Thread: ANODIZED WHEEL LIP

I came across some wheels with anodized lips .. The inner part of the lips is chrome but the edges of the lips have a bluish anodized color .. Is there anyway to make that back to chrome or does the whole lips have tobe refinished . attached are a couple pics of the wheels

seeing as how it is a 1 pc replica wheel, the entire wheel would need to be chrome dipped. you can't take the lip off to have it redone

Drain Cleaner will remove anodized color from aluminum. I'd imagine after that you'd still want to either polish or chrome the wheel. Seems like a lot of work to make those wheels normal again.

black the face and rock the lip as is > headache

If it isn't clearcoated, then easyoff oven cleaner is about the best way to strip them.

i was thinking about easy off or aircraft stripper .. but i was worried it might mess up or or dull the chrome .. I can get the anodized part brush finished for $125 more but was thinking maybe i dont need togo that route and somhow just take off the anodizing , dont understand why they would chrome the lips then anodize the outside of the wheel .

I had those wheels a long time ago. Those are some cast wheels. I wouldn't call them reps b/c there is no such Mercedes wheel, it's just very similar (face wise) to what's OEM. Anyway, the lips are stainless steel. Since it's a 1pc wheel, it wouldn't really be possible to chrome the lips. Best thing you can do is to just paint the lips.

This is actually titanium oxynitride (iridium) coating. I would use aircraft stripper on this, however you might need something a little stronger like powder coat stripper. Other strippers I've read about for TiN coatings are peroxide and muriatic acid.

Originally Posted by MEISTER

This is actually titanium oxynitride (iridium) coating. I would use aircraft stripper on this, however you might need something a little stronger like powder coat stripper. Other strippers I've read about for TiN coatings are peroxide and muriatic acid.

will it have a dull finish or still retain the shine , thanks for explaining that

Originally Posted by G-FLo

will it have a dull finish or still retain the shine , thanks for explaining that

I've never stripped this kind of coating so I can't say for sure. From past experiences with acid and harsher chemicals, it usually dulls the finish because it eats or oxides under coating.

The problem is if you use muriatic acid and it has chrome under the titanium coating, it will remove the chrome.

Personally what I would do is take it to your local chrome or coatings shop and have them do it. The chemicals I listed are difficult to expose of after you have stripped them. They could also be a potential fire hazard.

(I has a friend try and strip with diluted sulfuric acid and almost burned down his house)