[CR]removing anodizing, and adding it

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot:PY-10)

From: "Andrew Gillis" <apgmaa@earthlink.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <CATFOOD1tIzmQVuRWCy00000131@catfood.nt.phred.org> <006b01c1e67d$0ca624c0$0301a8c0@glan> <p05100346b8e3e745aba5@[216.175.95.72]>
Subject: [CR]removing anodizing, and adding it
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 20:26:53 -0700


All CR's:

I recall that Mark Boral mentioned a while back that the Amway oven cleaner was a lot less corrosive to use as an anodizing-removal chemical than Easy-Off over cleaner. I have not used the Amway stuff.

I prefer to bring in my batch of parts to my semi-local mil-spec anodizing house, which dumps them all in a vat and removes the original anodizing for a nominal cost.

In the case of mixed-metal parts (Campy aluminum hub shells with the steel cups still installed) you can either remove the anodizing by hand or pay a nominal, supplemental fee to the anodizing house to have the cups masked off with wax or special paint before they go into the stripping vat.

Lastly, I've had Campy NR and Campy BMX cranks stripped and reanodized with great results. I did the post-stripping/ pre re-anodizing polishing by hand using Mother's aluminum polish and cotton rags. I have one clear silver anodized Campy NR 2-bolt seatpost which is showing absolutely NO signs of corrosion after eight years of near-the-beach weekend use. I have one set of anodized-while-new Campy Record 1995 hubs which are now just starting to show modest weathering near the spoke holes.

Polished raw aluminum may be period correct, but anodizing makes the parts profoundly more durable.

Andrew Gillis (Long Beach, CA)