72 TA : New Project

[njsteve]

I have been wondering what to do about the scratched up anodized aluminum window trim on the front and back windows. I figured I have no problem with polishing them if I could get the old scratched anodized finish off somehow. So, I did a little searching and found the following method worked pretty well. It seems that using Sodium Hydroxide (common household powdered lye/drain cleaner) is what most people recommend. I also stumbled across something that worked much better for the initial heavy stripping...what is it? Why the same old "Purple Stuff" of course! I happened to place a couple of trim pieces in the Purple Stuff just to clean them off and after a few minutes the anodizing started crusting up and bubbling off. So, I did what most people would then do: I read the ingredients on the Purple Stuff jug and low and behold it contains Sodium Hydroxide. It must be in some heavy concentration becuase it worked much faster than lye mixed in water.

Here is what I set up to do the larger pieces: a kiddy pool lined with heavy 6-ply plastic sheeting from Home Depot. I filled it with about 8 gallons of water and then added one can of powdered Drano. It takes about 2 hours before any progress is observed.