ano remover

[banjoe]

I'm needing ano remover for the grill off a chevelle. Is there something I can purchase local that will do it?
thanks
banjoe

[FigureLLC]

i don't think there's an easy way to remove it. one of the ano guys can offer better. why do you need to remove it?

[banjoe]

It's fuzzy or foggy looking. I need to git it off so I can polish the peices. Does anyone know if a masonry cleaner that contains an acid will take it off?

[Empire03]

paint thinner maybe?

[FigureLLC]

Originally Posted by Empire03

paint thinner maybe?

nope. ano is aluminum oxide. it's very tough.

according to this article, use sodium hyrdroxide-based drain cleaner: http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/665.cfm

[mkriegs]

That's what I use, get pure lye from any hardware store. It's usually sold as a drain cleaner, make sure it says 100% lye on the bottle and it should be white crystals that you just mix with distilled water.

Maybe one of the more experienced guys in here can clarify, but I don't think this is the best idea (unless you plan on powdercoating or annodizing the part right after) for a few reasons. First, I've heard of nasty stuff happening to unprotected aluminum left out in the elements. Second, I'm pretty sure unanodized aluminum wont stay polished for very long, especially if it's on the front of a truck. Last, I'm not sure if this is a huge deal or not but it doesn't sound like you have a way of desmutting the aluminum after you strip it.

Don't take my word for gold though, I have a habit of being blatantly wrong , I just wanted to make sure you knew there were risks involved.

On a paintball forum that a lot of us anodizers post on there are a lot of people who do something exactly like this and I've heard nothing but bad experiences from the people who do it, so be warned.

[acidrain]

Originally Posted by mkriegs

That's what I use, get pure lye from any hardware store. It's usually sold as a drain cleaner, make sure it says 100% lye on the bottle and it should be white crystals that you just mix with distilled water.

Maybe one of the more experienced guys in here can clarify, but I don't think this is the best idea (unless you plan on powdercoating or annodizing the part right after) for a few reasons. First, I've heard of nasty stuff happening to unprotected aluminum left out in the elements. Second, I'm pretty sure unanodized aluminum wont stay polished for very long, especially if it's on the front of a truck. Last, I'm not sure if this is a huge deal or not but it doesn't sound like you have a way of desmutting the aluminum after you strip it.

Don't take my word for gold though, I have a habit of being blatantly wrong , I just wanted to make sure you knew there were risks involved.

On a paintball forum that a lot of us anodizers post on there are a lot of people who do something exactly like this and I've heard nothing but bad experiences from the people who do it, so be warned.

Exactly right.
I happen to be working on a '68 el camino right now. It too has a dulled grill, but stripping it, polishing, and re-ano is going to be too much work. I'll either try to find a better used one, live with what I have, or buy a new re-production.
Stripping the old ano with lye will leave a very dull finish.
The part is too thin to to polish... they come from the factory as stamped aluminum and then straight to the ano with no polishing. Same with the wheel opening trim, etc.
I'm going to recommend against trying to strip and polish the part.

[FigureLLC]

Originally Posted by acidrain

Stripping the old ano with lye will leave a very dull finish.

oh, yeah, that's important to note! we experimented with lye to purposely produce a dull finish on aluminum.