# How to strip and polish HA bodies?



## KDOG3 (Nov 6, 2006)

Lets' say I would want to strip off the HA finish from some lights and polish them up shiny. Whats the best procedure for doing so?


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## kumar762 (Nov 6, 2006)

I know that soaking whatever's anodized in lye four about an hour,will strip off the andozing I'm sure you can polish and touch it up real nice after that.I don't know too much but I'm sure someone does.


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## powernoodle (Nov 6, 2006)

I don't have links, but there are some good threads on this floating around out there if care to search for them.

peace


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## nexro (Nov 6, 2006)

Here ya go 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/58899


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## Data (Nov 6, 2006)

Anodizer Remover 

I got some of this but have not tried it yet.


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## MoonRise (Nov 6, 2006)

It depends a bit on the tools you have available and the amount of material you are willing to sacrifice and the desired end result of just how 'polished' you want.

To chemically strip anodizing, you can use a lye solution or some "Greased Lightning" cleaner. Mask off the area(s) where you don't want the chemical to get. You can use some nail polish, or some lacquer, or some tool-handle dip. Let the masking dry well. Then apply or soak the part in/with the stripping chemical. Wait a while, rinse with water, rub with a cloth or mild abrasive pad like a fine ScotchBrite pad, repeat as needed.

Be CAREFUL!!! Lye is dangerous, some of the other listed substances may be or are dangerous, flammable, toxic, or all of the above.

Mechanical means to remove HA from a tube-shaped item could just be chuck the part in a lathe, and turn off a few thousandths from the OD.

Once the HA is off, next you go to the polishing stage. To polish, start with an appropriate grit to remove the coarsest scratches present, then keep moving to finer and finer grits to remove the previous scratches until you have the surface as smooth and shiny as desired.

Note that stripping HA from knurling and grooves and then polishing the knurling and grooves will be annoying to difficult to cuss-worthy.

Also note that you will easily lose 2-3 thousandths in OD, depending on how aggresive your chemical/mechanical stripping is and how much polishing you do.


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## cy (Nov 6, 2006)

base, alkaline, lye are among the common names for chemicals suitable to strip anodic film from aluminum. 

you have a choice of using a weak alkaline solution, which takes several hours or my preferred method is to use a strong enough solution to strip off in 2-3 minutes. 

take 1-2 teaspoons of lye and SLOWLY add to 1-2 cups of water. note this is an inexact mix as there's too many brands out there to give exacts. 

always wear safety glasses when doing this. strength of chemical range from very strong like lye to fairly weak like simple green. none will feel very good in your eyes.

after stripping you will see a light film on surface. wash off with regular running water. then seal pores in hot water just under boiling for 2-3 minutes. 

polishing can be done with common car polishing compound. chrome polish works too, but much slower. I do mine on a bench grinder loaded with cloth buffing wheels and a selection of different polishing compounds. 

when polishing via buffing wheel, one really needs to be extremely careful. part can and do get yanked out of your hands at extremely high rates of speed. it's common to see professional polishers with missing fingers :green:


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## greenLED (Nov 6, 2006)

Data, that probably has NaOH and maybe other chemicals.


:devil: I use 10N NaOH :devil: (fast and furious!)

_Disclaimer:_ I am trained in analytical lab procedures and have access to a dedicated laboratory, plus I use all safety equipment and procedures. *In other words: don't try this at home!*

Bragging aside, that thread that nexro linked has all the info you need, and some more. Whatever you choose to use, be *very careful*, wear all sorts of protective gear (eye protection, rubber gloves, apron, well ventilated area, etc.)


On the polishing side: increasingly fine sandpaper, finishing with #0000 steel wool and then Flitz polish.


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## Data (Nov 6, 2006)

What they sent me is a white powder in a plastic container. It does not say what is in it. It does say mix 4 tablespoons to 1 gal warm water and soak for 5 to 10 min.


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## Jumpmaster (Nov 6, 2006)

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=58899

JM-99


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## Data (Nov 6, 2006)

cy said:


> . . . it's common to see professional polishers with missing fingers :green:




My professional polisher does not have any fingers at all!


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## dpled (Nov 6, 2006)

Let us know how it works Data:laughing: . Its cheap and if it work this just might be the easy solution for some of us .





Data said:


> Anodizer Remover
> 
> I got some of this but have not tried it yet.


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## RA40 (Nov 20, 2006)

I'd be careful of sodium hydroxide. At least in the concentrations recommended as an cleaner/etchant. This is one entry of the many combinations of this agent. Make sure you get the MSDS for your specific bottle before mixing a batch of this up so you know the potential hazards.

http://msds.ehs.cornell.edu/msds/siri/files/clk/clkfc.html

One more from a Canadian site:
http://www.worksafesask.ca/files/ccohs/cheminfo/cie5.html

I'd ordered some many years ago to use as an etchant/cleaner for some 6-4 Ti being worked. After talking with an industrial safety consultant, I opted to not have it on the premises. 

For any chemical, this is a must have site to reference:
http://msds.ehs.cornell.edu/msdssrch.asp


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## cy (Nov 20, 2006)

YIKES!!!



Data said:


> My professional polisher does not have any fingers at all!


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## ROVER (Nov 25, 2006)

I've just been playing with cheap drain cleaner with NaOH on a couple annodized lights. 

When I've let the lights soak in the NaOH, it is very effective and removing the annodizing but leaves the surface heavily pitted and uneven.

I got much better results using a cotton swab saturated in sodium hydroxide and slowly wiping it over the area. The surface is considerably smoother and thus a few steps closer to being well polished. Granted these weren't particularly hard annodized (mostly maglights and a few off brands), but I think this may apply to harder annodizing as well.


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## Billson (Nov 29, 2006)

ROVER said:


> I've just been playing with cheap drain cleaner with NaOH on a couple annodized lights.
> 
> When I've let the lights soak in the NaOH, it is very effective and removing the annodizing but leaves the surface heavily pitted and uneven.
> 
> I got much better results using a cotton swab saturated in sodium hydroxide and slowly wiping it over the area. The surface is considerably smoother and thus a few steps closer to being well polished. Granted these weren't particularly hard annodized (mostly maglights and a few off brands), but I think this may apply to harder annodizing as well.



If it came out heavily pitted, you left it in the solution too long. I constantly take out the light and wipe it down to see if the HA has already come off.


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## cy (Nov 29, 2006)

and/or solution is too strong



Billson said:


> If it came out heavily pitted, you left it in the solution too long. I constantly take out the light and wipe it down to see if the HA has already come off.


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## will (Nov 29, 2006)

One other item - be careful of the threaded areas, If it is soaked to long, the parts that are threaded will have a lot of slop when screwed together.


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## Jumpmaster (Nov 29, 2006)

ROVER said:


> I've just been playing with cheap drain cleaner with NaOH on a couple annodized lights.
> 
> When I've let the lights soak in the NaOH, it is very effective and removing the annodizing but leaves the surface heavily pitted and uneven.



Wow. Maybe you should try Greased Lightning? :ironic:



> I got much better results using a cotton swab saturated in sodium hydroxide and slowly wiping it over the area. The surface is considerably smoother and thus a few steps closer to being well polished. Granted these weren't particularly hard annodized (mostly maglights and a few off brands), but I think this may apply to harder annodizing as well.



Do you folks not know where to find Greased Lightning or do you all just have an affinity for playing with drain cleaner? Greased Lightning works fast and doesn't pit the surface. Here is one of my Arcs after Greased Lightning...






No pitting.

JM-99


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## vacuum3d (Nov 30, 2006)

Jumpmaster, can you be more specific about which Grease Lightning product you're referring to? Do you have a URL?

Thanks,
ernest


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## will (Nov 30, 2006)

Greased lightning is available in the cleaning products section of Home Depot, I am also told at WalMart. It is a degreaser. It will take off the anodize finish, it is somewhat slow to do that. I have also used Drano - that works faster, but you have to be careful with it. too long and it will start to pit the the finish.


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## Mirage_Man (Nov 30, 2006)

GL takes awhile but works really well. You can buy gallon jugs at Home Depot or even 5 gal buckets at Lowes. Price for a gallon is right around $7. I have used the same few gallons for a great many lights. I just keep it in a 5G bucket with a lid.

Every light in the picture below was stripped with Greased Lightning then polished with Scotch Brites of various grits on my lathe. No special compounds or polishes were needed. But this is due to the high speed I can achieve on the lathe. If you are doing it by hand I can't offer any adivce other than Good luck. I tried polishing a couple MM's I stripped with a dremmel and a polishing wheel and it didn't really work that well.

 Edit: The last sentence above is a little misleading. I should have said that I stripped the MM's with GL then tried polishing with the Dremmel.







MM


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## Trashman (Nov 30, 2006)

vacuum3d said:


> Jumpmaster, can you be more specific about which Grease Lightning product you're referring to? Do you have a URL?
> 
> Thanks,
> ernest



http://www.glblast.com/products/Products.aspx?ProductId=1

They also sell it at Walgreen's and it sometimes goes on sale. It's likely that it can be found in many supermarkets, too.


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## vacuum3d (Nov 30, 2006)

Thx for the info guys!

ernest


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## Ganp (Nov 30, 2006)

WHOAH...MM - those torches are bright enough WITHOUT batteries :rock:

Colin


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## MorePower (Nov 30, 2006)

cy said:


> take 1-2 teaspoons of lye and SLOWLY add to 1-2 cups of water. note this is an inexact mix as there's too many brands out there to give exacts.



NEVER add water to concentrated alkaline (or acid) solution. Always add the concentrated solution to the water.

There are two main problems with adding water to lye vs. lye to water.

1. Potentially splashing the lye when pouring the water in.
2. Due to the heat generated from diluting the lye, the small amount of water added as you begin to pour could boil, which is most certainly a Bad Thing.


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## FsTop (Nov 30, 2006)

EZ-Off Oven Cleaner works just fine and is cheap.

Use it in the sink, spray on and use a nylon brush to get it into the knurling, and rinse off after a couple of minutes. Repeat until the anodizing is gone but the surface is still smooth. Use a polishing cloth to buff to suit your mood.


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## Trashman (Nov 30, 2006)

FsTop said:


> EZ-Off Oven Cleaner works just fine and is cheap.
> 
> Use it in the sink, spray on and use a nylon brush to get it into the knurling, and rinse off after a couple of minutes. Repeat until the anodizing is gone but the surface is still smooth. Use a polishing cloth to buff to suit your mood.




Just try to avoid taking too many deep breaths of those harmful fumes! Also, I think EZ-Off is some pretty caustic stuff. It's probably a GREAT idea to use gloves when working with the stuff.


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## will (Nov 30, 2006)

I think Greased Lightning is probably the safest method. It is made to be sprayed on surfaces for cleaning.


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## FsTop (Nov 30, 2006)

EZ-Off contains lye - the active ingredient. Please don't breathe it or get it on your skin. Don't do that with any other product conaining lye, either (lye is what it takes to remove aluminum oxide).

All that said, EZ-Off works fine and costs pennies. And please don't breathe it or get it on your skin - like it says all over the can. Really!


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