DIY aluminium panel chemical treatment

[destroyer X]

You can build, rebuild or fix an aluminium panel at your home.

First remove scratches using sand paper into one direction only.. use sandpaper grain 120, and them 360 and then 500.... also you can use steel brush and polishing powder...... wash the panel and let it dry.

Scratching again will remove the old scratches..now substituted with your own scratches..use a piece of wood as a guide to sand in straigth lines, along the length.

After dried you can use a brush that has no metal surfaces, or prepare your own brush cutting your hair or your dog's hairs and fixing into a tip of wood or a pencil... then apply the Oxálic Acid solution...be carefull, it is toxic, use gloves and open the windows...the chemical material (sold as iron oxid stain remover from clothing..used into laundry) will boil in contact with the aluminium surface and this will result in a beautifull white finishment...a metalic and resistant result, that does not shines.

Then apply letraset, or paint... well... do the way you want to produce the panel letters, also you can order a silk screen work for your panel.. i suggest, as final, to paint using transparent automotive paint.

The products shown are used into our home laundry, also to keep cooking pots pretty and shinny.

Some of them are constituted by Oxalic Acid diluted with water....others are Sulfuric Acid and some phosphatizer element.... the Oxalic Acid is the one produces the better results..others use to clean the aluminium surface only.

Those slide movies will be helpfull..first one in English and second in Portuguese:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUQGLNxoaHc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzGPe9xFllk

regards,

Carlos

[ra7]

excellent tip!
Thanks carlos.

[destroyer X]

regards,

Carlos

[Steerpike]

Oxalic acid - That's a useful tip!

[destroyer X]

carefull not to let the chemical drop into ceramic floor, or ceramic walls, or ceramic pots.

just that..and be happy!

regards,

Carlos

[Fenris]

Ah, the Oxalic acid is used to oxidize and chemically anodize the aluminum. Clever use of household ingredients.

I use some very dilluted used PCB etchant (originally HCl + peroxide, but CuCl, HCl and peroxide now) to etch lettering/designs into aluminum panels. Use paint or toner to mask off everything you don't want to be black. If you don't dillute, the reaction can be VERY intense - it will eat through about .5mm per minute with alot of gas released. But the resulting finish is matte black and very durable.

[destroyer X]

Sorry, Fenris is your forum name...i just could not edit to fix my error...the old forum software was better in some points...well..nothing is perfect.

I am glad to know the etchant does this nice job Fenris.

thank you,

regards,

Carlos

[nigelwright7557]

We used to use a caustic soda solution to get rid of scratches on aluminium panels.

[destroyer X]

Let's go boys...post your ideas here.... the diy aluminium threatment tips and tricks.

regards,

Carloa

[fotios]

Originally Posted by nigelwright7557

We used to use a caustic soda solution to get rid of scratches on aluminium panels.

Hi to all

I know that the caustic soda (NaOH) can corrode aluminium. It is used and in anodizing proccess. I have experimented a little with a solution of 50% NaOH on water. But the corrosion was very fast and not of similar race on the alu surface. Can you Nigel give me some informations about?

Thanks
Fotios