Removing anodization. Anyone tried?

[adamtnyc]

I've been researching how to remove the clouded anodization on my late model window trim so that I can polish it, and I'm reading that you can do it with oven cleaner or Draino. There's even a few tutorials on YouTube. Anyone tried it?

[ravenlord89]

Buy a used POS paintball gun (one that is actually anno'd) and test it out on that. At worst you are out a few bucks and haven't ruined any car parts.

[adamtnyc]

Buy a used POS paintball gun (one that is actually anno'd) and test it out on that. At worst you are out a few bucks and haven't ruined any car parts.

I was planning on testing, but on a junkyard piece of mangled trim. I like your idea though. Because in the end, at least I'll have a paintball gun.

[Keith M]

Oven cleaner will remove the anodized finish. Be aware that the exposed aluminum will oxidize and need occasional polishing to keep it shiny.

[kway]

^ All true.

If you wanted to really go nuts, you would strip the anodize off, re-polish everything, then send it out to be "bright dip" anodized. At that point you'd have essentially "as new" brightwork, having replicated the factory procedure. I don't know anyone who's gone to such lengths, but I'd be impressed if someone did.

[LJ851]

Keep in mind that a lot of current oven cleaners will not remove anodizing.

The solution needs to be caustic to remove anodizing, lots of info in the interwebs.

[Nick_S]

EZ Off oven cleaner and light steel wool work. Don't breathe that stuff in though.

[AndrewBird]

Don't expect the aluminum to be shiny and clean after the oven cleaner. It is going to look black and corroded looking. From there you will need to polish it to make it look good again. All the oven clean will do is remove the anodizing so you can polish it.

[agent]

http://www.classictrimcoat.com/

I used the anodized aluminum kit and the rubber rebuilder kit on Klaus and recommend both highly.

[ZinnoBerrotEta]

http://www.classictrimcoat.com/

I used the anodized aluminum kit and the rubber rebuilder kit on Klaus and recommend both highly.

I second this. I used the bumper stripper kit and have the rubber rebuilder for my ES and both worked wonderfully. Paul is a great guy, too. Don't hesitate to call the number on his site and chat with him.

[ELVA164]

Search the forums for threads about polishing diving board bumpers, I remember reading a few.

[E30Strube]

If you use oven cleaner, don't let the part sit in the solution very long as it will start eating away at the metal.

[nomansfriend]

Draino, done it and it works better than easy-off. works really good