As a part of my build, I'm painting the wheels on my CB650. Since they are chrome, I started by immersing them in hydrocholoric acid for a minute to remove the chromium. Next I was going to put an acid etching primer on what would now be the nickel plating and then epoxy them black, bake it in and call it good. I went to clean them after the acid bath and my pressure washer started taking out large chips of the remaining nickel/copper plating. Now it's about 30% covered and 70% bare metal. Sanding doesn't do much. Sandblasting, surprisingly, doesn't do much. The acid has done what it can. My biggest concern is the wheels don't have a smooth finish because of the remaining plating that's still there... it's noticeable.
Any ideas?
This is my first CB project. I'm a dirt bike guy, and I don't even ride street bikes anymore, but I'm having a great time. I rebuilt the carbs (jetted/pods), patched and painted the plastic covers on each side (I decided to keep them on), and I'm doing the top end rebuild now. It'll get new handlebars, mirrors, accessory/light switches, rear light, blinkers, fork seals, stator coil, chain... going all black including wheels, most of the engine, frame, gas tank, etc. Typically header pipes wrapped in black wrap into glass packs. While the engine was apart I'm doing rings, valve seals, and a decent port/polish job. Super cheap build, I'll be in around $1750 total.
