Bicycle Mechanics - pollishing off anodization on a rim?

Is this really bad idea? Will it weaken the rim?

use oven cleaner or any mild alkali solution to get anodizing off

way to read my post...

What's the benefit? If it's appearance anodizing is very thin so removing it won't remove any significant structural material. If it's the thicker "hard anodizing" you will have to go deeper to remove it. In either event you will have to be careful not to go further than the anodizing and I'm not sure you can insure that. Again what's the benefit?

well they are NOS rims that have some scratches on them, just want to make them look uniform, oh and I like shinny things

It won't weaken the rim.
Some may argue that it would make a more reliable rim because the polishing will smooth out any scratches, and eliminate those stress risers.

Polish away.

As mcoine suggested, you can use 'easy-off' oven cleaner to remove anodizing, but don't leave it on too long. If you have a bench grinder you can put a spindle on it with a hard cotton buffing wheel and use some 'mother's alum wheel cleaner' to polish out alum much faster than doing it by hand.

Just so people know what's going on here:

Cosmetic anodizing is much thinner, has no structural benefit or downside, and is just put on the rim for the sake of pretty colors. As noted above, relatively easy to remove.

Hard-anodizing the surface of a rim is a holdover from when people thought it would make the rim stronger. It does make the surface of the rim harder. But rims never really fail from their surface being too hard. Hard anodizing decreases braking performance, but is mainly a problem because cracks in the anodizing can act as stress risers and propogate into the aluminum itself, making hard anodized rims more likely to fail by cracking at the eyelet.

Hard-anodizing does wear off over time from friction with the brake pads (especially from riding in the rain), and braking performance improves. Below is a picture of my Mavic MA40 front rim, with hard-anodized coating obviously worn down where the brake pad contacts the rim.

http://www.unc.edu/~cupery/pics/bikes/Raleigh_aluminum/IMG_0000-4516--105_front_brake.jpg

Uh, Tim, looking at the picture, I see why your rims are worn. You forgot to install the brake pads! :)

BTW, good description of the two types of anodizing and their "benefits".

use oven cleaner or any mild alkali solution to get anodizing off

What exactly to you need to do? I have some old parts that need the anodizing removed to even out the finish. Thanks
Tim

What exactly to you need to do? I have some old parts that need the anodizing removed to even out the finish. Thanks
Tim

Use rubber gloves, eye protection. Spray the part with the oven cleaner. I like to use a tooth brush to brush it around and get the whole part clean. Depending on the part, whether its forged, cast, cnc'd, its finish will need a fair amount of polishing when you are done.

Use rubber gloves, eye protection. Spray the part with the oven cleaner. I like to use a tooth brush to brush it around and get the whole part clean. Depending on the part, whether its forged, cast, cnc'd, its finish will need a fair amount of polishing when you are done.
Thanks, I have some brake levers that need cleaning and an old crank that could use some help.

Tim

Thanks, I have some brake levers that need cleaning and an old crank that could use some help.

Tim


Oh, yeah, obviously wash the part very well with water when you are done. You don't want any oven cleaner staying on aluminum for long.

Just so people know what's going on here:

Cosmetic anodizing is much thinner, has no structural benefit or downside, and is just put on the rim for the sake of pretty colors. As noted above, relatively easy to remove.

Hard-anodizing the surface of a rim is a holdover from when people thought it would make the rim stronger. It does make the surface of the rim harder. But rims never really fail from their surface being too hard. Hard anodizing decreases braking performance, but is mainly a problem because cracks in the anodizing can act as stress risers and propogate into the aluminum itself, making hard anodized rims more likely to fail by cracking at the eyelet.

Hard-anodizing does wear off over time from friction with the brake pads (especially from riding in the rain), and braking performance improves. Below is a picture of my Mavic MA40 front rim, with hard-anodized coating obviously worn down where the brake pad contacts the rim.

http://www.unc.edu/~cupery/pics/bikes/Raleigh_aluminum/IMG_0000-4516--105_front_brake.jpg

WEll said. Hard anodizing has no use on a bicycle. Its good for tools where there is a load of friction and a need to resist wear.

[QUOTE=HillRider]Uh, Tim, looking at the picture, I see why your rims are worn. You forgot to install the brake pads! :) [QUOTE]

Nah. Those are the newfangled metallic pads! :D

[QUOTE=HillRider]Uh, Tim, looking at the picture, I see why your rims are worn. You forgot to install the brake pads! :) [QUOTE]

Nah. Those are the newfangled metallic pads! :DLook again, he is running the new Shimano Invisa pads and cable set.

Those are the newfangled metallic pads!

Look again, he is running the new Shimano Invisa pads and cable set.
These two amazing technologies have advanced braking so much that there's no longer any purpose to having dual-pivot brakes; they just give power that's not needed. So, Shimano is going back to single-pivot because it's lighter :D

Look again, he is running the new Shimano Invisa pads and cable set.

ROTFLMAO

so I can remove hard anodizing with no ill effect?