Anodizing removal on a light

[flashmenow]

Hi all, I wanted a silver tone light. using Drano as a soak, and a stiff brush to get the black out of the grooves I took the anno off this E2D body and tail cap, as well as the A001 Solarforce head. The E-C adapter for the moment I left black for some contrast.

This is strait from the stripper, In time I may take some metal polish to it to shine it up or perhaps leave it raw.

[flashmenow]

Next up was a Cryos head, 5mega 2 x 18500 body, stripped bare.

Here is the pair.

[gator17]

I think the Cryos would look good polished

[cplusplus]

It looks cooler without anodizing. My Mag and Fenix light's anodizing are starting to wear off and I see tiny bits of silver which makes it looks cheaper and scratchy. Anodizing good when new but gets really scratchy over time.

[samuraishot]

Hi flashmenow, nice work!

Did you take the tailcap apart before removing the anodizing or did you just dunk the whole thing in Drano?

[flashmenow]

Hi, and thanks ! The lights were all taken apart prior to being placed in the Drano. Tail switch and boot removed. After the anno was removed a scrub and cold water bath to remove any left over chemicals , then I placed them out in the sun to dry. Then reassembly .

Here was my last attempt of the day .

[^Gurthang]

Interesting to see the variation in the raw finish of the SureFire, SolarForce and the FiveMega parts.

[Foxfyre]

They look really good.

[jh333233]

Drano=drain cleaner=naoh
So can i just use NaOH?
After the HA layer is washed away, hows the impact resistance of the light

[flashmenow]

In short yes.

I would be careful with exposure time as Sodium hydroxide in pure form is greater then that in Drano. As for resistance I will have to respond in time, this was a new venture.

[jh333233]

Any special gloves you worn during the operation?
Latex, rubber etc.?

[flashmenow]

No gloves, but did wear eye protection . I was working with Drano placed into a glass jar (masons) , then using a wire hanger I created a dip hook.

When the coating was nearly off there is a chemical reaction you will see "bubbling" very fine bubbles of the chemical reacting with the aluminum.

When I saw this start I would wait just a couple of minutes, then remove from Drano and to a running water bath.

Once rinsed I used a stiff PLASTIC brush to scrub any remaining anno from the groves. Also the aluminum will be dull when first out this scrubbing brought the top later off and parts turn bright.

With pure NaOH gloves would be wise , and don't forget safety glasses.

[richpalm]

What kind of Drano? Gel, liquid, which? There were several kinds at the store and I didn't know what to get.

Rich

[flashmenow]

I used liquid. I guess either would work it's the same basic ingredient, if using a gel when rinsing take care to expose to water longer before handling as well on the inner tube. You don't want to leave trace elements behind.

I guess I should elaborate on this part as this is becoming a "how to thread" .

As with any chemical it can be caustic. You must make sure to rid the part you are stripping of any residue, even any remaining anno you could not get off in a crevice can retain some of the chemical compound. In this case Drano. You can let the part sit linger in the Drano to soften up the remaining anno, once again the part will become very dull while soaking. Brush them up once again in the running water after the rinse to brighten.

Besides a running water wash I did leave in a "pail" of water to help further dilute any remainders, then once again a good running water wash. Then parts must be dried prior to installing back the switch and tail cap, clip etc.

EDIT to add. The inner surface of the tube will discolor. I took a rag/wash cloth and while wet ran it through a couple of times, as well as a few passes while drying with separate rag, it seemed to remove most of the dullness, perhaps onward to a bottle scrub brush next time around.

[leon2245]

Nice work FMN, thanks for sharing.

...anodizing are starting to wear off and I see tiny bits of silver which makes it looks cheaper and scratchy. Anodizing good when new but gets really scratchy over time.

I kind of like that look!

[richpalm]

I used liquid.

Thanks! Gonna go try it.

[richpalm]

OK, this didn't work for me. I left the Mag tailcap in straight liquid Drano for half an hour... did nothing much.

What did I do wrong, and how long does this take?

Better yet, anyone got a stripped 2D tail they wanna get rid of? I really don't want to fool with harsh chemicals anyway, and I'm not gonna leave it overnight anywhere.

Rich

[flashmenow]

Did you have any sort of reaction start to happen ? A slight bubbling (micro bubbles) on the surface of anno ?

I never did a Mag tail so not sure of the coating on it. Could you try a longer exposure perhaps 1hr ?

[ebow86]

Looks like something you would want to practice on some old maglite's until you get good, then go ahead and give it a try on some more expensive lights.

[jh333233]

Any possibility to do a silver coating?