Anodizing stripping question

[AndyF]

I would like to remove the anodized finish from a part. Would oven cleaner work effectively?. Other options that can be done SAFELY at home?. Thanks.

 

[DrafterDan]

Yup. Standard oven cleaner worked for me, even does hard anodixed. I spray enough in a glass (don't let your wife see) to cover the part. Let it work for 10/15 min then swish it around in another glass of water to check the progress. Clean/ dry with an old tshirt. If you want to leave it raw, I'd suggest polishing with a white 3M pad or 400grit or higher sandpaper

T4 via S4

 

[AndyF]

Thanks

 

[yoyoman]

There are also other threads that have information on how to prepare the light. Sodium Hydroxide (lye) also works. Try a search for sodium hydroxide. There may also be some youtubes.

 

[monkeyboy]

Sodium hydroxide works best. If you can't be bothered buying sodium hydroxide, most drain cleaners and oven cleaners contain sodium hydroxide. Be careful with this stuff. Rubber gloves and eye protection are essential. Noxious fumes are given off. Soak the parts in the solution for a few minutes, then run under water while brushing with a soft brush. Repeat until all of the anodise is off. If you leave it in far too long, it will start pitting the aluminium.

The next stage is desmutting with nitric acid. This removes the non-aluminium metals that are deposited on the surface from the alloy. This is optional and can be done by polishing instead.

Finally use metal polish to finish. Brasso works well. You shouldn't need to use sandpaper at all.