# Polishing old parts



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I've been asked by a couple of people how I polish old parts.. I've been using this technique for a couple of years with great results. One word of caution: Lye(drain cleaner) is EXTREMELY caustic and will burn the skin. Wear eye protection and rubber gloves and only in a well ventilated area...

In order to polish aluminum parts, you need to strip off anodizing. I use Red Devil Lye to strip the anodizing. I've trid all the major brands of drain cleaner and Red Devil works the best. It is a crystal power. Extra Strength Draino(sp) works but it takes longer. Go to Home Depot or Lowes for the real strong Lye.


The first step is to dip the part in Lye to strip off the anodizing. Parts cannot be polished without removing the anodized finish. I dip the part in a mixture of Lye and water for 10-15 minutes. A tupperware container works great for the tub. I've heard of problems with pitting if left in the lye too long but I've never experienced this problem. Don't worry if the part turns black, this is normal.

I then wet sand using 1000,1500, and 2000 grit sand paper to remove the fine scratches. If there are no scratches, skip this step

I followup with metal polish. I've been using Mother Metal Polish purchased from an auto parts store. 

Depending on what the part is used for, I'll either just coat it with wax or spray clear lacquer. If it's a seatpost, I'll just coat it with wax. If the part see a lot of use like a crankset, I'll coat it with clear lacquer.

I've done cranksets, stems and seatposts with great results....


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Here is an old Cinelli stem that was polished using the above method. It had light scratches and was very dull. I also brushed lye on the center section of the Cinelli bars and polished them too. These Cinelli Giro bars used to have a flat, dull, anodized finish.


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## russw19 (Nov 27, 2002)

*WOW! Nice post Dave!*

Thanks! I was wondering how you got that stuff THAT shiney. I have been polishing stuff with Mother's polish for years, but I have never thought to strip the anodization off first. Thanks for the tip.

Russ


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## Spirito (Nov 26, 2001)

*thanks dave*

appreciate your reader friendly instructions. I wish it were that easy a remedy for spotting on chromed steel.

ciao


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## Maybeck (Sep 30, 2004)

*I've heard Easy Off Oven Cleaner*

works well to remove anodizing as well. Although using the Red Devil lye has a nice Robert Johnson kind of vibe to it.


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## phototone (Oct 14, 2004)

Dave Hickey said:


> Here is an old Cinelli stem that was polished using the above method. It had light scratches and was very dull. I also brushed lye on the center section of the Cinelli bars and polished them too. These Cinelli Giro bars used to have a flat, dull, anodized finish.



I have had great results with a buffer and tripoli. It can make aluminum alloy parts look mirror finish and like new. There are all kinds of compounds that you can put on buff wheels to polish almost anything. And there are no toxic liquid chemicals to mess with.
Wear a mask when buffing though, as the buff wheels throw off quite a bit of fluff.

Phototone


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## czardonic (Jan 11, 2002)

*Thanks! Question.*



Dave Hickey said:


> Depending on what the part is used for, I'll either just coat it with wax or spray clear lacquer. If it's a seatpost, I'll just coat it with wax. If the part see a lot of use like a crankset, I'll coat it with clear lacquer.


What kind of wax?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

czardonic said:


> What kind of wax?



I use paste wax from an auto parts store... It keeps a shine and protects the metal..


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## czardonic (Jan 11, 2002)

*Many thanks! (nm)*

. . .


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## GirchyGirchy (Feb 12, 2004)

Crap! I wish I'd seen this before spending so much time on some aluminum bars. I tried paint remover, before I realized it's really anodized, so I just sanded it off. I used the Dremel tool (lightly) to get most off, but it left some small marks that are hard to get out. I got it looking decent, and they'll work for a while, I think I'll need some different sized ones soon anyway.

Great post though, it's a big help!


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## No Strings (Oct 19, 2004)

Got any secrets for cleaning/anti-scratching/renewing anodized rims? I agree with GirchyGirchy about seeing this original post before I bought new parts. It always gives one greater pride to do it yourself and not burn money.


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## Seamus (May 23, 2005)

Will this approach work with modern black aluminum bars? I have a set of Nashbar bullhorns for my fixie, and they came with the typical black finish. I would much prefer a polished AL finish, but the bars look like they are painted, rather than anodized. Any thoughts/tips?

Jim


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Seamus said:


> Will this approach work with modern black aluminum bars? I have a set of Nashbar bullhorns for my fixie, and they came with the typical black finish. I would much prefer a polished AL finish, but the bars look like they are painted, rather than anodized. Any thoughts/tips?
> 
> Jim



Yeah, no problem with that either. Another good alternative to Dave's excellent idea with the Red Devil lye is to use a good quality oven cleaner. I use it exclusively on my polishing projects and is easier to find at your local grocery store.

Just spray it on, let it sit for 10 minutes, then wash it good with soap and water. You may have to repeat the process, but the oven cleaner isn't as evil as the lye, and works great. Check out the link below for my Campy 'Athena' brakes I polished using oven cleaner to eat off the anodise.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=32893&highlight=athena+brakes


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2006)

croswell1 said:


> Yeah, no problem with that either. Another good alternative to Dave's excellent idea with the Red Devil lye is to use a good quality oven cleaner. I use it exclusively on my polishing projects and is easier to find at your local grocery store.
> 
> Just spray it on, let it sit for 10 minutes, then wash it good with soap and water. You may have to repeat the process, but the oven cleaner isn't as evil as the lye, and works great. Check out the link below for my Campy 'Athena' brakes I polished using oven cleaner to eat off the anodise.
> 
> http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=32893&highlight=athena+brakes


I find after using the Easy-Off , that finishing up with progressive grits of emery paper ( 400 / 600 / 1000) will give a mirror finish - use the emery cloth WET.


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## moschika (Feb 1, 2004)

so other then stems, cranks, seatposts, bars and brake calipers -has anyone tried this out on hub shells?

and why were these items anodized anyway?


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## Seamus (May 23, 2005)

moschika said:


> so other then stems, cranks, seatposts, bars and brake calipers -has anyone tried this out on hub shells?
> 
> and why were these items anodized anyway?


Can't answer the first question, but the anodizing is there to protect against corrosion (the white deposits you sometimes find on old aluminum parts). That's why once you strip off the anodizing, you need to keep up a good polish/wax regimen to protect the bare metal.

Jim


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## flyjoe (Mar 17, 2008)

darn! wish I would have seen this thread last year! I have done two pairs of shimano crank sets a 600 and a 105. I sanded ff all of the anodizing by hand and progressed to 1500 wet or dry paper. then polished with mothers aluminum and some other pastes. then johnsons paste wax to protect. they look fabulous, but scratch easy. a clear urethane might be a better coating for durability.


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## brujenn (Nov 26, 2007)

Ever tried to polish Shimano shift levers?


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## moschika (Feb 1, 2004)

flyjoe said:


> they look fabulous, but scratch easy.


is that really a problem once you remove the anodizing? i'm about to start cleaning up some parts for a rebuild and have thought about this process to make some parts shine. they are in fair shape as it is, but basic cleaning isn't really making them look all that good.


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## CurbDestroyer (Mar 6, 2008)

Sweet . . . . Bling Bling . . . . I can't believe I just typed that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_nitride


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