> Is the answer to restoring factory shine to old anodized aluminum just patience and a lot more elbow grease, or is there a quick trick I'm missing?
Anodizing is an electro-chemical process that alters the surface aluminum at the molecular level. You can clean it if it's dirty, but the anodized layer is only a few thou thick and any imperfections have likely penetrated to the raw aluminum underneath. The expenditure of elbow grease will almost always be futile. Check your local area for a shop that specializes in anodizing. Most of them can reverse the process, give the items back to you for refinishing (or they might even be able to do that on site), and then re-anodize later. Luckily, "clear" is one of the more common choices when it comes to anodizing, and you might be able to get your pieces added in with someone else's bulk order. Timing would be an issue, however. Otherwise, you can tint the process in literally millions of shades, but that would constitute a custom order and there would be a minimum charge. The last time I checked, a custom order of flat black cost me $65 about five years ago, and I could have added more items to my order if I had any, while not affecting the final price. Same thing for chroming/rechroming. It can get expensive, however, so it all depends on what your goal is -- quick & dirty, or restored & longlasting. _______________________________________________ vintagvw site list [email protected] http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
