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Buffing the Grill Bars

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BlueRidge1

Jedi Warrior
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Anyone ever tried to buff the vertical grill slats? I think there's 39 or so, i spent much time trying but the anodize
or however you spell it made it extremley difficult to buff the pieces. I found an article that involves mixing a small amount of red devil lye about 2 tablespoons or so in about a gallon of water then dipping the part in on a wire for about 20 seconds. I did this and when it hits the water it fizzes as if its boiling and when I removed it from the water it was acually smoking! Then I rinsed it throughly with cold water and it buffed up really nice with very little effort. If you try this make sure you wear saftey glasses rubber gloves and I even wore a resporater just to be safe. When your done pour it down the drain and it clears the drain also. Has anyone else tried this or know of any negative effect it could have on the aluminum parts or health or enviormental issues it could create? BlueRidge
 
Re: Buffing Grill

Hi BlueRidge, I think the only down side to this is that the unprotected aluminum will oxidize and keep you buffing the grill regularly.---Fwiw---Keoke
 
Re: Buffing Grill

I may think about spraying some clear satin finish on it . Any one had any positive or negative experiences with that application?????
 
Re: Buffing Grill

[ QUOTE ]
I may think about spraying some clear satin finish on it . Any one had any positive or negative experiences with that application?????

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, might work ,but you can have it reanodized.---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
 
Re: Buffing Grill

As you can tell, lye dissolves aluminum in a hurry. If you try this, make sure that the grille is totally rinsed or lye in the hidden cracks will continue it's work.
D
 
Re: Buffing Grill

blue ridge1,anodized alum.is nothing more than a thin layer of oxidization that sometimrs is colored,and then sealed,to clean,
[strip}
use sodium hydroxide then desmut,or #400 grit sandpaper,then spray or rub"everbrite"protective coating lasts a long time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
 
Re: Buffing Grill

Blue Ridge,

There are two-part clears that can be put on metal. Por sells one that is suppose to work on aluminum (Glisten PC) which comes in gloss and semi-gloss. They sell 2 part matte clears at auto paint supply houses but these might not be as durable. Light glass bead blasting of the alum. will get you closer to the matte finish if you don't want the expense/sourcing of anodizing. New grilles are not that expensive and I would compare that to anodizing if you decide to go that route.

Cheers,
John
 
Re: Buffing Grill

Thanks John, I think I 'LL try that Glisten product in semi gloss. I have a bead blaster and did lightly blast my carbs and they look great. Someone told me I should clearcoat the carbs but I am reluctant to try that because gas and clearcoat probably doesn't mix real well! Thanks Bob
 
Re: Buffing Grill

Hi Bob,

I think I'll be ordering some of it soon(see the wheel well thread). Make sure you read the instuctions on the website. It appears you should get their Marine Clean and AP 120 metal prep for the best results. They say it has high chemical resistance but you might want to ask on their forum how it would hold up on a carb body. Let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
John
 
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