aluminum wheel oxidation removal?
 

I have a set of original 15x7 aluminum wheels that I'm going to use on my next restoration. Any recommendations on removing the oxidation without polishing? I've tried Locktite aluminum jelly with no success. Hate to polish them & lose crisp definition. Picture is of the back rim of one wheel.

Consider trying this. It has great results on raw un-polished aluminum. Spray on, wait 15 seconds and rinse off. If the front sides are polished it will dull that and need to be polished back.

That has actually etched into the aluminum and there's no way you're going to remove that with a spray. IMO, the only way to have a nice machined surface again is to have it remachined.

Ditto.

What are these wheels off of? I had a set of turbine wheels machined and cleared and they turned out great. These wheels were worse than yours.

these wheels are so nice - this is the worst one. 15x7 and never messed with. Maybe I'll try fine steel wool?

That wheel looks pretty nice to me. I would leave it alone. If you decide to mess with it do as little as possible

If you don’t like the looks of the wheel I’ll take it off your hands. Ha

Ya thats not bad at all. I was thinking they would be worse.

Leave it, it’s a “survivor”!!!

It is kind of like polishing deep scratches out of glass. There is material that is missing. Even though it is not deep, you have no choice but to remove the material around each place that is etched to get it even.

There is an alternative. I had some aluminum valve covers with light etching like that. I sandblasted them (very low pressure) to give the surface a more uniform look, then painted with high heat ceramic engine paint (aluminum color) and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees. They still look good today.

Assuming the wheels are dead true, it is possible for a really good lathe operator to re-machine that area taking off just a few thou. But, you probably only get one chance.

Personally, I think I would follow Crush's advice, and just leave them as is. JMHO, but not everything has to be perfect. Some patina just proves it is vintage. In the antique world, some things are ruined once restored.

What I've used in the past on a set of TT D's polished lips that were stained by oxidation and brake fluid was aluminum wheel cleaner, 0000 steel wool and then polish with a wheel attachment on a drill. As always try it on a junk wheel or area and use caution when getting near the painted (or non polished) portion of the wheel. It will change the color on the darker gray portion of the wheel but try cleaning and then use hand polish to just give it a difference in appearance. Also if you don't have a lathe easily available then bolt the wheel onto the rear of a car on stands and put the car in drive and go to town on polishing the lip. Just use caution as this can be dangerous.