Removing Adnodized finishes from Aluminum

I thought i'd put this little trick in here since it could be a common occurance with the amount of aluminum cases on the market thies days.

Sanding anodizing can be a lot of work as i found out earlier today. 60 Grit paper seemed to do almost nothing to my case. So i searched out alternatives. Well as it turns out, oven cleaner works well for this. So i went to the super market and bought the most industrial looking, chemical filled cleaner i could find. I bought Easy-Off HeavyDuty Lemon Scented cleaner for $5. I found out that a few applications are needed. Probly less if you keep your piece wet.

Here is a pic after my first application. You can make out the bubble pattern from the cleaner. A fan might help pop thies bubbles and might give a more even appearance through coats.

Sanding the remainder of the anodizing is much easier because it has been softened by the cleaner.

Also for refrence, the chemical in the can is Sodium Hydroxide. Any cheaner with this chem should do the trick. Some might preform better/worse then others.

Spray it with grease lightning or similar cleaner and cover with plastic.
keep an eye on it, reapply as needed.

a wire wheel works equally as well for removing annodizing, but without the mess :D

I used a palm sander to sand down the sides of my case, I think with 60 grit, which also removed some of the anodized finish. The paint was actually the hardest part to get off.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SXRguyinMA

a wire wheel works equally as well for removing annodizing, but without the mess :D

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I'd recommend a painter's mask if you're going to go this route--you WILL kick a ton of paint dust all around your work area. I'm still finding said dust in my work area from when I stripped Frankenstripe, which was well over a year ago now.

I sanded my case side panels down out on my deck, but there was still a ton of dust.

The NaOH trick probably works, sanding works (wear a good quality mask/respirator, I wouldn't suggest "just" a wood type dust mask, this kicks up very small particles). I think what we do at work to remove anodizing is run it back through an acid bath for a couple minutes, then a rinse. I'll find out exactly what we do and let you guys know. (If you missed my post in the "Cutting Aluminum the easy way" thread, I work in an aerospace manufacturing facility, we process aluminum from sheet/block to finished detail.)

Ok, back from work. Without giving up our trade secrets, you can try using Daraclean, Oakite or a Nitric acid solution. (Insert standard disclaimer here.) Ok, if you know how/where to get nitric acid I hope you know how to be safe using it. Just be sure to neutralize any of these chemicals before dumping them down the drain, or they'll eat your drain. Any questions? BTW, some of these commercially available "cleaners" can not be dumped down the drain. Check with your dealer for proper disposal regs in your area.