1simplexnut

Got this recently painted grey ALL over



stripped most of paint off and found it has black anodized tubes in truly unhappy condition cosmetically





the question I have on my mind is now what do I do ?

Do I paint it ?
Is alloy needing special prep for painting ?

Is a teeny wee frame so I wont be riding it unfortunately . I do know someone who might be interested ?
But was unusual enough this side of the world to attract my attention . Has the flattened top tube and is marked ALAN1082 .

Any suggestions / help happily accepted

Chombi

If the black anodizing is beyond saving, you might consider just stripping it all off the frame then you can polish he whole frame to a mirror finish...... it will take a lot of time and elbow grease, but I think the results could look spectacular!

repechage

Just be careful to not let the joint regions overheat while you are buffing.

1simplexnut

Hi Chombi ,

Was thinking about that as an option . Have read that Lye will remove anodizing . Have you any experience with using ?
I have a degreaser that has potassium hydroxide in it which is apparently the same as lye ?
Was thinking I would give it a go and see what happens .

Any thoughts ?

Stevensb 

Check out this Vitus 979 that is deanodized Al. Not sure if this url works:

https://sites.google.com/.site/myvit...kiirafcrecord/

But if not, search:

my Vitus 979 MKII Raw Al Finish + Campagnolo C-Record

Very nice result.

Brad

1simplexnut

Hiya , Wont be a problem as the only buffer I have is arm powered !!! Dislike the noise and mess produced by electric buffers .
Appreciate the advise though . Thanks

randyjawa 

Start by checking, carefully, for hair line cracks in the head tube lugs. If good, a Shimano 600 Arabesque group did the trick for me with my black anodized ALAN...



Why Shimano and not Campy? Because the scroll work on the Arabesque components...



...seemed to kinda sorta match those on the head tube lugs...

Chombi

I never had the chance to use lye to de-anodize any of my components. Last time I took anodizing off something was with using fine sand paper sponges, it took a long time and a lot of effort, but it also made it easy to remove any scratches on the aluminum at the same time. After the fine sanding, I used Scotchbrite fine scouring pads to get it close to a polish state, then I hit it with polishing compound and my buffer wheel on my drill. Best thing to polish components to a mirror finish is aluminum wheel polish sold in car parts stores.
If you want to do a lye shortcut Io take off the anodizing, many recommend using oven cleaner spray. Not sure if the lye in the oven cleaner might affect the glue in the bonded joints though. Maybe somebody knowledgeable about lye and the glue used on bonded frames might chime in on this. You might want to avoid hitting the frame joint seams with too much of it, just to be safe. Not sure about your degreaser, but maybe you can test it on a small area to find out if it works.

randyjawa 

Extra strength Easy Off oven cleaner. Work small areas for short periods of time. Flush with water and repeat oven cleaner application, always followed by a good flushing. If the cleaner is left on too long, it WILL attack the alloy. This is an example of a once anodized component, cleaned the way just described...



If I wanted to, I could have easily polished the stem to a mirror, chrome plated like finish, but I wanted the brushed alloy look to match other alloy components. The bars, once black also, are a bit shiner and cleaned up as easily as did the stem. However...

If there is any lazer information on the component, the oven cleaner won't work as well and fine wet dry sand paper needed to be used to eliminate all indications of the lazer info.

bbattle

Lye is sodium hydroxide, about the same as potassium hydroxide. (NaOH and KOH). Both will eat aluminum so if you use it, be careful and rinse often.

I'd try dipping a scouring pad in your solution and scrubbing the surface for a few minutes, followed by a good rinse.

You can wash the frame with an acidic solution to fully neutralize any alkali residues then rinse with more water. Muriatic acid(hydrochloric acid or HCl) at the hardware store diluted to 5% in water should work. If you can find citric acid, it's easier to work with. Or our old friend oxalic acid, known as wood bleach at the hardware store (brand name Savogran).
Wear Gloves! ​ Don't sniff the muriatic acid in the bottle, it'll burn your nose.

The alkali/acid washings will clean and etch the surface so if you do decide to paint, it's good to go. Plating lines do the same thing to prepare parts.

dddd

Alan frames can also have cracks in the seat lug or steer tube if it's one with alloy 1" threaded steerer.

I vote for quick sandblast and paint unless it was a right-sized frame or had a buyer waiting.

Should make a nice, smooth lightweight for a lighter rider, and, per Randy's build, the lightweight Arabesque gruppo does seem like a downright sensible choice if the parts are at hand.

1simplexnut

Hi everybody ,

Thanks so much for your input on the pros and cons of removing anodizing . Had a bit of a try with the degreaser but would appear that based on what i got done it would take at least a week or two of solid work to strip it .
Think I might just paint the tubes black and polish the lugs to a mirror finish .

Have checked the frame for cracks in the lugs and all appears good .

Will update thread once progress is made

Thanks everyone for all the advice .

Back to cave to polish my bits

Cheers

1simplexnut

finally got round to painting frame . looks pretty good . Just waiting on decals before final finish

Narhay

Very nice transformation. Did you paint it or send it out?

1simplexnut

Hiya Painted it myself . etch primer, sanding primer then black . Will need another rub down before decals and final clear coats . Pretty happy with it considering what looked like originally .

1simplexnut

Final build ( i think?) before decals . Bit of a mix of parts because of several fitting dramas etc . basically a parts bin build :-)
build as follows
saddle ...... nos reissue black turbo
seat post... 25mm campag fluted with that finicky two bolt set up
wheel set.... suntour hubs/freewheel
tires......... cheapie CST grey/black
BB ........... shimano that was on bike when received
cranks..... gipiemme sprint with sugino? drillium rings
pedals...... NOS maillard/spidel CX with black accents. NOS alloy campag toeclips and christophe straps
derailleurs... polished shimano 105 ?
headset...... campagnolo record?
stem.......... no name welded jobbie to give it the height. (will look for another )
bars ......... Sakae/modolo anatomic
brake calipers and levers . fairly unusual french CLB

Bianchigirll 

It looks great but would ride smoother with a chain of some kind.

1simplexnut

yes Indeed ! also gears would work better with cables haha . but seriously , awaiting decals before final finish then install chain etc and take it for a hurtle down the hill

noglider 

This guy may have a fork for sale.

Then you can make a cargo bike out of it.

sykerocker 

That thread scared the living piss out of me. Yeesh! Scary when you can't tell the difference between a bicycle fork and a hockey stick.

1simplexnut

Yikes ! that guy is seriously deluded !

noglider 

After a while, I stopped worrying and started laughing. I'm still laughing.

1simplexnut

decals done , just awaiting a chain fit before maiden voyage