According to my experience and everything I have read, on a freshly machined part or one that was prepped recently, the DeOx/DeSmut is all that is needed. The DeOx/DeSmut takes off any natural oxides grown from the part just sitting around. I add the extra etch step (sodium hydroxide) only on cast aluminum parts because of smut problems caused by impurities in the cast. I have seen posts saying the DeOx/DeSmut will take care of this problem without the extra etch step but haven't had time to test it. The automotive cast parts I've run into seem to be made of really trashy material. If you are dealing with known grade aluminum and especially fresh machined, you should only need to prep, degrease, DeOx/DeSmut, and anodize.
Sorry for going on a tangent.
so if parts are freshly machined, or have only been sitting around 1-2 weeks MAX after stripping and prepping......would the etch step be needed, (NO) or would the desmut/deoxidizer be enough? (YES)
A question for you. From previous post dates and conversations with Fibergeek that you have had, would you be yankin my chain as they say?[/b]
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