removing annodizing from aluminum wheels

[trucker n]

what do you use to get anodizing from aluminum wheels anyone know what to use thanks

[Brian in PA]

I use aluminum brightener. The stuff that you clean aluminum with B4 its polished. ZEPALUM from ZEP works great or EZ Brite works too.

Brian

[sneaky-pete]

I have had good luck with Easy Off oven cleaner (the original yello can).

[Espeefan]

Grease Lighting also removes anodizing and does it pretty quick. Almost anything you use to remove anodizing is probably going to require a complete polish afterward.

[fhhhstix]

Originally Posted by Brian in PA

I use aluminum brightener. The stuff that you clean aluminum with B4 its polished. ZEPALUM from ZEP works great or EZ Brite works too.

Brian

I second ZEPALLUM this stuff works great and a gallon will last you a long time.

Travis

[Thorsteenster]

I'd be careful with Easy Off, it works great on alu plate but I tried it on I guess it was cast alu and it pitted it badly. Machined I'm sure is a world of difference between cast, but I'd try a little on the back of the wheel first though.

[9W Monighan]

When I need to have some of my aluminum refinished I take it to the anodizer and they dip the metal into caustic soda to strip the old color off. Pretty cool to watch but if it's left too long the caustic will erode all the metal away. I can't remember but I think it turns black, then it's dipped into sulfuric acid and it brightens up. All of the anodized parts used on this hobby stuff is not sealed with the nickel solution like architectural metal to keep the color from fading from sunlight. So hobby items would strip very easily with the chemicals everybody has mentioned.

[trucker n]

thanks guys i guess the wheels i had were cast i used the easy off and now they are badly pitted

[fhhhstix]

How long did you leave the easy off on them? I was using easy off ond it worked good but for the price of a can of easy off the ZEPALUM is $17 a gallon and you can water it down to 50:1 and it works just as quick as easy off. With either product if you leave it on to long it will pit the aluminum. The bonus to the zepalum is that you can mix it in a sealable container and use it a couple of times just hook your parts together with wire and dunk them in and when they are done soaking just pull them out and hose them off.

Travis

[Brian in PA]

X2!
Brian