I was going to have the tire removed then sandblast and paint the entire wheel. I was just wondering if painting the lip where the tire bead seats would cause sealing problems?
I always paint the lips to prevent them from rusting after tire installation. They use soap to lube the tire as an aid in mounting them and while they are not suppossed to be, some soaps are a bit caustic and will rust the steel rim. A good coat of paint on them before mounting will extend the wheels life. No sealing problems will result from a coat of paint.
Also, if you are on a budget, 80 grit paper works great for breaking up the scale on the beads, a heavy coat of rattle can primer and dupli-color wheel paint (acrylic enamel based type) can be applied over almost anything and sticks great. I have a set of Duster Rally's that were rattled 15 yrs ago and still holding up.