How to clean/brighten 'anodized' aluminum

A. It probably is protected by an anodized or clearcoat. Bare aluminum corrodes quickly so it needs a protective coating. If you do polish the material it will remove any protective coating that may be there and it will corrode pretty soon if you don't have it recoated.

A. Sean - if it is anodized then I bet you'll battle to polish it/clean it/whatever. Anodizing if done OK is very hard and even light abrasion won't affect the surface. But, if there is some other coating on it like a clearcoat, I suggest you use waterpaper and sand out the acid marks deep as you need to then use a high speed drill with a cloth mop and some polishing compound (rouge). Once you have the required finish, just apply a clearcoat over. If you really wanted to and it was in your budget just have it stripped of any existing anodizing if that is what's there and get it replated, but remember that if the anodizing shop does a strong etch you will loose any shiny finish you have spent time on - just find a good balance. my $0.02

A. oven cleaner ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] will remove the anodized coating. But it's very caustic, nasty stuff very capable of blinding you, burning you, or leaving you with aching lungs. And you would be using it for a purpose for which it was not intended, which makes it all the more dangerous and more demanding of the proper personnel protective equipment. Oven cleaner also attacks the aluminum, so you need to leave it on only for the right length of time. Then you need to buff and clearcoat. As Michael implies, if it's worth doing it's probably worth sending to an anodizing shop.

One thing that might be worth a try instead is Everbrite [a finishing.com supporting advertiser]. The general guideline is that if it doesn't look good when wet, this won't help. But if it looks good wet (due to the leveling effect of the water), Everbrite can make it look pretty much like that.

A. I didn't hear about re-polishing after anodizing. Also I don't suppose an application like that because when you anodize a profile, the sealing layer will be to protect it from exterior effects. So if you even polish it, you will never succeed. If you improve brightness, check your alloy (for example high Fe rate means less brightness, +6463 series suitable for brightness). Brightness not only related alloy, also anodizing process (hot sealing makes it more dull compared to cold sealing. Plus, anodizing bath's aluminium rate should be 5-15 gr/lt. If you use electrolytic polishing bath, it gives more extra brightness, etc.)

sincerely,

A. Hi. Everbrite is a clearcoat that is used to offer some corrosion protection to metal surfaces. I am not aware of it being used on anodized aluminum by OEMS to brighten it. Rather, it is sometimes used on old anodized or painted aluminum to level the surface and give a "wet look" and reduce the chaulky look of old aluminum. You are certainly welcome to contact Everbrite and see if it has any applicability to your situation, but I think Willie's suggestion is closer to the mark. Good luck.

Regards,