I took these cranks:


And made them look like this:


I feel good haha

Ooh pretty!

Did you clear coat them?

No real need to with Aluminum, at least with a brushed finished (as opposed to polished).

/..

I'd have used a bench grinder with a wire wheel .

I used an spray on oven cleaner, let the spray sit for 5 min, rinse off, and repeat until most of the paint camme off. Then i just sanded the cranks until it looked nice. I didnt clear coat it because i didnt have anything to clear coat with... but im prety sure i had read that i didnt need the clear coat for aluminum cranks

Interesting! How many repetitions did it require?

And no, Aluminum won't corrode beyond a thin, hazy layer on the surface. On a brushed finish, this can't be seen anyways. Only with a polished finish is either a layer of oil or a clearcoat required to prevent oxidation and the haziness.

False. If you get too heavy-handed stripping the finish (wire brush, sanding, etc.) you also quite probably take off the anodized layer, which immediately exposes the base metal to oxidation. Even with a brushed finish, they'll dull and look like hell in no time.

You should check out Khatfull's polishing threads in C&V. There is a lot of info about stripping anodizing, sanding, and later finishing. The temporary solution to prevent oxidation is a coat of wax.