Aluminum Trims...again...

[pigidly]

I know you guys may have anwser this before but here it is again...

I<m polishing my trim of my 64 impala, got the anodize coating of, sand it with 220 then 320 then 600, then 1500 then 2000 the i polish them with a bench buffer with cotton wheel and compound (not shure about my compound) but any way...

i still got some black pits in my aluminum... they dont seem to go away! i sanded like crazy! the final buffing didnt got rid of them...

dont know what to do...should i sand some more? or should i have more agressive compound at the end of the process...

thanks for your input

Patrick

[baz]

pictures would help !.
how was the anodize removed ?
if they were blasted with anything coarser than fine glassbeads at low pressure you may have caused more harm than good.
if those black pits are oxydation pitting you might get away by sanding but if they are pitted too deep you could ruin the trim before getting rid of the pitted area.
as for knowing if you need to sand or use a coarser compound just try to apply more compound and more pressure in one area and see if it removes the black pits , if it does nt work then back to sanding

[pigidly]

Originally Posted by baz

pictures would help !.
how was the anodize removed ?
if they were blasted with anything coarser than fine glassbeads at low pressure you may have caused more harm than good.
if those black pits are oxidation pitting you might get away by sanding but if they are pitted too deep you could ruin the trim before getting rid of the pitted area.
as for knowing if you need to sand or use a coarser compound just try to apply more compound and more pressure in one area and see if it removes the black pits , if it does nt work then back to sanding

Ok. I used a old trick... liquid plumber!... it got every thing of without damaging the aluminum. I really think its oxidation, I tried to get it of by starting with 150 grit! got some of it out but not all...

i will try to get a pic up in here...

Thanks for your reply by the way...

[pigidly]

ah! je viend de voir que tu est a St-hubert... small world! je suis a MTL Nord...

cool.

Pat

[baz]

Originally Posted by pigidly

ah! je viend de voir que tu est a St-hubert... small world! je suis a MTL Nord...

cool.

Pat

yes small world neighbor

[berndog]

I want to hear more about the liquid plumber,,does it really work? And how do you apply it? Man I have spent hours burning off the anodizing on an Impala grill before,,looked awesome ,but it would be nice to know a new trick to get off the anodizing.

[woodjames]

Use oven cleaner. It's mainly caustic soda. Spray on and watching the ano fall off in sheets. Rinse well. It'll leave the aluminum frosty, but buffs right up.

Originally Posted by berndog

I want to hear more about the liquid plumber,,does it really work? And how do you apply it? Man I have spent hours burning off the anodizing on an Impala grill before,,looked awesome ,but it would be nice to know a new trick to get off the anodizing.

[baz]

Originally Posted by berndog

I want to hear more about the liquid plumber,,does it really work? And how do you apply it? Man I have spent hours burning off the anodizing on an Impala grill before,,looked awesome ,but it would be nice to know a new trick to get off the anodizing.

how can you burn off anodizing ?
anodizing is a layer of oxydation how can you burn that
yes liquid plumber,drano,oven cleaner . they are all made from caustic soda
and caustic soda will dissolve the anodized layer

if your caustic solution is too concentated or if you leave it on the part for too long it will also attack the aluminium and it could even dissolve the aluminium completly

[berndog]

Not actually burning with flame ,its a term I use when applying steady pressure of the polishing wheel & letting the heat of that burn it off.

[pigidly]

I took a gel liquid plumber.. the stronger stuff you can find. You apply it with a brush and the anodize coating will turn white and start to turn into a paste. Rinse it off and do it again till there no more. work really good and cut the job in half!