polishing 7005 aluminum (clear coat required?)
 

i have a 7005 series aluminum stattante that i am constantly wanting to "upgrade" but do not have the heart to. not only is it a competent frame but it has sentimental value. it was gifted to me by my unemployed father (military disability) who could not afford anything more.

anyway, i was thinking that if i could make the frame unique it would mean more to me, and it would give my dad and i another project to work on together. i have polished aluminum bike parts with great success but this is a new level.

plan:
-strip paint
-polish "name plates" on the downtube/seat tube
-mask off "nameplates"
-lightly brush frame

questions:
-the stems/handlebars i have polished in the past held up very well,, will this be the same?
-will 7005 aluminum leave black residue on things it touches?
-would clear coat be best?
-does clear coat stick to polished alu? will it look dull?
-is there a spray can worthy of this project?

bike in question:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...m/DSC01114.jpg

previous "works":
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...9-06215545.jpg
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...d/DSC00895.jpg

I have no experience with 7005, but polished aluminum tends to stay that way. Nice job on the bars and stem.

thanks. somewhere i have read that 7000 series aluminum is susceptible to cracking if exposed to the elements unprotected by paint. i have a hard time believing this though. i would think the inside of the frame quite a bit of moisture from condensation with no ill effects.

moisture and humidity will accelerate crack growth in all aluminum alloys. However I have never heard that it promotes crack formation. As with any aluminum, if you get scratches you should buff them out. There are clear powdercoats, but I have no experience with them.

are you talking deep scratches that you can feel or just cosmetic "swirls" in the finish?

the stem lasted about 6 months before it looked like it could use a "freshening" if the frame is the same way i may just leave it bare.

i have also thought about this product.

not swirls, anything that displaces metal.

7005 has very poor corrosion resistance.

you can polish it and it will look good for a short period and then will start to turn and get blotchy and dark. The shiny alloy parts you've shown photos of are anodized, either clear or silver, to make them look that way and without some protection they would start looking bad in short order.

Dave

I politely object.

The parts in the first picture had their anodizing stripped by yours truly.

The second stem was powder coated but I stripped it and polished it a year ago. It still looks the same today.

That's cool.

Then try polishing it and leaving it bare and see how it looks and lasts.

All the best,

dave

i'd be curious to see how long the finish would last on the frame that would get handled significantly more than small parts like a stem...

http://lonestarwingwaxers.com/Alum_Polish.htm
^^^
Unter is right, once polished aluminum tends to stay that way.

Polished Al is a standard in the aircraft world.

http://www.airport-data.com/images/a...347/347049.jpg
This Beechcraft has been sitting on the tarmac for 50+ years. It has to be buffed out once a year or so.

7000 series isn't very corrosion resistant, the picture of the beech is 2000 series... but give it a shot, just keep an eye on it.

yup, wouldn't the plane be 3003 H14?

I have polished a lot of 7075 for my research, and I have some still sitting around that is very shiny even after a decade of neglect. Of course it has been inside. But you could easily take a polishing cloth and some polish and wipe down the bike after each ride.

im not sure i want to risk that much maintenance. this is my "everyday" bike that gets used 3-5 times a week.

Na, most skins are 2024 or 2014, there was a time when 7075 was being used, but due to all the stress corrosion it was stopped sometime in the 60's. I've never run into any 3003, but I'll look it up tomorrow, there may be a few companies that use it for skins... The Beech I'm sure is 2024 thou.

i think if you mirror polished like that, won't leave any black residue....
it's more than enough, it's beautiful......

in my case, black residue only appear if you strip the paint and only apply light sanding...
so the colour is just only raw alumunium.....
at first it look like titanium frame.......:D
but after a while i'm finding so many black residue and stain....ahahaha

Hi,
I've been wondering what happened with the Scattante frame polishing.
Can you post some pictures with the result / process?

7000 series alloys are zinc alloyed, the copper alloy 6000 series is much more corrosion resistant.
That said, polish and wax the 7005 frame. If it spots or goes dull, a light re-polish and fresh coat of wax puts it right.
I've never had much luck getting wet clear coats to stick to polished metal.
Maybe a clear powder coat would be better?

this is an old thread. I totally forgot about it

clear powder coat is possible ..

by now the OP may have replaced the Performance "scattente" with something more expensive ..