Stripping anodic coating

[kris23]

hey guys! im wondering whats an easy way to strip the anodizing from a stock maglite casing?

i have some mags that are rather scratched and beat up and would like to give them a polished aluminum look...

thanks alot!

 

[jhanko]

Let me Google that for you.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :devil:

 

[StarHalo]

Oven cleaner and a scrub brush, but be warned that the resulting slurry that comes off your flashlight is nasty toxic :sick2:

The simplest way to do it is to just take the parts to your local anodizing/powdercoating business and have them stripped there.

 

[kris23]

lol funny link there :laughing:

so oven cleaner works? thats good, how much contact time would it need? dont wanna pit a perfectly good mag...

 

[jhanko]

lol funny link there :laughing:

so oven cleaner works? thats good, how much contact time would it need? dont wanna pit a perfectly good mag...

http://www.rcnitrotalk.com/removing-anodizing/

 

[kris23]

now thats some good info there.... thanks!

 

[nekomane]

Removing HA3 success
Great info but I feel nowadays there should be a Kids don't do this at home kind of warning.

Please read it carefully and proceed with caution.

 

[greenLED]

CPF's Encyclopaedia Brittanica of ano removal.

 

[kris23]

hey guys, thanks for the info, but ill try the easyoff first as its the most readily available substance....

need to pick some up anyway...

ill probably give lye a try sometime in the future

 

[greenLED]

(easy off has lye - sodium hydroxide)

 

[kris23]

ooo so thats it! cool. is the concentration high enough that it would pit the mag with short exposure?

 

[greenLED]

ooo so thats it! cool. is the concentration high enough that it would pit the mag with short exposure?

No, not really. They can't make commercial products too concentrated. That said, keep an eye on things and don't over do it.

Oh, and wear all sorts of protective gear (eyes, apron, gloves)... don't want to get any body parts to that stuff. And, work in a well ventilated area.

 

[kris23]

just thought id update

polished aluminum 3D next to 6D mag for reference...

theres a few large scratches on the mag from years of use and abuse.... beating nails in and then some....

ill remove them with sanding sometime...

im still shocked at how white it is compared to the black it used to be....

so... did i do good for my first try?

 

[StarHalo]

so... did i do good for my first try?

Nicely done, but it looks the same as a stock "silver" Mag now, so now it's time to do something unpredictable with it..

And I'm wondering how long that cereal bowl has been back there :green:

 

[kris23]

the bowl was there from this morning its washed and put away now

as for the mag, what kind of polish do you recommend? i have spent a wool pad already as its black from left over anodize and corrosion..

no more steel polish either...

 

[65535]

Mothers mag and aluminum polish is a favorite of mine. Flitz and SemiChrome are also popular faves.

 

[greenLED]

as for the mag, what kind of polish do you recommend? i have spent a wool pad already as its black from left over anodize and corrosion..

If there's anodizing left over, you're better off dipping it again in NaOH. Polishing through it will be a royal pain.

Mothers mag and aluminum polish is a favorite of mine. Flitz and SemiChrome are also popular faves.

Flitz gets my vote - amazing results.
Just be aware that highly polished, bare aluminum will scratch and dent very easily, so don't sweat it trying to get a mirror finish.

 

[kris23]

thanks you guys yea i dont think theres anymore anodize on the mag after the polishing, its pretty shiny. as for polish, ill give those a shot, assuming theyre not overly expensive....