65 headlight bezel anodize hell

pishta said
Trying to shine up my bezels. The one had some bad scratches in it so I soaked it in EZ-off for 15 minutes to strip the anodizing off and commenced to steel wooling the crap out of it to remove the anodizing. I thought I got it all off as it was all the same color after about 30 minutes of buffing it, then I took a flapper wheel to the scratches to knock them down. Turns out I got NONE of the anodizing off, and only the flapper wheel took it down to bare AL. How the heck do you get the anodizing off? I tried 2 different EZ-off formulas, both had sodium hydroxide listed (Lye) and another 30 minutes of soaking. Nothing, its not even coming off with 1200 sandpaper, but 60 sure did. I even tried black compound on a wheel. Nadda. That stuff is tough!

did you use this stuff? original easy-off yellow top? Off brands do not work as well and the blue cap easy off ones SUCK. I left mine on for an hour minimum each try with saran wrap over it helping it to stay wet and cut through the anodizing (took 3 tries on one bezel and one I just went to draino instead of waiting another couple of hours or so after 2 tries with easy-off) the draino'd bezel took 45 minutes to remove the anodizing. I left(forgot) a piece of broken bezel in the draino solution and 8 hours later it had holes in it from the lye.
https://jet.com/product/detail/b263...ggl:cwin_jd_home_garden_a3:household_supplies

or some stronger stuff.
just make a solution and submerge the part in it, this stuff is a lot stronger than easy-off oven cleaner and you will have to take it out of the solution a couple of times just to make sure it's not eating the aluminum (I've had the headlight bezel in the draino solution max 35 minutes and it cleaned the hard one off when easyoff yellow top failed (2 tries at that)) so I probably will do an hour on a un touched piece with draino and it should come out nice and clean of anodizing
http://www.lowes.com/pd_283724-1260-20113_0__?productId=3344606