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Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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How to fix scratched anodizing on architectural aluminum?

2001

We manage nearly 60 commercial properties that have bronze (dark brown) anodized aluminum door systems. Years of use have given them a variety of scratches down to bare aluminum. Short of taking the doors off, removing glass and reanodizing or painting is there a product or process to spot treat the scratches on site to approximate the duranodic brown cololr? Would a metal blackening work? Is it available in a brown tone? The doors vary in age up to 25 years.

Jim Trudeau
Cummings Properties - Woburn, Massachusetts

If you are doing this with the owners appreciation of the situation, and you don't need to offer a warranty, you have a simple option:

If it were my own garage door, I would touch it up with a magic marker of a similar shade. In fact, touching up with a magic marker is a common factory process at anodizing facilities.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2001

You may want to try chromate conversion coating. Perhaps if you will use concentrated solution for touch ups, you may get a color that's a near match. This solution could produce pale yellow to dark brown tint.

Dado Macapagal
- Toronto, Ont
2001

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