libram
Well-known member
So I read a lot about how to take off the anodized layer from OE trim and there are lots of ways. Some people say they just sand it.......tried that my hands hurt. Lots of forum members have used oven cleaner, tried that now my driveway has an etched spot the anodizing is 50/50 and i'd have to sand again but my hands hurt. Then I got smart, anodizing is an electrochemical process, therefore a similar process should be just as easy.
Enter the lye method, it sounds scary to call it a seriously caustic solution but that's what it is and it deserves respect but WOW it works and its easy.
Find one of two forms of lye, either powdered lye like red devil from ACE hardware (this is nasty stuff be careful)
or
even easier go to a home improvement store and find a drain de clogger that says it will burn skin, to dilute with vinegar if contacted and generates its own heat (this is liquid lye)
This stuff will eat steel, and a lot of other things but guess what it wont eat, PVC plumbing pipe and using a piece and a cap and properly pvc welding it you can make a nice long small bath for your trim, even curved trim (just have to do it in 2 sections).
safely secure your chem tube to something and fill halfway with water, put a small amount of the lye in, like 1 oz per gallon or so, slowly fill with water again to near the top but not even to it.
Drop your trim in and the bubbling begins, keep checking on it every few minutes until it looks like bare aluminum, kinda dull.
Just a couple things to remember
USE GLOVES good ones, thick latex or vinyl
dilute any bubble over with water ( I just used a light spray from the hose as it was happening)
rinse your parts thoroughly after you pull them out before you touch them
what to do with the solution after you're done? Guess what its still drain cleaner, pour it down your drain and help clean out your pipes or make really weird looking soap.
severely dilute any spillage of the lye, solution, or bubble over with lots of water, at that point its pretty harmless.
Enter the lye method, it sounds scary to call it a seriously caustic solution but that's what it is and it deserves respect but WOW it works and its easy.
Find one of two forms of lye, either powdered lye like red devil from ACE hardware (this is nasty stuff be careful)
or
even easier go to a home improvement store and find a drain de clogger that says it will burn skin, to dilute with vinegar if contacted and generates its own heat (this is liquid lye)
This stuff will eat steel, and a lot of other things but guess what it wont eat, PVC plumbing pipe and using a piece and a cap and properly pvc welding it you can make a nice long small bath for your trim, even curved trim (just have to do it in 2 sections).
safely secure your chem tube to something and fill halfway with water, put a small amount of the lye in, like 1 oz per gallon or so, slowly fill with water again to near the top but not even to it.
Drop your trim in and the bubbling begins, keep checking on it every few minutes until it looks like bare aluminum, kinda dull.
Just a couple things to remember
USE GLOVES good ones, thick latex or vinyl
dilute any bubble over with water ( I just used a light spray from the hose as it was happening)
rinse your parts thoroughly after you pull them out before you touch them
what to do with the solution after you're done? Guess what its still drain cleaner, pour it down your drain and help clean out your pipes or make really weird looking soap.
severely dilute any spillage of the lye, solution, or bubble over with lots of water, at that point its pretty harmless.
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