Cleaning aluminum trim without removing anodizing?

[Mike66Chryslers]

I've been sorting through the anodized aluminum trim I've collected and I have most of what I need for my car. A lot of pieces are straight and fairly free of dents and scratches, but are dull and some have paint overspray on them. Can I safely clean these up on my bench-buffer using extra fine red compound without cutting through the anodizing layer?

I tried on a scrap trim piece and it came out looking pretty nice. I don't believe it cut through the anodizing but I'm not sure how to tell. Here's a before and after comparison.

 

['69FuryIIIConvertible]

There's a place in Scarborough that does anodizing still fairly cheap

 

[bluefury361]

I've used 4X steel wool and brake clean with good results. If heavily stained you may have to strip it though. Oven cleaner and a lot of work. There is a drain cleaner that works good. It comes in a black plastic bottle, find it at HD. VERY caustic, use with caution.

 

[bnz84]

Get yourself a buffing/polishing kit at Horrible Freight plus get a sisal wheel that works with your drill. I have had luck on aluminum with cotton wheel with brown/Tripoli buffing compound. If that doesn't work use the more course sisal wheel. Be careful if you leave the sisal in place too long it can heat up and eat through the anodizing or discolor it. Also works with SS trim but really only for really fine scratches. This place has a lot of good info.

https://www.caswellplating.com/buffing-polishing/buffing-wheels/sisal-wheels.html#

 

[HWYCRZR]

I just tried to clean up my door sill trim to try to match the new NOS pieces I got. I used a 9" buffing wheel and set up from Eastwood. I used the spiral wound wheel with Tripoli, buffing compound and finished with the flannel wheel and white rouge. It shined up / cleaned up pretty good, but if you have any scratches in it, you will need to strip, sand, buff and re- coat / re anodize.
Just clean it with some sort of Grease and wax remover first, or it will really gum up your buffing wheel. If I remember I will take pictures of the NOS, which I also buffed and the original buffed. NOS was definitely brighter.
I would really like to find a guy that will straighten and knock out the dents / rock chips in my bottom sill molding. Even if they charged $200 a stick it would be cheaper than the one or two NOS pieces left in this world.

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

Get yourself a buffing/polishing kit at Horrible Freight plus get a sisal wheel that works with your drill. I have had luck on aluminum with cotton wheel with brown/Tripoli buffing compound. If that doesn't work use the more course sisal wheel. Be careful if you leave the sisal in place too long it can heat up and eat through the anodizing or discolor it. Also works with SS trim but really only for really fine scratches. This place has a lot of good info.

https://www.caswellplating.com/buffing-polishing/buffing-wheels/sisal-wheels.html#

Thanks. I already have a bench-mount buffer so I'm good there. I used it with the green compound to put a mirror finish on all my s/s trim. Sanded the s/s trim with fine sandpaper first to remove existing scratches, then finished with the buffing wheel. I figure I was going at a rate of 1 foot per hour between sanding and polishing steps, so I have a bit over 40 hours into polishing s/s.

From what I have read, the brown compound is coarser than the red. The red "jeweler's rouge" is mild enough to be safe for use on metals that have a thin plating. I don't know about the relative toughness of the anodized surface though, and I haven't found anything online about that specifically.

If I have polished through the anodized surface, would it be obvious from differences in coloration or lustre?

My present thoughts are to try the fine steel wool with solvent to remove any paint overspray and coarse grime from the trim, then light buffing with red compound on the polisher. I've picked up some "0000" steel wool and I'll try it on my scrap trim pieces first.

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

I just tried to clean up my door sill trim to try to match the new NOS pieces I got. I used a 9" buffing wheel and set up from Eastwood. I used the spiral wound wheel with Tripoli, buffing compound and finished with the flannel wheel and white rouge. It shined up / cleaned up pretty good, but if you have any scratches in it, you will need to strip, sand, buff and re- coat / re anodize.
Just clean it with some sort of Grease and wax remover first, or it will really gum up your buffing wheel. If I remember I will take pictures of the NOS, which I also buffed and the original buffed. NOS was definitely brighter.
I would really like to find a guy that will straighten and knock out the dents / rock chips in my bottom sill molding. Even if they charged $200 a stick it would be cheaper than the one or two NOS pieces left in this world.

I read somewhere that the door sill plates aren't anodized, but that could be inaccurate. I don't know. I will wantto polish mine too, when I get them down from my garage rafters to reinstall.

I think someone else on this forum recommended the services of this company for restoring trim. I have not dealt with them myself.
Home – King of Trim

 

[HWYCRZR]

Depending on the type of paint over spray, a shot of Pre Wax and grease remover ( Eastwood) will start to loosen and desolve some paints. Acetone does good as well, but not sure if it will damage the annodization.

 

[HWYCRZR]

There is a company in the Minneapolis area that claims to work on Aluminum trim as well. I am not sure on their anodizing capabilities. I have the business card somewhere, but haven't contacted them yet.
It seemed my sill plates didn't really want to buff out and were gunking up my wheel. I quite and bought the new ones that were floating around here and E-bay.

 

[bluefury361]

I guess folks just don't pay attention. This subject has been brought up several times in different threads.
Anodizing can be cleaned but not polished. If discolored it is the metal beneath. To polish, the anodizing must be stripped. A great alternative to anodizing, once polished is a clear, glossy powder coat.

A search will lead to past threads where I have recommended a fellow in Birmingham Ala who will repair and refinish bright metals. It's an art that requires a lot more then a polishing wheel and compounds. (Overheat a windshield molding or drip rail molding, etc and it may never take its shape back and turn to shiny junk). I have been doing this stuff for almost 50 years, seen a lot of metal finishers, and Rob is the best I've used. He's a car guy too, and loves Mopars. There are a few members here that have used him with excellent results.
Robert Newman
205-568-9701

Aluminum and stainless are porous and over buffing will fold the surface over itself. A little understanding of metallurgy will be a smart study.


From Newport66..........


Wil,
Thank you so much for introducing me thru FCBO to Robert. What a wonderful man!! We've spent quite a bit of time on the phone and have become friends. He restored the hood trim for my '62 Polara too and his work is incredible, I almost cried when I opened the box!!!
Thanks again for giving me an opportunity to make a new friend!
Terry

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

I guess folks just don't pay attention. This subject has been brought up several times in different threads.

Well I did a search before starting this thread here and elsewhere on the internet, but I didn't see my specific question answered anywhere. Folks are not paying attention and answering the wrong question.

I am satisfied with the results I'm seeing on my trim using the red compound on my bench buffer. Call it cleaning, polishing or whatever makes you happy. I want to know if this is safe to do without cutting through the anodizing layer.

Your point about overheating the metal is well taken, and probably more pertinent to the aluminum trim than it was to the s/s trim I did previously. Stainless steel is not "porous" though, one of the reasons it makes excellent cookware. Cast aluminum can be porous, but the aluminum used in our trim, which is probably die-extruded, should not be porous. The anodized layer will be porous. Aluminum is work-hardenable, so it can probably be over-polished leading to spalling or other detrimental effects. However, I don't want to polish the aluminum itself, just the anodized surface layer.

 

[Big_John]

I just tried to clean up my door sill trim to try to match the new NOS pieces I got. I used a 9" buffing wheel and set up from Eastwood. I used the spiral wound wheel with Tripoli, buffing compound and finished with the flannel wheel and white rouge. It shined up / cleaned up pretty good, but if you have any scratches in it, you will need to strip, sand, buff and re- coat / re anodize.
Just clean it with some sort of Grease and wax remover first, or it will really gum up your buffing wheel. If I remember I will take pictures of the NOS, which I also buffed and the original buffed. NOS was definitely brighter.
I would really like to find a guy that will straighten and knock out the dents / rock chips in my bottom sill molding. Even if they charged $200 a stick it would be cheaper than the one or two NOS pieces left in this world.

I read somewhere that the door sill plates aren't anodized, but that could be inaccurate. I don't know. I will wantto polish mine too, when I get them down from my garage rafters to reinstall.

The sill plates are not anodized.

I've buffed mine within an inch of their lives so they look decent. Took a couple pair to get a decent pair, including a pair I bought from Wil. Then they came out with a repop. Sigh...

 

[bnz84]

So as stated there are professionals out there and they know the answer to your question. But until then I'll add that while I have cleaned and removed scratches from the anodizing I do NOT think you can polish it to that mirror look...without removing the anodizing. I have gone through the anodizing by accident and the raw metal area was initially dull and grey but on further work got brighter than the surrounding areas. This is what fueled me to go on. I tried cleaning and "polishing" my sills and couldn't get better until I hit it with oven cleaner and got out the 220 paper. I wish I had a wheel. I know it was just said they are not anodized but I certainly had to get through something before the shine would start. In the end I got something 10X better and shiny from a standing position. From pics up close they are not polished as a professional would do with a wheel.

Aluminum door sill restoration?

With that experience I worked on my grill and headlight bezels this summer. They were dull and had scratches, most minor and a few bigger ones. I was able to bring them up to very respectful with compounds, sisal, and cotton wheels using my drill. Then metal cleaner/polish. Dull became bright, minor scratches disappeared, and big scratches became well brighter big scratches Probably 4 hrs. I had no intension of removing anodizing but I'm pretty sure I did on some of the 90 deg edges. I say this because they are more shiny then the rest. But it all blends fine so will save the rest for after I get a wheel.