Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Losing the brushed aluminum look at corners upon bending it

we have aluminum .090 parts that require a line grain finish, we have a time saver with an 80 grit belt. We line grained the aluminum in the flat and bent it into a box then welded the corners for a finished look, now we have lost the grain on the corners and need a way to blend it together.

Rod Nelson
shop employee - Layton Utah
May 6, 2011

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You could try using a hand belt sander, but you might have to use a coarser belt. If that doesn't work, either a non-woven wheel or belt sander; however, in all cases you still may end up blending more than just the corners.

AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
May 11, 2011

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May 16, 2011

I tend to agree with Jeff. They were anodized aluminum. After all these years it may be difficult to get a nice job of anodizing again simply because the castings are old and any debris in the castings may have broken down and oxidized. Consequently there are pockets of of non-aluminum which will not readily accept the anodizing and leave blemishes.
I think your best bet is to have them polished to a nice bright finish and keep them cleaned and waxed on a regular basis.
Or try getting them painted in a nice bright gray finish that looks close to what they looked like new. Most people will not notice the difference as long as it is well done and all the colors are consistent.
Or course if nothing will do but the original anodized finish then start looking for a reputable place that does custom anodizing and listen very closely to what they say. Too often a customer will have such a desire for a perfect result that they will fail to listen to the possible problems that may occur. Then everybody is unhappy. Of course for the right amount of money anything is just about possible. But estimating a job like that could be off by many hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Go for the nice matching paint and take the money you save for another project or improvement on your current project.
But hey ! It is only my two bits of opinion.
Of course a real nice chrome job might look good too. Just make sure you find a reputable place. Go to their before and after gallery and make sure they are up to it. Good Luck

Frank DeGuire
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA