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What's the best way to remove anodization from an aluminum chassis without damaging the chassis? Sandpaper? Chemicals?

Also, what is the best way to remove paint (either if painted on the bare aluminum OR over the anodization)

I want to prep the chassis to take this flat paint: http://www.krylon.com/products/camouflage-paint-made-with-fusion-for-plastic-technology/

Thanks in advance!

The easiest way I have found to remove anodizing is to have my local shop do it for me. It's just a minimum shop charge to not have to deal with chemicals and the mess. That said, I have read that oven cleaner works well

For paint stripping I like dot4 brake fluid, easy on most plastics but death to most paints.

Yellow can easy off oven cleaner. Spray it on outside with gloves and eye protection scrub with a toothbrush in a reasonable area then dunk in a bucket of warm water. Repeat until the whole chassis is cleaned.

Does this get through paint as well?

hydrogen peroxide works for anno as well.

marlo wrote:hydrogen peroxide works for anno as well.

Ask him how he knows, I dare ya

life.....live, and learn

Hydrogen peroxide won't remove anodizing but it will strip the color out of the oxidation layer. That really stinks when it ruins nice chassis like that.

I've had some very interesting results, that look liked it went right down to the aluminum.

well, I believe it stripped the color completely out for SURE. the anodizing is usually very thin, and anodized vs bare would look the same. The reason I say this is: hydrogen peroxide works by having very loosely couple oxygen atoms in it's structure. oxygen likes to break away from the bonds to combine with anything else it can get in contact with, which is why hydrogen peroxide is used to whiten, oxygen is aggressive and reactive to most chemical compounds and breaks them down into more stable compounds. BUT, anodizing is accelerated OXIDATION of the aluminum surface. So if anything, it should have added MORE oxide layer.

Awesome! Thanks guys. This forum rocks.

frgna wrote:Awesome! Thanks guys. This forum rocks.

same as above ^ great info!!