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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

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Painting or anodizing to improve emissivity

I have an antique aluminum cased air-cooled gasoline engine. Will black painting, powder coating, or anodizing improve heat emissivity and keep the engine cooler, hopefully increasing life/operating longevity?

Lou Ostendorff
hobbyist - Raleigh, North Carolina
2004

It's probably impractical to anodize. I don't think any of these procedures will make a significant difference. As you note, the engine is air cooled not black body radiation cooled :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2004

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