cocoabeachcrab 

first of all, let me state that this is not "me" asking this question... it's my fingers who have taken over my body because they are rebelling against the upcoming rim cleaning project on the docket for today on a built up set of wheels for a late 50's Frejus project. i have everything lined up... mothers aluminum polish, even a set of california custom deoxidizer and step 2 purple metal polish, a new package of fine brass wool, a pile of choice rags from my sacrificed and favorite nantucket hoodie that my wife finally ordered to be condemned as not being fit to wear in public any longer (i'm still in morning over this unfeeling bit of lack of empathy from a person who i thought loved me unconditionally).. but despite my brains acceptance of the pain to come, my fingers who still remember the last wheel job i forced them to do have taken over and (in cooperation with my legs and feet), marched me to my keyboard to ask the community if by some miracle a new spray on and rinse off product has been released to long suffering C&V world that might spare the aforementioned and mutinous fingers the ordeal that awaits them.

FBOATSB

I hear you. My fingers are getting pretty bad with arthritis. Old toothbrushes work for me for the cleaning then wrap polishing cloths around the toothbrush for polishing. Condolences for your hoodie

cocoabeachcrab 

tooth brush ... didn't think of that one. thanks!

RustyJames 

I have car wheel brush thingies that look like oversized Q-tips that would work for cleaning. My preferred cleaning solution is dish soap and H2O. As a bonus, you can get your favorite scent!

The deceased hoodie and acetone would also work.

Years ago I was mental about keeping my car clean and tried many spray-on/hose-off cleaners for wheels and none of them worked as advertised.

SJX426 

Just did a pair of NISI NOS rims that were hanging around for a long time before I picked them up. Clearly hung as one "side" had experience more corrosion that the rest of the rim. Not really bad. My mistake was lacing them up before cleaning.
I use old t-shirts with Mothers until it turns black. I do one side with sharp angles to get around the nipples then do the sides. Having a wheel either on the bike on a stand or in the truing stand really helps.
I don't see the need for brass wool or emery cloths.
Sounds like your rims are in really bad shape. How about a picture?

A toothbrush hasn't been too effective for me in terms of shiny finish. It helps in really hard to get at places for knocking off really bad spots.

cocoabeachcrab 

these are nisi rims with 64 years of use, scratches and oxidation, and this will not be a show bike, just getting them semi cleaned up suffice. but they are original to the bike, so they will be keepers. not sure about the split at that spoke hole though..

cocoabeachcrab 

definitely a split, so that is one rim i won't have to worry about cleaning up!

SJX426 

@cocoabeachcrab - I would figure out the least time consuming approach to see what the result look like.
Clinchers? Mine are tubular.
NISIToroRIMonWheel on Flickr

cocoabeachcrab 

mine are tubular as well.

SJX426 

Do yours have this pattern on the surface for the tire? May have to magnify the pic to see it.
NISIToroRIM on Flickr

cocoabeachcrab 

yep they do

robobike316 

If you can build wheels or want to learn, it is far easier to polish a rim with no spokes. You can even use a buffing wheel to make it pretty quick.. I always like Simichome for the final polish by hand. With the wheels laced there is no real easy way, just get in there and get it done. Mothers is good, you might even start with some very fine steel wool as a first step.

cocoabeachcrab 

i'll be building a new rear wheel to replace that cracked rim. so i'll polish it first!

SwimmerMike 

For me, depending on how bad they are I may use 1000 to 2000 grit wet paper to start. Then it's just elbow grease and patience with Mothers.

noobinsf 

I like brass bristle brushes as a first pass. I got a handful of cheapos from Home Depot. Or was it ebay? I don't remember at this point, but they're easy to find.

capnjonny 

On old wheels if they are dirty start with a scrub with Dawn dish soap . If they are chrome I follow with a coating of naval jelly . let set for 1/2 hr then wipe off with wet rag. next, either chrome or alu., rub with white polishing compound and a terry shop towl. Scrub around the nipples with a tooth brush and polishing compound. If badly rust pitted steel, rub lightly with 0000 steel wool before the polishing compound. I finish off with Brasso metal polish and a rag. If you want a high polish use a buffing wheel and polishing compound for the final polish. the compound comes in different strengths for removing metal , coloring, and final polishing.

davester

Mother's has a metal polishing kit that consists a foam ball on the end of a stick that inserts into a portable drill chuck. I've used it for polishing various intricate metal parts. I think it would be a much less tedious method than hand polishing. Combine with your metal polish of choice. Buy at most auto parts stores. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05141...68503584&psc=1

For cleaning brake tracks with adhered brake pad and aluminum deposits, I use this: https://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Stop-Al.../dp/B00EN1UOU8

cocoabeachcrab 

wow... that looks like a good idea.

Lattz

Maybe sacrilege to mention dremel for the built up ones, but as far as I know, you guys have LIDL over there as well. They recently "upgraded" their wireless dremel to make it annoying and useless for many things the predecessor was good for, but as a friendly advice, if you can get hold of a used older model (clearly identifiable from removable red battery and a charging stand for that alone) which should be in the price range of 10 hard earned dollars since new price was approx 20, it makes wonders. I'm not affiliated with LIDL, not paid by them, I have the tool, an unlike its newer brother start spinning at ~4000 (or 4500) RPM vs the new's and most common dremels 10k. Accessories like every kind of brass, plastic and whatevers are also dirt cheap compared to any real brands products.

This is how the "good" one looks like, it took me 4 years of abuse to kill it, and even that one could have been avoided, if I didn't want to finish the giveaway Pinarello so fast, ignoring the warning smell...


This is the new, "too fast" one. Might be a good tool, but the missing low speed is a no-no...

smontanaro 

I have both a bench grinder with a buffing wheel and a Dremel. I've been doing a fair amount of polishing while working on my frame. It has several stainless steel bits. Both labor dabbing devices have performed affordable. Aluminum is quite ready to polish because it's so soft. Either option would do the trick and save your fingers to boot.

tiger1964 

I happen to have one of these one the way, and neglected to ask... will this abrade the braking surface to the point that one removes enough metal that it's worth worrying about?

davester

I don't believe so. It's more like a heavy duty pencil eraser than a sanding pad. Note that it is hard work to scrub your rims with this...takes me about an hour for both rims.

tiger1964 

Thanks, that's good news, except the time part... I have eleven bikes here at the moment.

davester

My time estimate is for my heavily used bikes with lots of grooving and brake pad buildup on the rims. For lightly used bikes the time will be considerably less.