Getting rims powder coated

33IMP said

I talked with Leanna about powder coating some old five spoke aluminum wheels i have, and she flat-out wont do used aluminum wheels (new, never mounted, that's different. )
How she explained it, she can get used steel wheels clean enough to powder coat, but old aluminum wheels absorb soaps, other stuff (i forgot exactly what she mentioned) and tire dressing that she cant get out of the aluminum, without using a mega-expensive, mega-toxic cleaning agent, that she refuses to use.
I can't say i blame her.

Click to expand...

It isn't soap. It's the silicone in Armor All and tire wet products that leach into the porous aluminum/alloy over time that no amount of "traditional" metal prep or hours of outgassing can remove. It will make them look shiny in some places while matte or dull in others, and in extreme cases can result in physical bumps you can see up close and feel. They'll look all right from ten or twenty feet ... but that's not good enough to meet my rigorous quality control standards. If I'M not happy with my own results, there's no way in Hell I expect you to be happy either.

Used aluminum wheels are one of very few things I will not try to restore. You're better off time and money-wise just buying new ones.