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De anodize aluminium

4907 Views 42 Replies 18 Participants Last post by  noapathy
9
Scraping parts together for a cheep'ish DJ build and got a set of XT M8000 165mm cranks. But they looked boring and some of the anodized has rubbed off so wanted to go with the raw look.

Plast tub, 3 caps of caustic soda, COLD water and doing it outside or well ventilated, old spoke to fetch the parts out of the tub.
Tool Wood Bicycle part Metal Composite material

After 2min.
Water Liquid Plumbing fixture Light Fluid

After 4min. water is getting darker.
Liquid Water Plumbing fixture Fluid Plumbing

6min. almost all the black anodize is gone.
White Fluid Cuisine Dish Gas

After 8min. I took the crankset out of the tub and cleaned with lots of cold clean water.
Bicycle part Tool Wood Gas Composite material

A bit of buffing with a kitchen sponge. The black spider is painted so the solution wont remove the paint.
Bicycle part Rim Automotive exterior Carbon Auto part

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Dayum! I want that!
Nice work!
3 caps or 3 cups?
=sParty
Dayum! I want that!
Nice work!
3 caps or 3 cups?
=sParty
3 caps - (the lid from the caustic soda)
3 caps - (the lid from the caustic soda)
Sounds like a little goes a long way. I've never used lye / caustic soda / Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) before but it sounds, uh, caustic.
Powerfully caustic.
So I assume it'd be wise to wear rubber gloves while measuring, etc.?
Any other tips you recommend?
I'm seriously considering doing this to some bike parts.
Thanks!
=sParty
Sounds like a little goes a long way. I've never used lye / caustic soda / Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) before but it sounds, uh, caustic.
Powerfully caustic.
So I assume it'd be wise to wear rubber gloves while measuring, etc.?
Any other tips you recommend?
I'm seriously considering doing this to some bike parts.
Thanks!
=sParty
Yup wear ALL the safety stuff you want caus this stuff is pretty toxic.

Make an efford cleaning the parts you de anodize, remove stickers etc etc.

I probably used 3liters/0.8gallon of water and 6 tablespoons of caustic soda stirred well together.
That’s pretty sweet.

the 12 speed stuff, without the painted spider would probably come out pretty nice as well!

Any plan to clear coat them, to protect the aluminum from corrosion?
Do you have any sense if the aluminum is compromised under the paint?
That’s pretty sweet.

the 12 speed stuff, without the painted spider would probably come out pretty nice as well!

Any plan to clear coat them, to protect the aluminum from corrosion?
Nope I dont plan on doing anything to the raw aluminium. My frame on my enduro FS is also raw aluminium and if it looses some shine or getting scuffed I just take a kitchen sponge and buff the frame up again. We are talking pretty thick metal here so I have no worries.
How to make a pair of $1,000 eeWings on the cheap!! Looks amazing!
That’s awesome. Well done.
How to make a pair of $1,000 eeWings on the cheap!! Looks amazing!
Or an m785 crankset. Always liked the silver version since it looks nice for longer. (y)
Crankset Gear Hand tool Tool Rim
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I've done that in the past with parts that aren't the correct color or rubbing off like in your case. You will need to seal it somehow or it will pit and look bad in a couple of months. That or clean and polish every week...
I've done that in the past with parts that aren't the correct color or rubbing off like in your case. You will need to seal it somehow or it will pit and look bad in a couple of months. That or clean and polish every week...

He could anodize it... 😉
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He could anodize it... 😉
Ooh, wonder how hard it'd be to make a rasta themed crankset? (only sort of kiding)
I've done that in the past with parts that aren't the correct color or rubbing off like in your case. You will need to seal it somehow or it will pit and look bad in a couple of months. That or clean and polish every week...
Yeah I need to mention that i'm not after a perfect shiny look - I just wanted it raw.
The Scott DJ frame that I have will also be raw.

My primary bike, an enduro FS from british Bird is bought raw without any treatment and i've had that bike since late '19. If the frame looks dull or are scuffed then I just bring out the old kitchen sponge.

But I actually think I would give the crank arms some Brasso
In the 90s we used Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray the part down and stick it in a trash bag overnight, then rinse.
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Check the pedal threads. Chances are they might be ruined. I hope not.
Check the pedal threads. Chances are they might be ruined. I hope not.
Hehe no worries. They are not ruined and pedals game on like a boss.
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Hehe no worries. They are not ruined and pedals game on like a boss.
awesome!!
I notice that respondents flip back and forth on calling the protective coating anodizing and paint. Aluminum is difficult to paint, with the standard products available over the counter. Even self etching aluminum primer out of a spray can has issues adhering to raw aluminum. Clear coating would be nice but the paints just do not stick. Think about all of the aluminum rims that were used in the 1970s and 1980s. The factory clear coated them and the finish failed after years of use. People would strip the clear coat and polish them. It looked fine for a few months but aluminum, like all metals, oxidizes. Frequent polishing was necessary. Clear lacquer was tried but would peel off after a few months.

In this case, I wouldn't think the crank will be subjected to the same harsh environment of an automotive wheel, but just the air will cause aluminum to oxidize.
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