Any tips on anno removing / aluminum polishing?

[Trbo323]

Long story short I have a marker that looks a little janky, it's not worth sending in for anno so I was thinking about going to bare aluminum and polishing

Who has done this, what tools did you use, what tips do you have?

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[BrickHaus]

I sanded all of the anno off of a vl genesis long ago. It took soooo much work and I used many types of sandpaper, then steel wool. It sucks. You get through the anno color, then the copper layer, then down to aluminum.

Im sure it took a few years off of my life honestly. Lmao

[Trbo323]

I sanded all of the anno off of a vl genesis long ago. It took soooo much work and I used many types of sandpaper, then steel wool. It sucks. You get through the anno color, then the copper layer, then down to aluminum.

Im sure it took a few years off of my life honestly. Lmao

I have a bench grinder, Dremel and rotary sander to work with. Should have mentioned that

I read somewhere that oven cleaner strips anno, anyone know for sure?

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[Memornix]

Yes, oven cleaner does work. Spray it on, let it sit, then rub around with gloves on after it sits for awhile and wash clean. It leaves an uneven finish but it is a heck of alot easier to start sanding from there.

As always, test on a small area first

[Trbo323]

Hhhmmmmm

Rust remover

https://youtu.be/SntTC97fcn0

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[superman]

Worth noting that I would leave ano on all threads.


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[Macdave06]

Easy off oven cleaner used to work. They changed something because last time I tried it didn't do nearly as well.

As for polishing just throw a buffing wheel on your bench grinder. Get some of the stick type polishing compound and go to town.

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[RuleOfSines]

I remember seeing a video of someone using a grill and some sort of spray. Looked sketchy as all hell and probably some nasty fumes, but it worked...

[Sale2me]

Aluminum becomes soft without anno layer. Be sure to mask off and protect threads

I used 100% lye with warm water, one tsp to 16oz water. Don't over strip otherwise pitting.

[Spider!]

Worth noting that I would leave ano on all threads.

You can mask and plug areas to prevent stripping. Actual "lacquer" is pretty easy to work with, but rubber cement is good too.

100%. Lye drain cleaner is pretty cheap. It works more evenly than foam spray oven cleaner. Wash the parts in dawn or brake cleaner before stripping.

Warm stripper is very active, be careful. Below about 70 F, lye starts slowing down a lot. I wouldn't heat it much above 100F either. Never add hot water to concentrated lye, it boils. Between the rate of the stripper and the varying thickness of the ano, you just have to keep watching the parts to see when they finish (usually just minutes). You'll have to scrub the smut off. Gloves. Glasses. Old clothes.

For final polish, mother's mag polish is nice

[Euphie]

How well has the polished aluminum held up for those that have done this? I know it is a lot softer that would tell me it also dulls faster? Or do you protect it with some sort of coating?

Also does anyone know if a raw finish or a scuffed up anno takes Duracoat/Cerakote better?

[punkncat]

The aspect of oven cleaner that (did) work, and drain cleaner that do work is lye. Be aware that it physically removes a layer of the aluminum. If you make it too strong (and particularly used to be the case with oven cleaner) it will very quickly pit the surface.
It is also good to know that lye will cause SEVERE burns to your skin, can blind you if you slash some. Use proper protective gear and have white vinegar on hand. (you watched Fight Club, right?)

I second Jake, leave the threads anno. You can readily do so with various types of masking. Removing ano, which is a hard layer, makes aluminum soft and easier to damage.

When you get around to the polishing stage, use a metal polish that contains a wax base. If you only polish and don't wax or otherwise seal the surface the metal will "rust" (oxidize) and get a white powder and hue, also dull very quickly. Paintballs and handling remove the wax in many polishes very quickly so don't be surprised if you end up having to re-polish every couple of regular play days. I suggest something like Bombz Away or other motorcycle/car enthusiast products.

As a side note, search your local major metropolis for anodizing services. I found a place that does window extrusions, did a spectacular job and cost ~$150 for something like 10 pieces. It honestly could have been a hundred given that it was the vat fee I paid for and their racks were large.

[Brokeass_baller]

I've had good luck with sandblasting, then polishing, then gloss clear coat.

[djeclypse]

I'm not sure what the coating is on the 98s but I've done a few of them down to bare metal using CitriStrip. Aircraft stripper supposedly works better but definitely wear protection. A few rounds of CitriStrip with a scotch brite pad for the stubborn stuff, then either scuff it for repainting, or one I polished withing an inch of it's like using automotive compound then a few coats or automotive clear coat. Its shiny. Nothing special like the gold leaf jobber I saw here but definitely not your basic 98s.

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