Sand Blasting?

I got a set of hummer 2 rims Im looking to personalise, I want to sandblast them down to the bare metal, but I dont know anything about it. Is sandblasting cast aluminum a good idea? Could it make them difficult to balance later? Or should I bite the bullet and put a steel brush to them?

And by the way I cant speel to save my life.

 

i have sandblasted a few things and if you blast cast AL then you will end up with an uneven surface most of the time. bead blasting would be better, but if you are removing chrome you could end up with a lot of pitted areas

 

No chrome, just some mineral greay stuff, and the clear coat, want to prep them for powder coating

 

As long as you aren't using a high powered blaster than you should be fine. I've done a fair amount of sand blasting and have never had a problem with pitting, primer and paint always comes out smooth.

 

Use aluminum oxide for the blast media. Its red in color, if I remember correctly. It will do a good job and more less leave it slick. You'll need a bunch of it since it does not cut as good as sand, or black beauty.

If you need more specific info let me know.

Dave