Introduction: Bike Rim Resurfacing

About: jack-of-all-trades hobbyist/inventor/fabricator Specialties in automotive. cycling, power-transmission (electrical and mechanical), old-school fabrication/tooling.

Resurface bike rims for up to 300% stopping power, even in wet conditions. Makes some bike brakes impervious to water, even submerged....

Step 1: Get Some Slate First

get a sample piece of slate used in construction....Slate is a grindable and fileable sedimentary stone, and is almost as hard as granite....an ideal chioce for a resurfacing stone on aluminum up to cast iron....

Step 2: Cut Slate With a Suitable Tool

To cut slate, you neet to user a suitable tool and cut it with water as a coolant and lubricant. In this case I used fiberglass-reinforced cutoff wheels for a Dremel tool. This is Black & Decker part #RT1000 (426)....Be sure to round the wheel on a piece of scrap before you proceed to cut, and do not remove the wheel after doing so unless it is worn-out or shattered....but these wheels are supposedly shatterproof...

Nonetheless, always wear eye protection and do not cut or grind directly into your face

Step 3: Prepere Slate for Cutting

Have a suitable jar handy filled with water so you can dip it in and keep the stone soaked. Quench (dip) the slate before it dries out from the friction. Keep the stone wet as you cut or it will flake and chip and chew up your cutoff wheel prematurely. Room-temperasture water will work just fine, just keep it wet through the entire cutting process...you cannot keep it too wet for cutting, in case you had any doubt, and not only controls dust, but keeps everything cool and lubed enough...

Step 4: Cut Your Stone to Desired Size

Never force the tool, let the tool do the work, excess pressure is not necessary and will wear down your tools prematurely...The ideal speed for this is somewhere around 20,000 rpm, but you can cut at full speed if your rotary tool is not of the adjustable type. Do not cut in one place, just keep recutting the same groove over and over. As soon as the stone starts to dry around the cutting area, dip it again....beware the initial water spray as this will contain some of the slate particles which will be very unfriendly to the eye socket mechanism, hence the need for safety glasses at all times....

In this example I cut a small stone..I have cut larger stones for other purposes, but this is to give you the general idea...

Step 5: Now, Lathe Your Bike Rim

In this step, you will be lathing your anondized (coated) bike rim with the stone to provide a better braking surface. Note how I am holding the stone at one end...The wheel in this pic is rotating clockwise, with the pressure being put on the trailing-end of the stone. Be sure that the stone is filed flat on the surface you intend to use for honing...

Keep spinning the wheel manually while holding moderate pressure on the stone the entire time. eventually you will notice the anodization being scoured off, leaving bare aluminum...It is ideal not to let the wheel come to a complete stop in this process, as the stone will get a little clumsy on the recoil...

Step 6: Note the Technique Used

Note how I am using my right hand to spin the wheel and my left to secure the stone, using the bike fork as reinforcement. Hold the stone tightly so it doesn't get away from you, and be sure to over the entire side area of the rim by both moving the stone up and downb on the rim as you hone it, and placing it diagonally in both a toe-down and toe-up direction....Once you see a roughened surface, you know you are close to hiome....lighten the pressure once you see bare aluminum to hone the last of the anodization off...

Do this type of honing dry, you want some of the scoring, and some of the aluminum to collect on the stone to add to some of the abrasion. This methiod will also smooth the rim surface for more even braking throghout the rim's rotation...

Step 7: After Removing All Anodization...

Wipe the rim surface down with a clean, dry, disposable cloth to remove the excess dust, and then go for a ride, favoring the brake you just refinished for stopping to reseat the pads. This method can be repeated for when rims get glazed, but the advantage of this is that it gives a 400-grit sandpaper finish every time, without wasting sandpaper....

Now your aluminum bike rims will have much better braking power, even in the wet. This method has been tried-and-trued through just about all conditions, even completely submerged, so I suggest any with halfway-qaulity bikes to try this on their rims...

Just be sure to test braking power moderately at first, especially on the front, as this is what it is recommended for. This method is most ideal just before using the olegendary "Scott-Matthauser" brake pads, which you will find in orange...Following that, you will have bike brakes suitable for stopping a 3000lb car....

The finish you see is what you want to aim for...

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