Nice shinny silver Arc AAA.

The Arc AAA now comes in silver!
Well, not really.
I stripped the HA off it with a LYE solution.
This is not even polished, this is how it looks right after stripping.





This is a Arc Grey Kit bezel stripped, and unpolished.
It came out alittle rougher,, but should shine up after polishing.

very nice! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

beadblasting would look cool too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

1) Why?

2) Is the surface softer?

3) Do you think it will stand up in EDC?

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

ticey's just one of those wierd guys /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

i believe he did it because he is impressed with the way it looks...

the surface will be softer though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

PhotonBoy....
I have 3 the same color, so I thought what the heck.
Yes, I like the looks of it.

Actually, the knurling is rougher now. The rest is about the same feel.

It shouldnt get scratched real easy, but I will have to give her alittle polish every so often.

It would be nice to get it clear HA'ed. EN I think its called?

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

EN - Electro Nickel Plated.

That would be cool. McLuxyish. (Someone already used McLark) I've been wondering how to de-oxidize EN non-abrasively.

An old friend of mine told me something that distantly relates to this modification. He said you know a sports car has great lines if it still looks good painted white.

Nice, jtice.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

jtice,

Is that teal looking color one, is the one thats called CPF member edition in blue.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

What is the solution you used? Is it something like the jelly stuff used to strip the paint form metal surfaces? In my country is xalled paint corrosive jelly.
It looks nice though.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

Zorba, I believe the solution he stated was Lye. You can use some over the counter drain cleaners, here in the states we have "Liquid Plumber" I don't know what they would have in Europe but it would contain Lye in the ingredients and you would have to keep an eye on the process because lye can start to pit the aluminum if it's left in the solution too long!

here's a link to a home anodizing page that lists steps for stripping anodizing too, it's a cool read even if you don't plan on setting up an operation, answers alot of questions about process.

Anodizing page

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

Thanks, I ll shop some tommorow and try it on my arc AAA

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

Zorba and all, I added a link to my above post that shows some stripping and anodizing process, it an educational experience so check it out!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

I would imagine with nothing to protect the aluminum, it would make a nice make-shift pencil /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

toneloe... Yes, the teal looking one is actually a blue CPF member body. Im not sure why it turned out so teal in my pic. The flash lightened it up.

zorba... It is a LYE solution. You can buy powder lye, that is used to unclog drain pipes. You mix it with some cold water in a container, and submerge the piece in it. The LYE will eat the HA right off of it. You let it soak for a few minutes, then tkae it out and whip it down, getting off all the HA that will come off. Then place it back in the solution, and repeat the process as needed.

tsg68... I dont know if you should use liquid draino. It has other chemicals in it that could discolor the Aluminum. Plus, there might not be enough LYE in it to do the trick.
I used this Red Devel LYE powder.



WARNING - - - LYE will eat skin! Not as well as it will eat HA, but still. Don't do this bare handed like I did. Plus, do this in an open area, with good ventilation. The fumes are killer. - Yes LYE will pit the aluminum if you leave it in too long. Thats why you have to keep an eye on it, and keep whipping it down. -- Also.. try to swirl the container as the piece soaks, so it doesnt make a mark where it was sitting on the botton of the container. You can try to tie something to the piece, and suspend it in the solution, but i found this not really needed.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

jtice,

The blue one I bought of DPR from the previous auction looks almost like black /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif is that how its suppose to look.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

toneloe..
Mine is also from dpr. Great guy BTW.

Well, mine is alot darker than my pic suggest. The flash from my cam made it alot brighter.
By itself, it looks very dark, but next to a black AAA it looks alot bluer.
I have a black UV head on mine.
My black AAA has a green led.
My other three have white leds. (2 grey, one stripped HA)

As far as I know, they are supposed to be pretty dark.

Here are a couple pics without using the flash. These are alittle truer color. Hope this helped.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

jtice, I've been thinking about doing that to an LS. I think it looks sharp. Do you plan on polishing? Please post pics if you do. I'm standing by with Lye in hand...

CM

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

CM, Yes I plan on polishing it as soon as I can find some Flitz. I hear its the best for AL.

This is shiftd's grey kit after polish. You should be able to get it looking like this. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

B@rt and I both did this on some Arc's. A hint, grease the threads so they don't get eaten away.
A warning: Always add the lye to the water. If you do it the other way, you may get an explosive boil-over.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

Bubbles of hydrogen gas are released too, so there's a slight chance of explosion if you're not in a well-ventilated area.

As a teenager, I used to produce a lot of hydrogen by putting aluminum foil in a lye-solution. Lots of fun for bored teens.

Re: Nice shiny silver Arc AAA.

Jtice, that AAA looks great, would love to see it after some clear anodization is applied. I asked Peter about making AAA's out of silver (instead of aluminum) but he wasn't having any. I guses this is the next best thing... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif