damaged Black paint on flashlight

[asimzb]

Hello,
I have a flashlight I used locking pliers to unscrew the sealed tailcap that was glued, although I couldn't unscrew it but the black paint over aluminum body is damaged on some spots and the white metals is visible. have someone seen any rust on those damaged paint areas where bare aluminum is visible? should i be concerned ,

Thanks

 

[nbp]

It is primarily a cosmetic issue. Aluminum does not "rust" the way bare steel does, so no need to be overly worried.

 

[Crazyeddiethefirst]

FYI, when dealing with tail caps or heads that are glued or have "Locktite" applied:I put the parts in a freezer rated ziplock bag and submerge the part inside the bag into hot water for 30 seconds before attempting to loosen, it works about 90% of the time...
For a quick albeit not perfect repair job, a black sharpie covers a lot of imperfections quite easily...

 

[Phlogiston]

As nbp says, bare aluminium is normally fine. It forms a natural oxide coating which is virtually invisible and prevents further corrosion.

The one thing you need to watch is exposure to salt, which can catalyse severe corrosion. For example, if your light is exposed to seawater, sea spray or road salt - even dropping it in salty water or slush at the edge of the road in winter - you should thoroughly rinse the salt off with fresh water and then dry the light off again afterward.

 

[Unicorn]

If you want it black for cosmetic reasons you have a couple options. There is a chemical blackening agent you can get from most gun stores or Brownells, or probably Amazon. It just makes the metal black.
You can use one of the dozens of touchup pens or paints with a brush.
You could sand it down lightly and use something like Aluminahyde II from Brownells, an epoxy based finish.
You could go all out and have it Cerakoted... a complete refinish. But paying a $100 for a refinish might be a bit extreme.

I'd personally use some touch up paint.