[Brian]

I've got a frame that's anodized but hate the color and want something different. Can it be stripped and re-anodized? Or stripped and powdercoated? But I don't want to add weight and I've heard powder can add 1/4 pound or so. Help a dude out. Thanks!

 

[jabpn]

yes but not recommended...

I've got a frame that's anodized but hate the color and want something different. Can it be stripped and re-anodized? Or stripped and powdercoated? But I don't want to add weight and I've heard powder can add 1/4 pound or so. Help a dude out. Thanks![/QUO

Anodizing is a treatment where the aluminum itself get hardened on the outside. Once the process is done you can't "redo" as there is nothing left to harden. Technically if there were spots where the anodized surface has failed or been worn through you could get it to be a different color but only in spots. You could sand off the anodized layer but with today's thin walled, ultra-lite tubes I wouldn't recommend this for safety reasons.

 

[fireball]

I've got a frame that's anodized but hate the color and want something different. Can it be stripped and re-anodized? Or stripped and powdercoated? But I don't want to add weight and I've heard powder can add 1/4 pound or so. Help a dude out. Thanks!

I had a '95 Trek 8500 that was gold anodized. I hated it so I sent it back to Trek and they stripped it, applied new decals, and just clearcoated over the bare aluminum. Looked like a silverish gray with shiny silvery bits (kinda like metal flake) in the sun. Out of the sun, it was just gray. Don't know if this can be done with yours but if you contact the manufacturer they can tell you.

 

[Ignatz]

Risky

I used to work in an anodizing facility. The most common method for stripping the anodization off of a part is an acid bath. The acid will also attack any bare aluminum so you are losing material as the anodize is being removed. Threads need to be masked to prevent them from degrading too much; you'd need to plug the tubes to prevent the solution from getting to the inside of the frame. If the manufacturer of your frame says that they can do it then you'd probably be OK but I would be very cautious about taking a frame to a plater who does not regularly work with bicycle frames. Too much time in the bath and your frame could be seriously damaged.