removing anodising

[jtparr]

I intend to strip and repaint the centre caps on my Fuchs wheels and have read on the Pelican web pages that oven cleaner is a good way to remove anodising



As this recommendation came from the US I wondered if anyone has tried this and if there is one particular brand that I can get here in the UK, or is there another product that would do the job



Thanks a lot

Jonathan

 

[Guest]

I assume that the centres are made of aluminium. Anodising produces a very tough finish, so you could always try caustic soda (good at removing skin etc !)

Of course, the surface will oxidise very quickly afterwards, which should not be a problem for painting.

 

[plhorner]

Jonathan,
If your going to re-paint, do you really need to strip the anodising? I'd have thought a light rub with a fine grade wet and dry should suffice to provide a key for the paint, that way you still have a second protective layer to protect the alloy.

 

[SJW BASIRE]

I used a coat of aerosol etch primer from Frosts the Classic Car paint and gadget sellers to prime my centre caps.Then aerosol Satin Black from any Halfords type place.I am trying to keep as much of my anodising as possible original if I can!.My 1980 SC has Black anodised Door and window frames instead of '81 or '82 onwards powder coating.
The car is being resprayed at the moment so I have taken a good second hand door frame and the door and window cappings to be anodised.I had to buy new side window trims as mine were polished to bare alloy and someone has tried to break in with a screwdriver in the past and bent one of them.Had to buy a pair of brand new powder coated ones and strip them-hopefully it will work out OK!!!

 

[Guest]

If you do decide to strip the anodising for any reason (and I would only do it if you are planning to polish the rims) then Caustic Soda will do the job easily. Available at DIY and Supermarkets, make sure you wear rubber gloves and follow the instructions closely (it's really nasty stuff)

Roy

 

[jtparr]

all

finaly finished cleaning and painting the wheel caps

couple of pointers

its pretty easy to strip the anodising, Mr Muscle oven cleaner worked just fine, did not seem to be a problem leaving the cleaner on for hours, especially as i left one on overnight by mistake

but as has been noted elsewhere the black anodising when removed leaves a blotchy pattern more like mildew, but 600/1000 grade wet and dry gently removes that

I also used a dress makers pin glued to a coctail stick to gently loosen up the anodising around the porsche crest areas and also wooden coctail sticks generally to flick out the stubborn anodising in these detail areas

old toothbrushes also good to scrub the surfaces

probably used the spray oven cleaner 5 times or so for each one

etch primer is fine but unless you remove the majority of the old anodising then you will loose the legibility of the "stutgart" text

etch primer came from halfords, they seem to have a new range, and their satin paint is part of the regular stock

last thing have a hair drier handy when spraying, it cures the paint much quicker and the heat helps it to harden too

bordering on anorak territory with this one but its pretty easy and they look just great

some pictures attached in this and 2 more to follow
jp

 

[jtparr]

next one with paint on

 

[jtparr]

last one as a close up

 

[Guest]

Lovely job Jon, well done mate

 

[bruceb]

I would leave the anodising on as it stops the alloy corroding under the paint. The pelican site describes removing the anodising so that the aluminium weeels can be polished to a shine. really difficult to keep the wheels bright and stop corrosion afterwards and some how does not look right on the car! just my opinion

Bruceb
83 sc