I have a Contessa wheel here which has a clear coat on the shiny outer bit (and on the silver spokes too).
It's not acrylic or it would have fried up nice. I dunno if it's 2 pack, or what...
I tried using paint stripper, but it seemed to do bugger all.
I could probably wet sand the shiny part in the lathe with some 100 paper, or burn it with a torch, but is there a better way?

The other 4 painted wheels stripped fine but this one is obviously a special someone did (does it ring a bell, Graham in Aus?)

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Could be urethane. There are solvents for cured urethane but they'd be pretty nasty. One of those oscillator tools with a narrow sanding pad might work ok.

Sand blast?

Burning it off might poison everything that gets near it.

I don't want to abrasive blast it, that'll bugger the nice machined surface...
The wheel looks new (in fact it has no tapered washers in it, yet).

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Hey doc I had a simular problem with my wheels when I wanted to clean them up and repaint.

Mine where powder coated silver with a clear coat…….. paint stripper did sweet bugger all just softened the surface.

In the end I found one those large plastic storage containers you get from the two dollar shops worked a treat
I painted the wheel with a pile of paint stripper and left in the storage box out in the sun with he lid on for half an hour or so.
Some took two goes but it worked a treat.

Just be careful not to seal the lid down to much as it builds up gas….and be careful when taking the lid off as the gas inside does build up.

Cheers neil

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I have a mini because I'm not allowed to play with small thermo nuclear weapons any more. (bloody neighbours you’d think they would be happy that they don’t have to turn a light on when they need to take a leak in the middle of the night)

Thanks for that I'll try it.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Glass or plastic bead blast will take that paint off, and not touch the finish...if the previous tip doesn't work anyway.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Get better quality paint stripper(würth stuff is really good) and get some plastic and lay it on it. Just like sealing it in a container it will keep the heat and moisture in a bit better an make it peel of better. You just need solvent resistant plastic, like they sell at supercheap for masking.
Thats what we used to . You just need to get the plastic in contact as much as posible.. the advantage with using the plastic is that often, the paint sticks to the plastic and peels off neatly as you remove the plastic.

Be very careful sealing it in a container. Like neil said, it does build up gas and paint stripper in the face is not fun .

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Tim
Dusk Blue
1964 850

Thanks guys, I left 1st coat on overnight, couldn't find a plastic box so just hit it again with stripper this morning, 30 mins later the gurney took it all off.

Stripper I used was `Digger' in the yellow tin from Bunnies. Cheap but it works fine.
I've since stripped the other 4 wheels, they were just rattle can acrylic from last time so it came off easy.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Citristrip is known to strip powdercoat so may be worth a try.


<EDIT> Nevermind!

Another trick you could of tried Doc was , after you painted the stripper on , you could of put the rim in a black plastic garbage bag .

i just did my rocker cover,

i took it outside and left it in the sun to heat up, then hit it with the wifes easy off "bam oven cleaner,

bout 15min then gave it a little scrape with a plastic paint scraper and the bulk off it came off

might give it another go tomorrow to get the dags off

Oven cleaners, if caustic based (NaOH) are often good paint removers, But I would not
not use on alloy wheels

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" A Hundred Years From Now It will not Matter what my Bank Acount Was,
The Sort Of House I Lived in, Or The Kind Of Car I drove ... But The World May Be A Better Place
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