# Stripping paint from aluminum frame? Easiest method vs cheapest method?



## Stu_the_weak

I want to take the corporate logos off my bike...I am not sponsored by "Specialized" therefore I do not wish to advertise the company.

Anyone know of the easiest and perhaps cheapest method to strip a frame to bare aluminum? Any drawbacks to leaving the frame bare? Will the bare welds rust or corode?

Stu


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## gamara

Options are in no particular order: glass bead blasting as opposed to sand blasting because sand at high velocity required to strip paint will actually gouge into aluminum or cheapest method is store bought paint stripper gel with scraper & steel wool. Follow all manufacturers instructions. Don't use a heat gun whatever you do. It can warp a frame or change the strength of the frame if you're not careful. High quality aluminum frames after being welded are heat treated afterwards to help restore the strength lost from welding. Heat is bad for aluminum if you don't know what your doing.

Once a frame is stripped it can be polished to a beautiful shine. However it is very hard to maintain this finish because bare aluminum oxidizes so the finish must be polished all the time & like stainless steel appliances, fingerprints are unavoidable. Clearcoating doesn't work in preventing oxidation because oxygen still passes through the clearcoat. 

Painting it yourself with automotive store paint is easy & the results can be quite good. Make sure you use an aluminum primer first otherwise the paint won't stick. Then paint & clearcoat afterwards. For a professional look, wet sand between coats. 

I have done this many times with great results on my winter beater bike. The paint job usually lasts me 3yrs on avg. Best of luck.


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## QuattroCreep

I just redid a aluminum frame last year. I started with using air craft stripper, scrapper, and steel wool. That lasted about 30 mins. I was a huge pain. I was lucky enough to have a friend with a nice size blast cabinet. For a six pack and the cost of my own media (he did not have what I wanted to use) I was able to clean the frame up in about 2 hours. 

I went with 220 Grit Aluminum Oxide. It is less abrasive then glass bead, but takes longer to strip the frame. My frame was hand welded and I did not want to smooth out the welds.

Aluminum frames are heat treated after welding but it is at very high temps. From Eastons website 

"When using practical heat-treat temperatures of 980° F, EA6X exhibits a 30% higher yield strength than 6061. Using higher heat-treat temperatures such as and 1010° F produces even better results." 

I choose to have my frame powder coated, which needs to be baked at about 200deg. There has been no problems in the 2000 miles I have put on the frame so far.


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## TWB8s

I would tape over the logos. Large pieces of vinyl stickers in a color which could complement or match the rest of the frame color might work well. Craft stores might be the place to start. That would be cheaper than the other options and leave you with a bike you could sell once you get sick of it.


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## Kerry Irons

*Your car is next?*



Stu_the_weak said:


> I want to take the corporate logos off my bike...I am not sponsored by "Specialized" therefore I do not wish to advertise the company.


Just curious - what are you going to do to remove all the manufacturer's logos/nameplates from your car? How about your cell phone? Vacuum cleaner? Computer? Clothes? Toothbrush? Just hoping you can stay philosophically consistent throughout this entire exercise


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## GerryR

Kerry Irons said:


> Just curious - what are you going to do to remove all the manufacturer's logos/nameplates from your car? How about your cell phone? Vacuum cleaner? Computer? Clothes? Toothbrush? Just hoping you can stay philosophically consistent throughout this entire exercise


:lol:


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## f3rg

Bead blast it. I've done two aluminum frames this way in the past, and they both took about 15 minutes. One I ended up selling, the other lasted me 9 years with zero finish on the metal.


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## f3rg

Sorry, I should also mention it never corroded. I gave the frame a rub-down yearly with synthetic steel wool just to keep it semi-shiny, and no other maintenance was EVER needed. Expect to lose about .25lb once all the paint is removed.


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## twinkles

I wouldn't strip it down. I had a buddy who stripped his aluminium frame down, not sure what method, and the frame started to flex in some very spooky ways soon afterwards. However, the bike was from 1990 and had about a billion hard miles on it. 

I also saw a fella bring a stripped,shiny cannondale into a bike shop one time. The bad news was that it was in two pieces, sheared at the middle of both the down tube and top tube. When the shop fella told the cannondale owner that it wasn't covered by warrenty, the bike owner about cried. 

I just don't think it's worth taking the chance.


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## f3rg

...like I said, I rode it for 9 years with no issues...

MTB hardtail--occasionally rigid--beaten to death in rock gardens and everything else. ~30,000 miles pver that time.

Paint doesn't add to structural integrity.


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## azpoolguy

I just bead blasted 3 lousy paint jobs off of a late '80s Bianchi. Took about 30 minutes to get all the nooks and crannies. If it is a used frame bead blast it gently. If you are the original owner it will void your warranty. Also clear coat does stop the oxidizing process. I clear coated my raw steal frame. The brazing looks great and no rust.


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## Raven1911

twinkles said:


> I wouldn't strip it down. I had a buddy who stripped his aluminium frame down, not sure what method, and the frame started to flex in some very spooky ways soon afterwards. However, the bike was from 1990 and had about a billion hard miles on it.
> 
> I also saw a fella bring a stripped,shiny cannondale into a bike shop one time. The bad news was that it was in two pieces, sheared at the middle of both the down tube and top tube. When the shop fella told the cannondale owner that it wasn't covered by warrenty, the bike owner about cried.
> 
> I just don't think it's worth taking the chance.



This most likely was caused by using heat to strip the bike and warped and weakened it.


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## Stu_the_weak

1.) Don't own a car.
2.) Don't own a cell phone.
3.) Don't own a vacuum.
4.) Put an Apple logo over my Dell logo.
5.) Only wear free t-shirts from sport events.
6.) Toothbrush has no logo.



Kerry Irons said:


> Just curious - what are you going to do to remove all the manufacturer's logos/nameplates from your car? How about your cell phone? Vacuum cleaner? Computer? Clothes? Toothbrush? Just hoping you can stay philosophically consistent throughout this entire exercise


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