gentle, low-effort DIY anodization removal

[wallymann]

it's well documented on the interwebs the use of Greased Lightning de-greaser to remove anodization. here's application on bike parts -- the stuff works!

i've used lye (active ingredient in dran-o and oven-cleaner) before and was not keen to use it for stems and other strength-sensitive parts because lye's action is much tooooo aggressive. GL is much gentler and easier to control.

started off with a black-anodized easton aluminum stem. used gel paint stripper to remove the branding, then soaked in GL to remove the anodization. would check every 5 minutes and hit it with a toothbrush and then re-immerse. repeat to taste. rinse thoroughly with water when finished.

then i moved onto some gunmetal gray anodized 3ttt quill stems and did the same. you can see the original gunmetal anodization on the quills i left untouched below the min-insert point.

you end up with a nicely matte textured raw aluminum...to which you can polish or whatever. the GL starts out clear but ends up cloudy with the dissolved anodization.

as mentioned in another thread, after polishing i'm either going to clear anodize or electroless nickel plate these items.

http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/anodization-removal-1.jpg
http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/anodization-removal-2.jpg

http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE3-953454enh-z7.jpg

[shovelhd]

Use dish washing gloves when using that stuff. It's nasty.

[Veloo]

Nice. Keep us posted.

[wallymann]

Use dish washing gloves when using that stuff. It's nasty.

yeah, probably not a bad idea...i didnt, but washed hands after each exposure.

[Ahneida Ride]

My good buddy swears by GL.

She uses it all over the house to clean everything.

[Ahneida Ride]

Love to see all those Logo's go ....

My bike is not a roving billboard for the manufactures.

[Admiral Ackbar]

you can also use drain cleaner, but thats even nastier

its also good to clean the pieces well and good with alcohol or solvents afterwards coz the oven cleaner leaves a sort of residue that leads to surface oxidization.

[zap]

Any concerns about removing material from the steerer and hbar clamp area's?

I used Oven Off on exterior anno surfaces some time ago. Though i was succesfull, it is too difficult to control.

[Admiral Ackbar]

its not that corrosive

[jmoore]

Oven cleaner works great. I did the same thing to a stem and it turned out the same. Stem in a Plastic tub, hit with oven cleaner, lid on and let it sit. A little time and work with a toothbrush and looks great. Light coat of clear and its good to go

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

[wallymann]

Any concerns about removing material from the steerer and hbar clamp area's?

I used Oven Off on exterior anno surfaces some time ago. Though i was succesfull, it is too difficult to control.

nope. this stuff works slowly, so you creep up on the finish you want.

[Dead Man]

Black/hardcoat anodized parts strip well. Dyed anodize doesn't come out nearly so clean. Anybody ever found a solution for getting anodize dye out/off the stripped part?

[Cicli]

That looks good. I have always wanted to strip and polish a higher end Shimano groupset.

Hmmmmmmmm....... I have a complete 6700 group laying around the basement. It would look awesome polished out.

To the OP, thats very cool. Keep us posted.

[wallymann]

Black/hardcoat anodized parts strip well. Dyed anodize doesn't come out nearly so clean. Anybody ever found a solution for getting anodize dye out/off the stripped part?

GL does the business. i've seen lots of folks use to strip all sorts of dyed color anodization. the 3ttt stems were gray anodized...they look like this normally:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxNTg2/z/YK4AAOSwRLZT~LyY/$_12.JPG

here are some more before/after images:
http://cdn.instructables.com/FEB/V4HT/FTM73V97/FEBV4HTFTM73V97.MEDIUM.jpghttp://cdn.instructables.com/FA1/UUPY/FTVVI551/FA1UUPYFTVVI551.MEDIUM.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c253/meltmanTI/Sakura/Turbo/Oil/IMG_1425.jpghttp://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c253/meltmanTI/Sakura/Turbo/Oil/IMG_1433.jpg

[Dead Man]

GL does the business. i've seen lots of folks use to strip all sorts of dyed color anodization. the 3ttt stems were gray anodized...they look like this normally:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxNTg2/z/YK4AAOSwRLZT~LyY/$_12.JPG

here are some more before/after images:
http://cdn.instructables.com/FEB/V4HT/FTM73V97/FEBV4HTFTM73V97.MEDIUM.jpghttp://cdn.instructables.com/FA1/UUPY/FTVVI551/FA1UUPYFTVVI551.MEDIUM.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c253/meltmanTI/Sakura/Turbo/Oil/IMG_1425.jpghttp://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c253/meltmanTI/Sakura/Turbo/Oil/IMG_1433.jpg

You had better results than others I've seen, as well as my own. Last time I tried it, I ended up with an ugly pink/gray part.

[wallymann]

soaked for an hour or so with occasional hits with a toothbrush...most of the black ano is gone. it's still a little blotchy, but heading to bed now so i removed from GL soak and rinsed...i'll do more tomorrow. GL would work real nice if applied in an agitator or ultrasonic cleaner.

this stem is pretty beat-up, so i'll be doing a fair bit of filing/sanding before polishing.

before:
http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/black-ano-stem-before.jpg

after, stage-1:
http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/black-ano-stem-after1.jpg

[wallymann]

here's the same black stem after some filing, sanding, more sanding, and polishing -- not perfect, but good enuf for gubment work...off to anodization next!

http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/black-ano-stem-after2.jpg

[Lifestereo]

Great work. Thanks for the insights. How do you anodise the parts?

[wallymann]

Great work. Thanks for the insights. How do you anodise the parts?

there are DIY kits and youtube vids showing how, but i'm going with a local shop that accepts small jobs.

[Mclulz]

Anybody try the remover with a splatter effect? Some radical KOOK style splatter-ano like back in the 90's. :help:

[wallymann]

after the polishing then anodization, the finish changed a bit.

the shop did something called "bright dip" to prep before anodization was applied.

the end result is that it's still brightly silver, but no longer the polished/mirrored finish -- more of a satin finish, quite similar to the OEM finish on the cinelli stems.

i'm pretty happy with the results.

http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/black-stem-final1.jpg
http://brown-snout.com/cycling/tech/diy-anodization-removal/black-stem-final2.jpg

[Keith A]

Turned out very nice.

[numbskull]

Neat.
What does it cost to have stem anodized?

[wallymann]

Neat.
What does it cost to have stem anodized?

this local shop has a $100 minimum order and for that you can do ~5 small parts like stems and such.

[m_sasso]

Coming from the auto fabrication world we use a lot this; Jestco Products Anodize Remover.
Can be found here; http://www.jestcoproducts.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=37

[d_douglas]

You had better results than others I've seen, as well as my own. Last time I tried it, I ended up with an ugly pink/gray part.

That is kinda what happened to me as well. My Salsa skewers are now a dull, uneven grey. What would you use to polish them up? And what for clear coat for home applications?

I live in Canada, so likely don't have the same name brands as you (never heard of 'Grease Loghtning'). Can you suggest the specific active ingredients? (Ie', I used toxic oven cleaner to remove the blue anodizing). Now, how do I make it pretty ;)?

[Formulasaab]

Black/hardcoat anodized parts strip well. Dyed anodize doesn't come out nearly so clean. Anybody ever found a solution for getting anodize dye out/off the stripped part?

There is no functional difference between parts anodized black and parts anodized all colors of the rainbow. The process is precisely the same except for the color of the dye. For black parts, you use black dye.

The dye has no effect whatsoever on the durability of the anodic coating. The anodization itself does not fade nor diminish in thickness or durability (though some dye colors are themselves more susceptible to fading by UV rays than others).

Hard anodizing is different. The basics of the process are the same but the details differ wildly. The end result is a thicker and more durable layer of anodization, so you would expect it to be more difficult to strip off. That's by design.

Bright dipping aluminum is an electro-chemical process used to replace the manual process of polishing. The end result is very similar to a mechanically polished part, but not the same.

There will ALWAYS be some loss of lustre from a clean bright-dipped or polished part, whether you are going with a clear anodic coating or a dyed one. That's because the next to last step before the part goes in the anodizing bath is a dip in a caustic solution to remove any oxide (corrosion) that has built up due to exposure to air. (The final step before going into the anodizing bath is a water rinse.)

A nice clean, recently polished or bright dipped part, doesn't need much time in the caustic bath. But even a few seconds removes some lustre and once it is gone, it doesn't come back without re-polishing or electro-brightening.

Finally, there will always be differences in finish depending on the specific aluminum alloy, especially when a bright dip is used instead of a mechanical polish.

[Dr Luxurious]

BE CAREFUL when stripping and polishing.
You can make a 27.2 seapost into a (useless) 27.1 very easily...

Anybody wanna buy a 27.1 post cheap?
Or a 25.3 quill stem????

[wallymann]

Finally, there will always be differences in finish depending on the specific aluminum alloy, especially when a bright dip is used instead of a mechanical polish.

also true.

another stem i had in this batch, a modern easton EA90, was not bright-dipped and ended up with a slightly yellowish tinge. the guy said it must have been a 7000-series alloy for that to happen given the chemical mix they were using.

[pcxmbfj]

Would it be practical to do a frame triangle?

My Sultan is a color I never liked and has some ride removed spots.

Need to rebuild the pivots and would love a naked alum frame to go with silver rear after tear down.

[Dead Man]

Would it be practical to do a frame triangle?

My Sultan is a color I never liked and has some ride removed spots.

Need to rebuild the pivots and would love a naked alum frame to go with silver rear after tear down.

Is it anodized or painted? I'm not sure I've ever seen an anodized frame.. But if it's painted, you'll need a paint stripper.

[odin99]

there's a few images of an anodized cervelo frame on weight weenies (or was it slowtwitch?) somewhere... so it is possible. the welds turn out darker.

[pcxmbfj]

Is it anodized or painted? I'm not sure I've ever seen an anodized frame.. But if it's painted, you'll need a paint stripper.

Rechecking the Turner site the frame is powder coated.

[ergott]

I had an anodized Spooky. Ano frames are out there.

[KVN]

Yep. I had a 2006 black ano'd Trek XO-1.