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I have read articles on how to paint wheels, and I'm currently in the process of doing it myself. I was wondering if sanding them prior to painting was more beneficial than scuffing the surface like some articles say.

I am starting with 100 grit to get the old paint off, then 220 grit to smooth it all out before painting. I have a 320 grit wetsand which is very smooth to use in between coats, but I didn't know if this was necessary or does the paint turn out perfect without sanding in between.

Here is a picture after the 100 grit, it takes a long time to get in the crevices!!

I just sanded mine with some medium grit sand paper, dont remember the exact number. Dont over do it though, unless you plan on priming the hell out of it!

your planning to use 320 in between coats? you should be using 800 or up for in between coats.. jut to kill the imperfections... also before you start painting.. you should work your way up to about 800 grit on the wheel..

The 320 wetsand paper is very smooth though, which is weird and on the label says "for use between coats to remove particles"

Im in the process of painting my snowflakes, and I am going to have to sand my wheels down due to the fact that the finish they put over the aluminum is flaking and peeling off in spots, damn canadian winters and road salt. Royal pain the ass. Lol i pulled a huge chunk of the finish off a spot yesterday and you can see light right through it.

So I finished the wheels yesterday, and I'm very happy. When I run my fingers over them though, I get black residue on my hand, is this normal? I didn't use clear coat because I like the flat finish. If I let them sit longer, will the paint stop rubbing off? Thanks

After you wash them a few times they should be good, nothing to worry about.

Yeah, it's just overspray dust.

Alright cool, now I just have to make sure when I get the tires put on the rims that they don't scratch up the rim at all.

OB wrote:After you wash them a few times they should be good, nothing to worry about.

so u used wetsanded 350 grit? i painted just my spokes.. came out good. just a rought to the touch. so should i wetsand them with 350?? or higher grit?

Here are some pics of the almost finished product, I just want to sand out a few minor bubbles in a couple of the rims, and do one last even coat. I'm very satisfied with the results so far.

Looks really nice. I like it a lot!

Yes it does look nice, actually. I want my glossed but that should be easy. So no primer, just the paint?

Ya I didn't do any primer, just sanded it down to get it nice and smooth before painting.