Sandblast 4 wheels - easy way?

I've got four rusty 240Z steel wheels that need sandblasting - most guys around here quote $100+ to blast and powder coat each wheel.  The back sides are rusty.

Any easier way?

Had one and used walnut shell since I had no cabinet and did it outside. Worked OK, it just dumps the crushed shell. Worth the money for simple DIY but it IS just $35, I am sure the more expensive brands are "tuned" to use less material to do the job but I didn't mind it. Only used it twice.

Like the idea of them for minimal jobs.  I wonder if baking soda as a media is aggressive enough as you could just wash it away after.

In reply to 84FSP :

Isn't soda blasting more for dirt removal than for rust removal? Rust probably needs something more aggressive. 

Maybe get the liquid stuff and soak for a week?

I had good luck with that exact rig. I got the finer media from Tractor Supply. Worked great on Subaru brake calipers. Might be brother to use the more aggressive media on rusty steel.

Its messy as hell. Try to be up wind and lay down a tarp to catch spills.

If you are ever up north, in the McHenry area, you're more than welcome to borrow mine, or drag the wheels with you, and we can blast em some weekend.

Wheels take a LOT of work to get them clean and ready for paint/powdercoat, but that's the way I'd go. Drop them off at the coater's and pick them up all done in a week or so. 

I asked my chrome plater who he used to sand blast and used his guy , 

are you going to powder coat the rims or just paint them ?

In reply to californiamilleghia :

The plan was to paint the rims - after A LOT of thought I'm going to throw a set of Datsun Iron Cross wheels on the car and save the STEEL wheels since they carry a 1971 build date.  I have 16 brand new Datsun lug nuts to use with the aluminum wheels.
 

I would still take the steelies to the powdercoaters, if they're rusted now they're not going to get any better in storage, and could get a lot worse.....

Why powdercoat? There only painted to begin with. I'd just blast them then paint them with 2k primer then 2k black satin.

I've done wheels in the past with a setup like that. It was messy and tedious to do. 

I'd see how well a Needle scaler could do before trying to use the blaster on them. 
 

There's a reason I haven't sandblasted a set of wheels since the first time 30 years ago. It was slow, tedious, and I distinctly recall the phrase "I've got sand in places I didn't know I had places."

 That was with an HF suitcase blaster.

Sand Blaster hooked to a power washer

Anyone here try one yet?