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Anodizer anyone?

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richberman

richberman

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Well,my Longbridge BN4 is getting her skin placed and painted while I write and will be returning to me for upholstery and finishing soon. I have pulled out the aluminum door trims and cockpit trim pieces and would like to get them stripped, polished and re-anodized. Does anyone have a favorite place who can do this well?
thanks,
rich
 
Not a difficult job really. I did my own and they came out quite nice. You may have to fill some deep scratches or gouges but taking your time and doing it proper makes for a very satisfying job.

Here's what I did, after sanding down the filled areas with fine sandpaper etc. just take a clean rag and dip in battery acid, yes that's correct, and gently rub it on the aluminum. Remove quickly when you've achieved the finish you like with a rag dipped in baking soda to prevent the acid from etching too far. Experiment if you wish. I was told that's what anodizing is anyway. It produces a nice finish that you can spray clear lacquer on to keep from scratching accidently.

Be sure to use rubber gloves and eye protection, very important.
 
Johnny said:
Not a difficult job really. I did my own and they came out quite nice. You may have to fill some deep scratches or gouges but taking your time and doing it proper makes for a very satisfying job.

Here's what I did, after sanding down the filled areas with fine sandpaper etc. just take a clean rag and dip in battery acid, yes that's correct, and gently rub it on the aluminum. Remove quickly when you've achieved the finish you like with a rag dipped in baking soda to prevent the acid from etching too far. Experiment if you wish. I was told that's what anodizing is anyway. It produces a nice finish that you can spray clear lacquer on to keep from scratching accidently.

Be sure to use rubber gloves and eye protection, very important.
Click to expand...

What did you use to "fill"?
rich
 
Harbor Freight has aluminum rods that can be melted with a propane torch. Be sure the gouges are clean. When cooled you can use a file to smooth down then sand.
 
Johnny said:
Harbor Freight has aluminum rods that can be melted with a propane torch. Be sure the gouges are clean. When cooled you can use a file to smooth down then sand.
Click to expand...
Do I need to heat the metal with the scratches as well as the HF rods?
 
Johnny said:
Not a difficult job really. I did my own and they came out quite nice. You may have to fill some deep scratches or gouges but taking your time and doing it proper makes for a very satisfying job.

Here's what I did, after sanding down the filled areas with fine sandpaper etc. just take a clean rag and dip in battery acid, yes that's correct, and gently rub it on the aluminum. Remove quickly when you've achieved the finish you like with a rag dipped in baking soda to prevent the acid from etching too far. Experiment if you wish. I was told that's what anodizing is anyway. It produces a nice finish that you can spray clear lacquer on to keep from scratching accidently.

Be sure to use rubber gloves and eye protection, very important.
Click to expand...

Having dabbled with the cleaning of certain coins (non-valuable, for course), you can even go one step further after using the acid and then alkaline (baking soda, that is), by applying an alcohol base solution to make the surface inert, or cancelling out the alkaline. Alkaline, like acid, is also corrosive so I always try to neutralize the metal or as close to the zero point of the acid/alkaline spectrum.
 
Rich = if you don't want to try the do it yourself mode, you may want to contact
Dave Kosmann, of Trim Restoration in Caldwell , Idaho.

NFI - but he did my cockpit trim and my 2 sets of Longbridge sidescreens, and they look very nice
jim :driving:
 
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