I have a front carbon rim with a glossy finish that I would like to remove to match a matte finished rear. Can the rim be wet sanded with steel wool or other abrasive to remove the glossy clear coat. Does it need a matte clear coat afterwards to protect them, if so, what kind of product.
thanks in advance for any help
Barry
Don’t quote me on this, but I’d be v. surprised if wet sanding the glossy finish off had a structural effect.
EDIT: If you sand the finish off you’ll be voiding your warranty, so if the rim does fail for an independent reason then you’ll struggle to get any support.
Like in the automotive industry, the clear coat finish serves as a protective layer to prevent chemical and UV degradation from the underlying plastic substrate. I would not recommend sanding it off without researching an alternative matte clear coat. You can probably take the rim into any body shop and somebody there can advise you on product and equipment.
I would mask off the brake track and hit it with a satin (not matte usually thicker) clear. Sanding a perfect non glossy finish would be extremely difficult.
I would mask off the brake track and hit it with a satin (not matte usually thicker) clear. Sanding a perfect non glossy finish would be extremely difficult.
+1, not a big project and you’re not adding any measurable amount of weight to it. Actually, prior to doing this you could wet-sand it to make it stick better. NOT with steel wool, though. Wet sand with proper wet sandpaper. I dunno, anything over 300 grit should do the trick. Too high and your just polishing it again.
If you wet sand the clear coat you will remove VERY little IMO and it does leave a pretty nice matte finish. I’ve done this with a carbon saddle.
If you have unidirectional carbon the residue may get into some of the voids and be difficult to remove and be a white powder in the voids.
I air brush all kinds of fun stuff. I’ve never done wheels, but I’ve done carbon fiber before. It depends on the layup of the carbon, I’d imagine a tighter layup on rims. So you shouldn’t NEED a clear, but I’d strongly recommend a clear coat. Automotive grade clear coats come in cans like spray paint now a days. You pop a button on the bottom of the can, and you have a 24 hr open time on the can. (Time to use it) I never go lower than a satin on anything exterior. Prep it first by sanding with Emory cloth. (Wet sand spacific sanding paper, usually the black stuff.) I’d go for 400 or higher grit. Clean it with degrees er REALLY WELL. you don’t want fish eyes or bubbles on it! 2 good cord of clear is all you need. 2 coats won’t add any weight, and will cover you just as well as the factory finish.
For frames, I’d do alot more than 2 coats. OR, take it to a body shop, and they’ll knock it out in 15 minutes… (+2 days dry time. …)
Hope that rambling helps!