Any tricks to restoring faded black anodizing?
 

I dislike the idea of spraying black paint on the rear grille on my '73, but it's gone all the way through the purple stage to a silver-grey...

Is there any kind of treatment other than reanodizing?

Have you tried Vaseline? They say it works on anodized Fuchs....

I havent' seven *seen* Vaseline for years. I'll try it... what the heck.

Yes, take it off and have it reanodized...

Anodizing, by itself, has no "color", it's a form of protection created by forcing the creation of a particular aluminum oxide on the surface of the part. The "black" that's fading on your car (and a couple places on mine) is paint or, perhaps more properly, a stain; usually these pieces were dipped rather than sprayed, but either is acceptable.

Jerry M
'78 SC

What's the best way to remove the old anodizing?

Actually, you can anodize in different colors. Black especially is common.

Mike

Deanodizing. It's the reverse process of anodizing. I believe you dip the whole thing in a solution that reverses the anodizing process.

Look in the yellow pages for your local area and you'll be surprised to find how many metal finishing places might be in your area. I was. But I live in a highly populated suburban area outside of Chicago so.......

Or you can use something harsh like a lye solution. Easy-Off oven cleaner is a milder version of this.

You can anodize in many different colors, by adding dyes and or complimentary metals to the process. You can have the shop doing the plating chemically strip the old stuff off first, and than reanodize. You could also have them hard-coat anodize it, where a thicker and stronger anodizing is done, by cooling the chemical process with a refridgerant system (slowing down the oxidation process.) Make sure you tell them it is going on a car, and that color and uniformity are important to you. Ask to see samples if possible, or find another friend in your area who has had it done. Some shops may be unwilling to mess with your small parts, and be prepared to fork $100 or so for a few pieces.

If you are feeling creative, you could try these guys:

http://www.caswellplating.com/


-BG

I love the look of the early metal grille when worn / faded. The patina gives it character, a sense of history. Wear it with pride.

Quite right, almost any color is possible, but, correct me if I'm wrong, but the anodizing is done first then, if you want color, the piece is dipped in stain or dye. So couldn't you re-dye the, already anodized, piece? Or does the loss of color mean the anodizing is also lost?

Jerry M
'78 SC

Well, I always thought that you added dye pellets to the solution itself at the time of anodizing, but you may be correct. Perhaps they anodize, dye, and then seal it...

If it is possible to just re-dye, it would certainly make refurbishing some of these trim pieces easier.

Jerry M
'78 SC

Yup, I'd be interested in knowing...

I do believe he is right.

Try the Rit-Dye trick. That stuff is amazing. It will find it's way even deep in between plastic molecules! Considering how porous anodize is, it should be easy.

Rit Dye
 

Wow! That is one amazing trick (the knobs).

I bet it'll work on the grille.

I don't mind the faded-pewter color, but a P.O. had a couple of badges on the grille and they left shadows...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads/73E62503rsm.jpg

What, no one else uses a Sharpie pen (permanent marker)? Works great for sunroof felt too...

That's the trick Todd. Works for me and costs about 1/100th.

I've seen the Sharpie pen trick on lug-nuts. It kinda looks "off" IMO. . .kinda slightly purple-ish.

Though, maybe that was Magic Marker. (?)

Techweenie - where the Hell do you keep all those cars?

Same here, tried it on the lug-nuts, looks purple; and I used a real "Sharpy", I just looked at it to be sure.

Jerry M
'78 SC

I have most of 'em at a friendly local Porsche shop/dealer -- 911PCC in Venice. A couple more are in various shops, and three are parked where I live.

It's a handful!

Vaseline. Works wonders on Fuchs, imagine it might do the same for you.

Vaseline Works wonders on Clear Anodize. . . .It's not likely to add black color. In fact, if you are going to try to dye the anodize, make sure it's very clean. I imagine it could get blotchy if oils are soaked into some areas.

techweenie, your fleet signature takes up a quarter of the page:D . Mabye there should be a "wannabe techweenie post".

What if you shot a dark grey laquer through an airbrush? Mix it very thin, possibly with acetone so it will go on a bit dry?

Tiny atomized paint particles may restore a tinted anodized look.

Anodizing, as you've seen, wears away after a few years. The coating is only a few thousandths of an inch thick. For long-term color, try black powder coat. I've had it on my trim work for about 20 years and the black has stayed put. I've even had a 16 foot extension ladder fall onto the front windshield once upon a time. The window broke, the trim was bent, but the black on the trim stayed on. I straightened it out and replaced the glass. Still looks fine.

For some background info on anodizing at home, click on the "DIY Anodizing" article at http://www.early911sregistry.org/TechInfo.html

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

I'm not sure that these parts were anodized. Porsche also used silver oxide coatings during the 70s, until they learned how sensitive to light the silver oxide coating is. This is the faded trimi you typically see on late 70s SCs and Turbos.

Best solution for the grille, which I've seen, is painting it with a high quality (e.g., two component) trim paint. Satin black. Gives a smoother appearance than the powdercoating that I've seen, and lasts better than anodizing or silver oxide.

Marine Aluminum Brightener?
 

I have window trim that does a nice dither from black to matte silver/aluminum. I actually like the flat aluminum look and am interested in getting the rest of the black off. I heard of a high-powered marine product (Like Omegal Chemical Marine Aluminum Brightener); it's an aluminum mast cleaner/protector. Anyone hear of this working or some other way to get the rest of the black off?