Removing anodized coating

-
CUUDAK

CUUDAK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
2,002
Reaction score
94
Location
Hempstead, Tx
Well,
I have been polishing all of the stainless on the Cuda and now ready to work on the aluminum trim. I have tried Easy-off and another Lye based drain cleaner trying to remove the factory anodizing. The two products I have already used took some of it off and I have sanded the hell out of it without luck. I am thinking about using aircraft stripper but afraid that it will eat through the thin stuff.

Anyone have a better idea????????

The stainless looks great except for a few deep scratches and waves I don't have the tools to get out. I have a friend that charges $16 a foot to repair and polish stainless but he won't touch aluminum. Later I will get him to repair all the deep scratches and waves when my cash is right and the Cuda is painted. For now I need to get the aluminum cleaned up a little so it won't look so bad. Maybe I will get the aluminum all chromed eventually. But for now I need to get the anodizing off to polish it.
 
you can get some good wax from the truck stop to clean it after you have done all this and sanded... i use the same wax on my truck tanks and wheels..i all so have a trim that goes over the grill in my dart that i will polish out with the wax..if you are not close to a truck stop harbor freight sells some ok wax and the wheels you need all so.....at the truck stop they come in a long stick in diff. colors for diff. app. so read the chart ..i use the green but the brown is suppose to be better..:D
 
65Val said:
I'm in the same boat at the moment. Awaiting answers and procedures.

Subscribed.
Click to expand...
The stainless was a breeze! Just wet sanded it with 600 and got a cloth wheel from Harbor Freight with the white and green compound. Atached the wheel to my bench grinder and went to work.

I once used the Aircraft stripper on the alloy wheels on my Ranger since the looked yellow and cracked. It worked great and once I washed the stripper off they looked brand new. But these trim pieces are really thin and I am scared that it will eat through them.
 
earthmover said:
you can get some good wax from the truck stop to clean it after you have done all this and sanded... i use the same wax on my truck tanks and wheels..i all so have a trim that goes over the grill in my dart that i will polish out with the wax..if you are not close to a truck stop harbor freight sells some ok wax and the wheels you need all so.....at the truck stop they come in a long stick in diff. colors for diff. app. so read the chart ..i use the green but the brown is suppose to be better..:D
Click to expand...

Yeah,
I used the white and the green on the stainless. I used it on the aluminum where the anodize came off and it looked like chrome when i was done. But there are large areas where the anodize won't come off!
 
I used easy off, a couple of app, the old stinking stuff. Then sanded with 200 grit sand paper the 400 . Then polished on buffing wheel with polish bars from a shop that polishes wheels and all sorts of stuff. Did this on my grill,headlight bezels.
Moe
dba9b261.jpg
 
I also looked on youtube, bought his suggested drain cleaner but it didn't work too good.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jdlo-AQoAY"]63 impala video 49? POLISHING TRIM SECRET - YouTube[/ame]
 
OLDFARTSDART said:
I used easy off, a couple of app, the old stinking stuff. Then sanded with 200 grit sand paper the 400 . Then polished on buffing wheel with polish bars from a shop that polishes wheels and all sorts of stuff. Did this on my grill,headlight bezels.
Moe
Click to expand...
Yeah,
I tried the yellow can of Easy-off twice. It didn't work too good either. I started with 320 and ended with 600 sandpaper. Yours looks nice!!

Wondering if anyone has used the aircraft stripper.
 
Aluminum is anodized to prevent the aluminum from corroding. The process converts the surface layer of aluminum into an inert aluminum oxide. It is best to leave the anodized surface in place and to use an aircraft aluminum polish to brighten it up.

If you remove the anodized layer then you must treat the surface with something to prevent corrosion such as a chromium containing primer (aircraft). If you are going to get some items re-chromed, then ask the platers if they do aluminum andodization.

I have worked in the aircraft business (Douglas Aircraft/Boeing) as a materials and process engineer for the last 25 years.
 
DFX 340 Duster said:
Aluminum is anodized to prevent the aluminum from corroding. The process converts the surface layer of aluminum into an inert aluminum oxide. It is best to leave the anodized surface in place and to use an aircraft aluminum polish to brighten it up.

If you remove the anodized layer then you must treat the surface with something to prevent corrosion such as a chromium containing primer (aircraft). If you are going to get some items re-chromed, then ask the platers if they do aluminum andodization.

I have worked in the aircraft business (Douglas Aircraft/Boeing) as a materials and process engineer for the last 25 years.
Click to expand...

I was going to use ZOOP SEAL or get them powdercoated in clear once they are polished.
 
CUUDAK said:
I was going to use ZOOP SEAL or get them powdercoated in clear once they are polished.
Click to expand...

That's good!
If your aluminum is thin then be extra careful about using chemical strippers. Any chemical that will remove the anodized layer will also remove or etch the exposed aluminum.

If you decide to use an abrasive material to remove the anodized layer then use a continuity tester to check the aluminum surface. The anodized layer does not conduct electricity whereas bare aluminum will.
 
Just did a set off a duster grill this past weekend. Mix red devil lye with water to a syrup and brush it on , let it sit for 15 minutes and rinse with water . Sand with 240-400-600-1000 then polish with mothers. Wear hand and eye protection when applying lye .
 
I'm still waiting for someone to follow up with what their aluminum trim looks like after 3 to 5 years without re anodizing.
 
I will talk to my body guy to see how he stripped it off on the Dart. He cleared it after cleaning it, looks pretty good. At some pont I am going ot send it to Leanna to get it powder coated......I hope......
 
RedFish said:
I'm still waiting for someone to follow up with what their aluminum trim looks like after 3 to 5 years without re anodizing.
Click to expand...

You have a point there, I did mine about 10 months ago and they still look ok I waxed them after polishing them. Hope they stay shinny!!!
Moe
 
have you tried to find a place that does anodizing? they can also remove it. I have studied this when I was doing mine and it seems that they need to strip them with like products thickness etc and you will also need to strip the grilles down. remove the rivets etc I have all new rivets for when I do mine. once they strip them do the resto on the grilles and have them re-anodized

A problem I read with using Drano and such is it is very caustic and can discolor and/or destroy the alum.
 
..i did all the aluminum on my Duster.
240/320/400....1200 wet and /buff,polish
it takes a few hours, but it's worth it...
wax periodically, still nice after 4 yrs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top