How to Strip Off the Paint and Polish an Aluminium MTB Frame

[divernick]

My cranks eventually gonna get the bling-up they been waiting for!

 

...after Farmasutra....

[Loose cog]

Tractor

 

Don't mean to sound rude but will the shine not fade and begin to rust when the polish wears off?

 

I would have thought a coat or two of clear lacquer would have been a better option.

[divernick]

Tractor

 

Don't mean to sound rude but will the shine not fade and begin to rust when the polish wears off?

 

I would have thought a coat or two of clear lacquer would have been a better option.

 

The shine will dull very slowly over time, and can be touched up really quickly and easily.

There are other issues that occur with clearcoated frames, where moisture gets under the clear and causes something called filiform corrosion:

http://longlonghoneymoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/filiform3.jpg

[Tractor]

Tractor

 

Don't mean to sound rude but will the shine not fade and begin to rust when the polish wears off?

 

I would have thought a coat or two of clear lacquer would have been a better option.

 

I posed the same question once I had finished up all the polishing and I was thinking of going along the lines of a clear coat. Some of the Hubbers who had already been down this road quickly pointed out the use of a good quality car polish on the frame, pretty much just buff and polish up once the "sheen" is gone. Luckily it's an aluminium frame so no rust problems here in Jhb.

[clyde79]

So all polished up but what to seal it with? Once again I was pointed in the right direction by the Hubbers and I went out and bought some car polish and the polishing started all over again This time by hand though. The polish didn't really make the frame any shinier than it already was BUT it did give it that smooth feel, run your hand over a new car's paint and that's what I'm talking about.

 

Very nice. How good is that welding!

[Wannabe]

Very nice. How good is that welding!

 

It's a Raleigh frame, what do you expect?

[Loose cog]

Thank you Tractor!

[droo]

Nice job. Like really nice job. Since you're so good at it, do you feel like doing my SS frame for me too?

 

 

Not sure I've got the patience, even though the end result is epic...

[martinsnyman]

Awsome strip show!

[Sitting slip]

Did the paint remover damage the frame? Or was it spesificly for aluminium?

[Tractor]

Did the paint remover damage the frame? Or was it spesificly for aluminium?

 

The paint stripper I used was a generic stripper so not aluminium specific, it didn't damage the frame BUT I also didn't leave it on for hours and hours. After stripping the paint the frame has a "dull" almost matt aluminium finish but this disappears when you sand and then polish it

[Eddy Gordo]

That fixit stripper works great! I have also used it on a previous build. I like the polished frame. Wont a clear coat do the trick in protecting it?

[Grebel]

On a polished frame. there is no key for the clear to adhere to si it will chip very easily. I stripped my frame and sanded the aluminium to get all the grain running the same way. I thought the sanding would be a good key. Sadly not. It got a chip in it and after that it was wholesale peeling so much so that I am contemplating a respray in a colour now...

[awesme]

hmmm

 

ask around, a bead/media blast might give a better result than the paint stripper.

 

I'd stay away from sand plasting though

 

G

[Eddy Gordo]

How do they do some cars and other metals in a clear coat? Surely there must be some product with the right ingredients that will work

[Grebel]

How do they do some cars and other metals in a clear coat? Surely there must be some product with the right ingredients that will work

 

Not saying it doesn't work. Just that if clear coat is applied to another paint or surface with the correct preparation it works a lot better.

 

I have also heard that clear powder coat is an option and harder wearing than paint. Some people say that they can do it and some say not without a primer. I suppose anything is possible, just the long term results are the issue.