Stripping paint from factory alloys

[Calaber]

OK, so I've started to rub back one of the VY 2 Calais rims on my car to smooth out some kerb rash. I thought I'd take all the spoke faces back to alloy and polish the first rim to see how it looks, then decide whether to completely repaint the rim to original standard, or rub the other rims back to match the first.

The problem is, the factory paint job is as tough as hell and pretty thick. I suspect it was put on heavily because the rims are cast but not machined. so the faces of the spokes are very slightly rough and the paint smooths them out.

Does anybody know what sort of paint the factory wheels are painted in, and can they suggest the best way of removing it? I have three options. Rubbing back - extremely slow and tedious but leaves a good finish. Paint stripper - I don't know what sort of paint was used so I can't be sure that stripper will remove it, and I want to keep the paint on the recessed areas undamaged, so stripper could also be a problem to control. Third option is to mechanically sand with a very fine disc, but that could also damage the alloy.

Anybody got any suggestions on what sort of paint it is and the best way to remove it?

[sharpe1]

On motorcycle rims, we mask off the area where we want to keep the paint and then use a brush to apply paint strip where we want to remove it.

[TMM]

Get a place to sandblast them for you?

[Calaber]

Get a place to sandblast them for you?

No, can't do that. Only one car and it's in constant use. I'm thinking I'll just rub the rash back to clean up the alloy where it's damaged then repaint as close to original as possible. I've got about half of one spoke done after something like a solid hour of sanding and I can see that the finish of the alloy is slightly pitted, meanding that I can't get all of the paint out without actually polishing back the alloy. I don't think it's worth the trouble.