Picked up a couple of hard to find parts recently

[Carl Beck]

It looked originally like the centers were painted - Yes/No? ... are you going to let them age to the dark gray, rather than paint them again?  Looks like you bead blasted them...if so it will take a lot of very fine wet sanding, then a lot of polishing to get the rim lips gleaming again. Have Gibbs Gun Oil on hand? How about NuVite's  NuShine IIC, NuShine IIA and NuShine IIS - absolutely the BEST for Mags's.  1/4lb jar is $25.00 and worth every penny.. C, A and S are progressively finer ...

https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Default.asp

[JLPurcell]

17 minutes ago, Carl Beck said:

It looked originally like the centers were painted - Yes/No? ... are you going to let them age to the dark gray, rather than paint them again?  Looks like you bead blasted them...if so it will take a lot of very fine wet sanding, then a lot of polishing to get the rim lips gleaming again. Have Gibbs Gun Oil on hand? How about NuVite's  NuShine IIC, NuShine IIA and NuShine IIS - absolutely the BEST for Mags's.  1/4lb jar is $25.00 and worth every penny.. C, A and S are progressively finer ...

https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Default.asp

Carl, I do plan to polish the outer rim area. Have not decided on the paint or natural on the rest. I like the dark natural patina. Opinion? How long does it take for the natural patina? How hard is it to keep consistent? Thanks in advance Carl.

 

[Carl Beck]

22 minutes ago, JLPurcell said:

Carl, I do plan to polish the outer rim area. Have not decided on the paint or natural on the rest. I like the dark natural patina. Opinion? How long does it take for the natural patina? How hard is it to keep consistent? Thanks in advance Carl.

 

As I recall it took three to four months for the patina to turn light gray, and another three to four to get dark Gray. That was before I started using the Gibbs Gun Oil, I believe that using it they will gray out faster.  Keeping the centers uniform is a snap - just coat them with the Gibbs. It is keeping the outer lips shinny that is the PIA - they dull out if not polished every 4 months. Also you don't want to get any water on them as they water spot easily. Some guys used WD-40 on the lips after they were polished, to help avoid water spots.    In my garage here in Florida - the aluminum Libre's will stay bright and shinny for a year, where the Le Mans will look dull within 3 to 4 months and utterly flat in 5 months.

[JLPurcell]

3 minutes ago, Carl Beck said:

As I recall it took three to four months for the patina to turn light gray, and another three to four to get dark Gray. That was before I started using the Gibbs Gun Oil, I believe that using it they will gray out faster.  Keeping the centers uniform is a snap - just coat them with the Gibbs. It is keeping the outer lips shinny that is the PIA - they dull out if not polished every 4 months. Also you don't want to get any water on them as they water spot easily. Some guys used WD-40 on the lips after they were polished, to help avoid water spots.    In my garage here in Florida - the aluminum Libre's will stay bright and shinny for a year, where the Le Mans will look dull within 3 to 4 months and utterly flat in 5 months.

Thanks Carl. I painted my original set with dk gray IMRON, no longer legal, then polished the lip by putting it on the car on stands and idling the engine, sometime just have to make due. ?

[Patcon]

Can you not coat them with a clear coat to prevent them from dulling out on the lip?

[JLPurcell]

13 hours ago, Carl Beck said:

As I recall it took three to four months for the patina to turn light gray, and another three to four to get dark Gray. That was before I started using the Gibbs Gun Oil, I believe that using it they will gray out faster.  Keeping the centers uniform is a snap - just coat them with the Gibbs. It is keeping the outer lips shinny that is the PIA - they dull out if not polished every 4 months. Also you don't want to get any water on them as they water spot easily. Some guys used WD-40 on the lips after they were polished, to help avoid water spots.    In my garage here in Florida - the aluminum Libre's will stay bright and shinny for a year, where the Le Mans will look dull within 3 to 4 months and utterly flat in 5 months.

Carl, Gibbs has a number of lubricants, is this the one? 

 

[Carl Beck]

20 minutes ago, JLPurcell said:

Carl, Gibbs has a number of lubricants, is this the one? 

Yes, that is it.  Years ago it was actually marketed/labeled through Gun Dealers etc as Gibbs Gun Oil.

[Carl Beck]

23 hours ago, Patcon said:

Can you not coat them with a clear coat to prevent them from dulling out on the lip?

 

Yes they can be clear coated and a few guys have done that. I chose not to go that route for fear of any clear coatings having problems with long term adhesion, clear coat cracking issues and or just physical damage. In which case it would have to be stripped off and I wasn’t sure that could be done without damage to the wheels. That decision was made however before I knew how many hours of constant polishing would be required to keep them “old school”…

 

One friend solved the problem by having two complete sets of tires/wheels. For show he uses the original LeMans wheels - but after the show he puts them in "Space Bags” which are drawn down into a partial vacuum and stored. Replaced with aluminum racing wheels for actual road/track use and just storage of the car.

 

Magnesium wheels polished to a high luster are really beautiful - they look like polished nickel. I have to admit that as much as I complain about the necessary time and effort - I do actually love seeing the results of that effort materialize before my eyes. So I guess the cost of beauty in this case is time and effort.  I just think everyone should know going in - the cost of owning and maintaining 50 year old magnesium wheels is far more than their initial purchase price. 

 

[JLPurcell]

44 minutes ago, Carl Beck said:

 

Yes they can be clear coated and a few guys have done that. I chose not to go that route for fear of any clear coatings having problems with long term adhesion, clear coat cracking issues and or just physical damage. In which case it would have to be stripped off and I wasn’t sure that could be done without damage to the wheels. That decision was made however before I knew how many hours of constant polishing would be required to keep them “old school”…

 

One friend solved the problem by having two complete sets of tires/wheels. For show he uses the original LeMans wheels - but after the show he puts them in "Space Bags” which are drawn down into a partial vacuum and stored. Replaced with aluminum racing wheels for actual road/track use and just storage of the car.

 

Magnesium wheels polished to a high luster are really beautiful - they look like polished nickel. I have to admit that as much as I complain about the necessary time and effort - I do actually love seeing the results of that effort materialize before my eyes. So I guess the cost of beauty in this case is time and effort.  I just think everyone should know going in - the cost of owning and maintaining 50 year old magnesium wheels is far more than their initial purchase price. 

 

I have ordered the Gibbs oil and am going old school. I have all four wheels stripped and three bead blasted. Next will be the polishing of the outer rim then Gibbs oil. Thanks Carl. JLP

[Guest gnosez]

Nice wheels. Not sure if you plan on tracking this wonderful restoration but most organizations won't allow magnesium wheels anymore. 

[JLPurcell]

7 minutes ago, Guest gnosez said:

Nice wheels. Not sure if you plan on tracking this wonderful restoration but most organizations won't allow magnesium wheels anymore. 

As A career firefighter, I understand why! I would have to bring my own Class D extinguisher. These are for nostalgic reasons and will show great on my street car. Thanks. JLP 

[JLPurcell]

Hard days work. Excited to get the outer rims polished and the Gibbs Oil on them and watch them become naturally beautiful!