Anodizing Unknown Metal

[ard3]

i would like to anodize the rearsets on my motorcycle, which is only a few months old. the rearsets are basically the footpeg assembly. to the best of my knowledge, they are aluminum. is there any way to test if they are in fact aluminum and possibly know what series?

also, the mounting bracket appears to be polished, while the rest of the the pieces are more dull. i don't know if these parts have been clear anodized or what. is there any way to know if the parts have been anodized or not, or if they are cast? is it necessary to use an anodize stripper or can i just try to anodize w/out stripping?

on aluminum parts which are somewhat old but have not been anodized can they be anodized without any prepping? or would a stripper be necessary or would just sanding the part be alright?

[mcaswell]

See the link for our Pick-A-Kit helper at the top of this forum. At the bottom of that page is a chart that explains how to tell the difference between metals.

Parts that have been anodized will not conduct electricity. Die cast parts will react to acid. Place a drop in an inconspicuous area and see if it fizzes.

If you need to re-anodize anything, it will need to be stripped.

If you want your old aluminum part to look good anodized, you will have to polish it to a high shine first. The condition of the part before anodizing dictates the look of the finished product.