Tips on how to strip anodising?

[GSF]

I've been spending the last few weekend evenings giving the old Bandit a bit of love with regards to manky paint and corroded alloy and she's been coming up beautifully.

Only parts that have been giving me grief are the alloy headlight brackets which appear to be anodised clear. I want to take them back to bare metal and polish them.

A few minutes with the Scotch-brite confirmed my fears, what looks like anodising is indeed hard as buggery and a serious amount of elbow grease only resulted in wearing a tiny patch off. At this rate, removing it by hand will be hell's own job. I'd rather not assault it with rough-grit sandpaper if there's an easier way.

Does anyone know of a good way to chemically strip anodising with easily acquired chemicals? I had heard that caustic soda/oven cleaner does the job. Any advice would be appreciated.

[actungbaby]

i worked for years as electroplater in chch but didnt have anything to do with anodising i think its eletrically bonded to the alloy so dobt you chould sand it of it be deper than that. being clear whouldint be so bad though ? .

are you wanting to paint it , as if you leave alooy un protected it go oxidised over time look yuk or at best dull


but you have local electroplater look it up in the phone book take them in not 100% if you can get them redone

always option just geting other brackets

I've been spending the last few weekend evenings giving the old Bandit a bit of love with regards to manky paint and corroded alloy and she's been coming up beautifully.

Only parts that have been giving me grief are the alloy headlight brackets which appear to be anodised clear. I want to take them back to bare metal and polish them.

A few minutes with the Scotch-brite confirmed my fears, what looks like anodising is indeed hard as buggery and a serious amount of elbow grease only resulted in wearing a tiny patch off. At this rate, removing it by hand will be hell's own job. I'd rather not assault it with rough-grit sandpaper if there's an easier way.

Does anyone know of a good way to chemically strip anodising with easily acquired chemicals? I had heard that caustic soda/oven cleaner does the job. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Kickaha]

Electroplaters stipped the anodising off two rims I had in about 15 minutes in one of their tanks

[GSF]

Good to know about the electroplaters, I didn't think of that. I wanted to do it at home but I do have a headlight rim I want rechromed, might as well kill two birds with one stone. Probably be cheaper than buying chems to do it at home that I may hardly ever use again anyway.

[The Lone Rider]

you sure ots anodising? ive discovered casings and parts coated in laquer. took a lot of work to tidy. been another post recently about laquer on lower fork legs

[imdying]

Yeah it's super tough, which gives the surface some good scratch resistance, so you'll want to have it put on again anyway. Maybe powdercoat over the top? Or polish it and clear coat it? If you leave it bare, you'll always need to be working away at it to keep it polished :(

[scumdog]

Oven cleaner - murder on anodising.

But be careful.

[Fast Eddie]

the anodizer im sending my forks too said that it gets machined off..

meh

[actungbaby]

Good to know about the electroplaters, I didn't think of that. I wanted to do it at home but I do have a headlight rim I want rechromed, might as well kill two birds with one stone. Probably be cheaper than buying chems to do it at home that I may hardly ever use again anyway.

yes well its prepartion too like painting you have have very clean or with chrome plating what i did if you have rough surface it only show it up more when nickel plated , the chrome plating by itself looks like gav its only there to protect the nickel plating

when chrome something its sits in nickle bath for like 20 mins and then chrome plate it after water rince for like 60 secs .
and you ajust current to the item you doing to little and doesint ocver fully esp around holes to much and you burn it on edges,

and gpes dull grey and have to polish it back

the amount of supermarket trolleys and russell hobs keettles i plated thousands of course mostley made stainless steel know

Its seems not much call for it know days

[GSF]

Oven cleaner - murder on anodising.

But be careful.

Aha, this is what I'd heard before - that caustic soda eats it like a motherfucker.

Yeah, I've activated my own battery before and a couple other ones for mates so I've got some big gloves and safety goggles to use.

What was the method you used with the oven cleaner? Just spray on, let it work for a few minutes then wash off?

[scumdog]

Aha, this is what I'd heard before - that caustic soda eats it like a motherfucker.

Yeah, I've activated my own battery before and a couple other ones for mates so I've got some big gloves and safety goggles to use.

What was the method you used with the oven cleaner? Just spray on, let it work for a few minutes then wash off?

Wipw-on
Wipe off.

Do a small bit first to see how long it needs to be left on - a Scotch-brite pad helps to remove it but mainly spraying on and wiping it evenly over the surface with a rag does the job.

[GSF]

Great, thanks for the tips guys. I'll give it a go with the oven cleaner and if that doesn't work I'll go the electroplater option.

I dropped by Eden Electroplaters this morning on my way to work but they don't seem to be on Khyber Pass anymore - their sign is still up on the corner by AMPS but it just looks like AMPS have taken it over as bike storage space. Are they no longer in business or have they moved? Can't seem to find anything on the internet about them apart from the 222 Khyber Pass address.

[actungbaby]

Aha, this is what I'd heard before - that caustic soda eats it like a motherfucker.

Yeah, I've activated my own battery before and a couple other ones for mates so I've got some big gloves and safety goggles to use.

What was the method you used with the oven cleaner? Just spray on, let it work for a few minutes then wash off?

cuastic soad is not something i be using its very nasty it pit the alloy very fast wreak it for finish if not destroy it if you left it soaking in it

we only used that on really to get paint of if metal was like steel

most paint stripers whould have percentage of soda in them not pure though i avoided that vat as if you get in your eyes or hands be very aggressive very quick

for chrome plating we used solphric but like any chemical u have to know what your doing with it, you never add it pure then add water after it react and boil over you have fill the container with eye protection with water then add it slowly

oh and always wear gloves as well water proof

[actungbaby]

Great, thanks for the tips guys. I'll give it a go with the oven cleaner and if that doesn't work I'll go the electroplater option.

I dropped by Eden Electroplaters this morning on my way to work but they don't seem to be on Khyber Pass anymore - their sign is still up on the corner by AMPS but it just looks like AMPS have taken it over as bike storage space. Are they no longer in business or have they moved? Can't seem to find anything on the internet about them apart from the 222 Khyber Pass address.

Its a shame my old firm went out biz years ago supreb plating in rccartion of riccarton road gezz i forgot the road damm

there is one here in roxxberg cr in palmerston north , i can get his address he one man outfit

there was also big outfit in wanganui that did hard chrome plating as in like fork legs finish am not sure they going i always meant to try for work there

the firm i worked for where great family to work for and took great deal pride in doing the work to best quality and the right way

oh my old firm was in clarence street had old railroad worksop there too