# Finishing Options on Bare Aluminum?



## Illuminated (Mar 20, 2003)

I'm trying to decide the most feasible route to take regarding putting an affordable corrosion-resistant finish on a bare aluminum bike light project, and I'm looking for input.

Options so far are wax, paint, powder-coat, anodizing, and nickel-plating.

Wax works but requires more maintenance.

I was told by someone recently that baked-on enamel works well, though I don't know if this is something newly available for the do-it-yourselfer or not.

Automotive epoxies are good and can produce some very cool-looking results, though I'd have to find and pay someone to do it at reasonable cost.

Powdercoat is an option for me as there is a shop next to where I work, and 20 bucks or so will get it done if I can wait until they are doing the color I want.

I can get anodizing done locally, but haven't yet explored the cost. We send out machine parts (mostly for blacking) frequently where I work.

I have a friend who has been known to get nickel-plating done on small alum bicycle parts where he works, and I hope to inquire about the possibilities on this /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance - John


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## NightStorm (Mar 20, 2003)

LPS3...it is a metal-seeking lubricant that is available at marine supply stores. I have used it to prevent the degradation (from acid rain and salt air) of the aluminum checker-plate on the front of my shop trailer. One application has lasted for years. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif 

The one question I must ask is....will this light have any thermal issues? If so, almost all paints act as thermal insulators regardless of color (the exception being a product called GunKote) and you would probably be better off anodizing, plating or leaving it bare. Do you know what alloy the light is made of? If it is 6xxx series, bare would be the way to go as these alloys have good corrosion resistance.

Dan


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## James S (Mar 20, 2003)

i really do think that you should explore anodizing. It's actually VERY easy to do yourself. Well, not too hard or dangerous to do yourself. I wouldn't do it in the bedroom and it might be too nasty for the bathroom, but if you have access to a garage that would be perfect /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The hardest part will be masking off the parts you don't want anodized.

I would guess that the cost for getting setup the first time wouldn't probably be only double what a small run at a professional place would cost, and then you'll be all setup for future projects. You can get everything you need at the hardware store.

I've experimented a small amount with some random aluminum pieces here and it really works quite well. Here's the best link I can find at the moment, but this is a bigger operation than you will need to setup:

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html


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## Rothrandir (Mar 20, 2003)

i believe the 1000 and 6000 series are also good for anodyzing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

not cheap...but i've always liked ha3 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## **DONOTDELETE** (Mar 20, 2003)

correct me if I'm wrong -- but I thought aluminum developed it's own corrosion-proof "patina" over time and requires no further protection?


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## Mednanu (Mar 20, 2003)

So here's my 2¢ on the subject.

*Anodizing* - Definitely one of the coolest looking alternatives around and will probably protect your metal very well - if you have someone who will do it for $20, I might be inclined to go for this option.

*PowderCoat* - Also a VERY cool alternative - you can even powdercoat in metalic-anodized colors. It's fairly easy to do and produces a tough finish, but will cost you around $200 bucks for the gun used to apply it.

Or one of my personal favorites for do-it-yourselfers.......GRILL PAINT !!!!

.......insert pause here while waiting for laughter to die down........

I call this the poor man's hostile environment finish. Years ago I was trying to think of an alternative to parkerizing a pistol of mine (due to the expense of parkerizing). I wanted something that fit the bill for anti-corrosion protection but didn't have gobs of cash to spend on the deal. What I ended out doing was thoroughly cleaning the pistol and all of the internal parts with brake cleaner, then painted it all with black 1500° grill paint. I then baked each part at about 300 - 400 degrees for 20 minutes. It looked GREAT and about 6 years later I'm thinking about doing only a *minor* touch up on the slide. This stuff generally won't scratch off even with metal against metal abrasions taking place (the internal parts are all still in excellent shape with very little coating wear). Total cost - about $10 bucks ! It's not as cool as anodizing, but for those do-it-yourselfers who don't have the spare cash or time for the anodize treatment, this is actually quite a viable alternative.


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## James S (Mar 20, 2003)

I have several powder coated daily carry items, including my current laptop which is powder coated titanium. It will scratch and scratch horribly! You can get a really nice deep car show type finish with it, but it will scratch very easily and infinitely easier than anodizing. I wouldn't waste your money on that unless it's going to be mostly on the shelf.

I can remove the powder coat in some of the higher heat places with my fingernail now less than a year since I bought the thing.

Grill paint is a really neet idea though, I'm going to read up on that stuff!


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## Rothrandir (Mar 20, 2003)

please, i'm very interested in seeing some examples of the grill paint technique! pictures pictures!!


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## Illuminated (Mar 20, 2003)

O.K. - Thanks to all for the suggestions.

For the record, the alloy is proprietary (Mag-Lite alum).

2C shortened for use with external power and definitely on the diet plan. Most likely will be fully regulated with sufficient low level warning and batt cut-off at end of useful power. Designing for absolute minimum 2-hours continuous run time. Will possibly even set up two different capacity battery packs to taylor battery weight to run times needed. (Sorry - couldn't keep myself from spurting all that out...)

Following the diet, blasting is in order I think for nice matte (Matt) texture.

Heat from the high-powered lamp module is suprisingly not as much as some LED mods, though it could still be a factor over time for some finishes. I'll give that baked BBQ paint suggestion some real consideration.

Now that I think of it - the lamp module reflector has high-heat clear applied for beam diffusion and it takes the heat just fine. I had also put clear on the alum intake manifold of my 4-cyl which soaks up huge amounts of heat from the head & exhaust manifold, and 25k miles later it seems OK.

I don't yet know if our local tool shops can do any HA3, but I'll do some checking, and maybe I'll do some scratch testing of the black anodized alloy machine parts we're having done at work to see how durable those finishes are.

I'm suprised no one commented on the idea of a nickel-plated light. Shimano uses this to decrease the wear rate on their high-end alloy bicycle chain rings (and those teeth see major stresses). It has a nice bright (not shiny) matte appearance, and should wear rather well on an alloy light housing. I'm sure it's not inexpensive, but should literally last for years to come.

This light probably won't get abused like flashlights do, but it will see regular use, and after all the work I'm putting into the project, I want it to last - and I want to be proud of it.

Thanks again to all for the interest and input..

John


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## NightStorm (Mar 20, 2003)

Ok, now I know what your dealing with. May I assume that you are using a MR-16 lamp (it is a natural fit in the C/D MagLite head). If so, you'll be looking at 200+ degree F temperature at the base of the lamp. But even with that, cooling is not as critical as with a Luxeon light source so any of the afore mentioned coatings will work. Check the link that JamesS provided you to help you strip the current anodizing from the light (common household lye will work but it may pit the aluminum if exposed to the lye for too long). The barbecue grille paint is also quite viable (I've used it on exhaust headers for years) and it is easy to touch up in case of mishap. I've actually considered this project of yours, myself. Good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Dan 

P.S. Yes, the nickle would look great. However it may yellow with exposure to humidity, but that's part of the charm.


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## Josh (Mar 21, 2003)

Great topic! I just sanded the clear coat off my alu BMX bike and wondered how to protect when I semi polish it, Thanks Dan /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif


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## CNC Dan (Mar 21, 2003)

nickle plate or
nickle plate and them gold flash.


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## Illuminated (Mar 21, 2003)

Actually, the lamp is a textured TigerLight LA from Chris @ www.flashlightlens.com - by comparison to the MR11's in my other bike lights, it blows them away hands-down! It provides outstanding throw AND huge amounts of side spill that easily rivals the other lights I've used. I've already put one in a 4D Mag (posted previously), and the 2C on a diet plan will be a cinch. The heat transfer is rather minimal in my experience.

I've been in contact with Matt (whose done the Legend LX's for MR. Bulk and others) and I'll be sending my 2C to him for modifications.

If I can't get the nickel-plating done reasonably, I'll probably either black anodize or use high-heat paint and baking. At least the paint option is repairable down the road with a little blasting and re-application if necessary.

Anyone have experience with automotive expoxies? While for cars (and bikes) it is expensve, but it seems pretty durable. The sky's the limit of you want a unique and custom appearance. I gotta believe that somebody at a car paint shop might be willing to deal a little on a simple project like this for a 12-pack or something, ya know?

Anyway, thanks again for the input...

John


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## tvodrd (Mar 21, 2003)

There's something called entropy. Aluminum wants to go away. Powdercoat over anodize is the optimum to extend how long it's gonna take to get crumbly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif . Type II, class 2 colored ano is good, and gold and black are the most fade resistant (in the sun) of the colors. Type III ("HA") is better, but parked on the beach, it will eventually go byby too. Nothing is forever, including you, me, and diamonds /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif .

Larry


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## Hogosha (Mar 22, 2003)

I have used brownells bake-on finish on numerous aluminium parts, AND it comes in different colors. VERY durable!! Here is the link.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1145

Defectfully
Patrick


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## Illuminated (Mar 22, 2003)

Hmmm...looks very interesting - Thanks Patrick

John


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## revolvergeek (Mar 22, 2003)

The Brownells bake-on is very very tough. I know of a Detective Special that was coated with it about 8 years ago and has been shot and carried a LOT since then, and still looks very good. I recommend it highly, but be aware it is VERY stinky when you bake it.


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## Illuminated (Mar 23, 2003)

I didn't see pricing on the website (maybe didn't look long enough). Anyone have a ballpark idea of cost?

John


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## [email protected] (Mar 23, 2003)

$28.35 for the spray can, scroll down to the bottom of the page... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## Illuminated (Mar 23, 2003)

Thanks [email protected] - John


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## Hogosha (Mar 23, 2003)

John,
It is true, the Brownells is STINKY AS HECK!!! But only when sprayed, so make sure you are in a WELL ventilated area, and I suggest wearing a respirator. When it dries and is being baked it is not too bad. Good luck!! As a matter of fact I am putting the OD green on one of my mods.

Defectfully
Patrick


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