on the finished front side of these alloy wheels… but where I used the course on the back side I see no problem for I probably will not even paint this area… for I don’t think they were painted when they were made… only the finished outside surfaces that you see. IF I do try the very fine “ 0/30 ” grit sand on the outside, I will do so in a small area initially and then examine the surfaces very closely under a magnifying glass to compare the a walnut shell blasted area to the fine sand blasted area. I hope to do this over the W.E. and will report back the results… and maybe even have photo(s) if anything is visible to the camera and/or comes through to you on our [65K] low resolution limitated files we can POST on this FORUM.

I'm also trying to figure out how to contain the blast grit for it really flies all over the place. I just spent an hour sweeping the driveway and street! Maybe I can put the wheel down in the bottom of a large enough trash/garbage can and blast away... I canNOT even imagine what it would be like without the water spray to keep down the really fine dust that would be generated... using a respirator etc!!!

Regards,
Sam

Walnuts are evil! :fork_off:

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Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

AH! That's a different story entirely then

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1983 300SD

and I have seen what making war and loosing friends in battle can do to a man. And I can understand the same thing happening when so many are lost at one time [even if its a peacetime aviation accident caused by a poor maintenance procedure using walnut shells].

Let's just write off this seemingly out-of-place comment... let's write it off for what I see it to be... an emotional flashback response triggered by my innocent reference to the walnut shells… and to the loss of so many friends and/or fellow soldiers at a German air show a long time ago. There is obvious paint still there.

Please, I ask that we not continue making light of this incident.

Thanks for your understanding,
Sam

Don't buy from **************.com-- Dude sold you Wal*Mart products-- I recommend you go to Wal*Mart and get the matching clearcoat. I bought a set of this clowns valve adjusting wrenches and, well... It must be nice to buy 5 dollar wrenches and sell them for 65. Dude even Made them to order-- I had to wait 3 weeks for him to make the durn things. They're for sale if any of you want them-- I bought real ones instead.

I bought a single bundt wheel from a U-Pull-It yard, sandblasted it with playground sand from Home-Depot and used the exact products you are going to use on yours. The wheels are not pretty as compared to the classic white/chrome hubbie caps my car originally had, so I decided to keep that look instead. This paint is very 'fake' looking to me, it looks less like an aluminum wheel and more like a cheap Asian "aluminum" computer case. If you already have the bundts, It'll most likely help clean up the look, but it didn't look terribly factory to me.

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Q - Did you compare your "playground sand" to construction grade "fine" or "0/30" grade sand?

I already know that the size of the sand "grit" makes a BIG difference... and it sounds like you probably used a very course sand much the same as what I used to clean the back side of my 1st two wheels. Obviously how well the blasting comes out for the front sides is really what counts... and I will blast and finish the front sides of all four wheels on the 1980 300D will be done the same way.

Yes, I also found the same paint products as in my wheel paint kit... along with clear coat that was from that same product line and thus it should be compatible... this was at Kragens auto parts stores here in CA.

Thanks for your input... "Dude"!
Sam

I notice no difference on the wheel after having sandblasted it and then painting-- apart from the runs, they look like painted steel wheels with a shape instead of ones that are supposed to go behind hubcaps.

So I understand this more clearly-- It matters what kind of sand you use?!? What is the difference whenever the paint fills in the impefections and levels itself? What about a fender? If I sandblast it, prime, wetsand, prime, wetsand, prime, wetsand and then spray it with color, how will the blasting media really matter?

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I think I understand your point and yes if you are prepared to apply multiple coats of primer with “wetsanding” after each [usually with a very fine grit]… yes theoretically this would all but negate any precaution as to the grit you prepare the wheels with! But I for one am not prepared to go to such lengths. Before I would do that, I would just fork over the $250 to my local refinisher and let him do a professional job on my four wheels. If I only had one set of these wheels to consider I probably would do just that, but I have two sets now and very likely another set coming later.

This DIYer wants to ideally:
(1) Blast once, (2) Prime once, (3) minimal to no wetsanding or such hand work, (4) 1 to 2 coats of the paint from an aerosol can, and (5) 1 or 2 coats of clear seal. And of course I want the end result NOT look amateurish. Keep in mind that most of these cars are going to remain as working cars, not show cars. I don't want the finish on my wheels to shatter like cheap makeup on a brothel employee the first time my lug wrench slips and strikes the wheel. " Practical and value " are key to my plan.
Regards,
Sam

On my laptop, it probably appears worse. I need to refinish my wheels also so this is a great thread!

Also, you should just do it in the yard. The sand will not hurt anything there and if you have a lot of clay, like we do here, it can be beneficial. Rake it out a little if you have larger mounds and a sprinkler makes it look new.

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

Sounds like you need to track down matching hubcaps and steelies! Painted rims will NEVER be practical so long as you use the automobile on roads in the real world.

It just doesn't make any sense for Mercedes to have used a painted wheel-- are they alloy or styled-steel? Why does the paint peel so readily from them(most all I've seen have been peeling) but not the sheet metal?

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