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Technical & Reference Section => Tech and Restoration => Topic started by: oldschoolace on March 18, 2012, 07:01 PM

Title: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (final results 23rd)
Post by: oldschoolace on March 18, 2012, 07:01 PM
Ok just got what i think is a decent quote for aqua/vapour blasting at 20 quid a wheel.
Anyone else had this done and what did it cost?

Cheers all  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: griff on March 18, 2012, 07:32 PM
ask sid1972 - he had some very mucky white skyways that came up mint  :daumenhoch:

check this thread out
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=130061.0
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 18, 2012, 07:42 PM
Cheers fella will drop him a line  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: BENDYCAT ELEVENTEEN on March 18, 2012, 08:08 PM
don't tell discostu about that price  ???
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: Discostu on March 18, 2012, 08:16 PM
I've seen it. That's a bargain. My pair cost me £100. But took the bloke 2 hours to do. They did come out minty mint mind and were original to the bike so had to be done.  :daumenhoch:

(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x398/rad-discostu/1989%20pk%20ripper/055.jpg)
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x398/rad-discostu/1989%20pk%20ripper/061.jpg)
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: punkdSICO on March 18, 2012, 08:19 PM
discostu - they are whiter then the pair of new Skyways I recently bought!!  Lovely!!

Paul
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: Discostu on March 18, 2012, 08:26 PM
Yeah no complaints. I sat there watching the guy do them and chatting to him. It was really interesting to see the transformation. Stuff like this fascinates me. So well worth the money for a good job and good evening learning something.  :daumenhoch: :4_17_5:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 18, 2012, 08:31 PM
Will keep everyone posted how i get on. Had no idea on costs but thought 20 quid seemed cheap  :daumenhoch:

If all goes to plan i will stick the company details up in this thread
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: mattfx81 on March 18, 2012, 08:44 PM
Have a look at soda blasting as well, its less destructive than most media blasting methods and similar to vapour blasting where as it doesnt penetrate as hard into the surface.
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: ED209 on March 18, 2012, 08:51 PM
I gave mine to Han Solo for a good blasting... fookin mistake that was  ::)

(http://www.myrpgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Han-Solo.jpg)
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 18, 2012, 08:54 PM
 :2funny: :2funny: :2funny:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: superbikedan on March 18, 2012, 09:18 PM
i've used every stripper you can imagine, even some of the saucy old tarts from my club days ;)

but last week i sent a motor bike wheel off to a engine workshop be stripped and it came back amazing, really

clean and ready to paint, the guy told me he used a head cleaner/ stripper for any crap on the head, price was

£20, tomorrow morning i'm going to call him to find out what he used, it's deffo a liquid and he stripped it in a

small tank :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: BENDYCAT ELEVENTEEN on March 18, 2012, 09:24 PM
Yeah no complaints. I sat there watching the guy do them and chatting to him. It was really interesting to see the transformation. Stuff like this fascinates me. So well worth the money for a good job and good evening learning something.  :daumenhoch: :4_17_5:

You would find a dog pooing fascinating  ???


would be cool if we could find a cheap way other than razor and sandpaper/wet n' dry
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: Discostu on March 18, 2012, 09:28 PM
Shut it triggercat!!!  :knuppel2: :knuppel2:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 19, 2012, 11:33 PM
Hey Discostu, i'm probably going over to the blasters later this week. Can i ask, did your guy use any abrasive in with the water or just pure water?  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: Discostu on March 19, 2012, 11:38 PM
Water mixed with a fine powder. So fine it looks like dust.  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 19, 2012, 11:43 PM
Magic  :daumenhoch: do you know if it was glass powder. My guy said he will try both with and without but the thought of glass makes me nervous  :-\
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: Discostu on March 20, 2012, 12:03 AM
i think it was the finest grade of glass powder. :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 20, 2012, 12:06 AM
Nice one, just the info i needed. Pint on me if you are at radchester or MK this year  :4_17_5:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: Spen69 on March 20, 2012, 08:20 AM
Did you get a response off Sid? He used Metal Magic in Barnsley just off the M1 if I recall?
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 20, 2012, 10:21 AM
Did you get a response off Sid? He used Metal Magic in Barnsley just off the M1 if I recall?

No word from him but thanks for posting the company. Found a place even closer to me so am going to try them first before the place at 20 quid a wheel  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels
Post by: oldschoolace on March 20, 2012, 05:06 PM
Just back from the local vapour blasters  :shocked:

Great bloke and 15 quid a wheel  :daumenhoch:

Had a good chat with him and he recons he can clean up rubber and plastic as well as the usual metal stuff. Their machine is the bollocks and they have been doing it for 20 years.

Could be ace for tidying up nos grips and tyres with stains and marks  :daumenhoch:

Going back on friday to pick up the mags then will post some pics
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (interesting update!!! 20th)
Post by: brummie on March 20, 2012, 05:32 PM
cool :)
defo gonna give em a blast
have you a likn to them?
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (interesting update!!! 20th)
Post by: oldschoolace on March 20, 2012, 06:14 PM
cool :)
defo gonna give em a blast
have you a likn to them?

Sounds daft but they dont have a website. They are called J Percival metal fabrication and are in stockport

I mentioned to the guy there that other radsters may be interested in the vapour blasting and he was fine with it . I would hold off contacting them until i can report back on the finish though :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (interesting update!!! 20th)
Post by: griff on March 21, 2012, 09:20 PM
15 quid a wheel...

Stu, exactly what did that guy who did your wheels teach you?
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (sneak preview 22nd)
Post by: oldschoolace on March 22, 2012, 09:08 PM
Got a call today the mags are done  :D

Picking them up tomorrow hopefully. The nice bloke there sent me this before and after pic  :daumenhoch:

(http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/543673_190605721051299_114447845333754_287412_2007255042_n.jpg)
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/485732_190606284384576_114447845333754_287416_534673766_n.jpg)

The wooden discs are there to protect the chromed hubs.
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (sneak preview 22nd)
Post by: energiza on March 22, 2012, 10:20 PM
 :daumenhoch: looks pukka to me..worth every penny i say
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (final results 23rd)
Post by: animal on March 23, 2012, 04:05 PM
Will this work on other colours ?
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (final results 23rd)
Post by: oldschoolace on March 23, 2012, 04:09 PM
Well i'm just back from the vapour blasters and am well happy. Best 30 quid i have spent in a while.  :4_17_5:
The mags are naturally a vanilla white so i wasn't expecting a Hollywood smile from them but they have come up a treat

What has impressed me most is that it has all but eradicated the mockled dirty marbling effect that most old mags have. (like its embedded in the plastic rather than sat on top)

I didnt do any prep for the mags, no bleach, scrubbing or even removing of brake rub. I wanted to see what the blasting was capable of
 (and what it could save me in man hours  ;) )

The plywood disc masking worked like a charm so no lengthy polishing of hubs for me  :daumenhoch:

The bloke there was great and quite happy to listen to me waffle on about old bikes. Turns out he has a chrome burner, probably a team burner with black skyways tucked away in his dads shed ;)

He said he would entertain peeps posting stuff to him but he would need really good images of the job beforehand in case the job would take longer than expected but 15 quid a wheel would be a base price  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (final results 23rd)
Post by: oldschoolace on March 23, 2012, 04:12 PM
Will this work on other colours ?

Dunno. I guess if they are faded then no amount of blasting will restore the colour but it will certainly clean surface crap off  :daumenhoch:

I have some yellow alloy hubbed skyways that are a little faded and mucky, may give them a go  ;)
Title: Re: Aqua/vapour blasting mag wheels (final results 23rd)
Post by: kalex on March 23, 2012, 07:11 PM
i would have presumed that if only water there being blasted with it wouldn't bring back faded mags, but as they use a fine powder with the high pressure water i wouldn't be surprised if they did bring faded mags back to a good colour as only a very thin outer layer would need to be removed.
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