Letter 39067

Home painting of aluminum sheet [South Africa] 

January 19, 2006

I need to paint approximately 5 square meters of aluminum sheet that makes up the body of a kit car. The application of the sheet metal prevents it from being treated in baths of any kind and therefore professional pretreatment. I need to find out how to pretreat the aluminum sheet in terms of which chemicals to use, the toxicity/pollution danger associated with these chemicals so I can work in relative safety (both myself and the environment) at home. The next issue is then what would you advise as the most suitable type of paint that can then be sprayed on the aluminum both as primer and the top coat.

Lourens Botha
Hobbyist - Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Phosphate finish for aluminum(old US Army process):
1,8 lit butyl alcohol
1,4 lit isopropyl alcohol
0,45 lit phosphoric acid
0,9 lit water
Leave it on grese and oxide free object 1-2 minutes,then rinse well,use rubber gloves and safety googles!Good luck!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia

Go to any auto parts store and check out their paint section - they'll have primers and directions that are probably sufficient for you.

Also, use the search engine on this sight - you'll find quite a few letters describing how to go about the process.

Good luck!

Jim Gorsich Accurate Anodizing Inc. Compton, CA, USA

Thanks for the response. I will investigate the direct paint options.

What kind of finish does the old army process give or is it only a cleaning process?

Lourens Botha
- Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Dear Lourens!
That is standard pretreatment for paint or lacquer(like chromate or oxalate processes).Good luck!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia

Painting aluminum sheet is something that aircraft builders have been doing for years with ease and great success. I find that washing with mild soap and rinsing is the start. The metal is clean when the water sheets off with no beads. Then a spray of any decent self-etching primer followed by the paint of your choice.

Bob Fritz
- Placerville, CA, USA

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