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Stripping anodizing off aluminum?


demon

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I've tried some aircraft cleaner and no workie. That stuff is strong. Anybody know of any commercially available stripper that will remove anodizing from aluminum without hurting the aluminum? Mild Acid?

I'm trying to strip the gold anodizing off my front rotor carriers to polish them and sanding would be too much with all the croocks and crannies in em. The aircraft cleaner really cleaned them up and they are bright as ever. They look good, but I still want to polish them.

Any suggestions???

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If it is anodizing, rather than some sort of powdercoat, oven cleaner (Easy-Off, if memory serves) will take it right off. Did this to a bunch of anodized parts on my BMX bike around 24 years ago, worked like a charm.

The fact that the aircraft stripper didn't work has me wondering if it's not something tougher, though. Or maybe they've made improvements to the process in the last two decades :???:

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Found this via Google

http://www.hobbyplating.com/Anodizing.htm

HP-ANODIZE-STRIP: will strip old or unwanted anodizing in a matter of a few seconds to a few minutes. You will not find a faster stripper. Contains inhibitors to slow the attack on base metal, once the anodizing film has been stripped. Two gallon is $30.00 and four gallons is $50.00.

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Did this to a bunch of anodized parts on my BMX bike around 24 years ago, worked like a charm.

Damn you are old!!! :poke: :lol:

Ken

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I'm getting there :razz:  

Still might have a bit of catching up to do, though :poke: :wink:

I knew that was coming!!! :grin:

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Hey,

Be careful. Easy Off, etc contains Sodium Hydroxide. This material literally dissolves the metal, and as the reaction takes place it forms hydrogen gas. Don't smoke or have sparks etc around it.

FYI Draino is a mixture of dry aluminum powder and Sodium Hydroxide....so be very careful

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I tried some Liquid Plummer on a anodized piece at work today. Didn't want to just jump right in and do the rotors in case something fucked up. It took about 30 minutes, but the red anodizing was gone off the aluminum. Might go ahead and try it on the rotors Sunday.

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Just make sure you completly wash them off to remove any chemicals

Demon you going to polish them so taking off the gold is a must..

would you have to do the same in order to paint them? Or maybe a slight scuffing with some 1000 grit sandpaper to make the paint stick?

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I would say a good scuff job is all that it would take to paint them. That stuff is hard to sand but paint should stick to it good as long as it's scuffed.

Yea, I'm going to polish mine. I'm starting to get addicted to the shiny stuff. Hell, this winter I might do my frame, swingarm, and fork tubes. :roll:

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Draino takes the anodizing right off of the rotor carriers. Takes about 20 minutes to get it all off.

I used some cheap ass shit from Wal Mart. It's the same stuff as draino, but only 83 cents a bottle. Worked like a charm.

I got a oil draining pan (big enough for the rotors to fit into) and put enough liquid (no diluting with water) to cover them up one at a time.

I then rubbed on the anodizied surfaces with a plastic bristled paint brush. Once the anodizing starts coming off, rubb it off the one side and flip the rotor over to do the other side. You might have to rub the first side again with the brush as the chemicals are starting to oxidize the aluminum. I then placed the rotor in a bucket of water after rinsing it off to dilute the chemicals that much more if there were any left on the surface.

Once both rotors were stripped, (easier than I thought) I started to polish one of the rotors. This was what really shocked me. The surface of the carriers are pretty smooth so I thought I'd hit it with a little mothers and see what happend. With just the mothers, the rotor is very shiny and good enough for me. I'd hate to see what some of you could do with the proper polishing tools on them.

All in all, an easy job if you already have the front wheel off and they look great. I'll post up some pics later on in the week. Wife's got the camera

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All in all, an easy job if you already have the front wheel off and they look great. I'll post up some pics later on in the week. Wife's got the camera

Not good enough :evil:

Post pics by midnight local time, or we're sending chickens!

This one is a teaser ---> :babychicken:

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20047185267294169148852.jpg

20047182168526557144117.jpg

The shine isn't that bad for a hand job :wink:

I'd say that with a buffer and some rouge that they'd look like a mirror.

I was gonna take some pics with them on the bike, but I don't really want any chickens tonight.

I'll post up some pics with them on the bike later in the week out in the natural light.

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