You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Manky old set of Deore square taper cranks....
(like these but found in a bin and scratched to buggery and filthy)
[img] 
[/img]
....bit of work with a drill and wire attachment to take off anodizing....
[img] 
[/img]
....then polish up with some fine grade sandpaper, metal polish, and lots of elbow grease....
[img] 
[/img]
(I decided to leave the spider with the satiny/unpolished finish as a contrast)
....ok not quite up to Jeff Jones standard - but they look pretty nice 8)
I think they looked better before you started, now they look like they came off a £95 halfords bike
yep.repaint them black.
anodise them pink, sell em to some joker on here for a gazillion quid
Every-one's a critic...
People that take anodizing off - do you lacquer the metal afterwards? I mean, nobody strips the paint off steel components and then leaves them to the mercy of the British climate do they? Why aluminium then? The anodizing is there for a very good reason.
I know they'll get a bit dull, but I've polished em with a bit of T-Cut, and will only take a quick re-polish every so often.
*puts D&T teacher hat on*
Oxidisation on Steel and Aluminium works quite differently too. Rust on steel and iron causes structural degradation over time, but when aluminium oxidises a very thin layer forms (we're talking microns) and this layer prevents further corrosion.
*takes D&T teacher hat off* 😉
Amyway, makes a change doesn't it?
Good effort I say!
Typical bloody STW forum naysayers responses.....
"Typical bloody STW forum naysayers responses....."
Typical forum naysayers naysayer response 😉
shiney = good, btw.
Good job well done, I like 'em. I did some LX HT2s like that and they've been fine. Looks waaaaay better than scratched and worn paint. The finish stands up just fine to usage. I found that Brillo pads are great for the final polish too, the ones with the soap in them! 🙂
If they had 'Middleburn' written on them , the nay-sayers would be fawning over them.... 😉
but when aluminium oxidises a very thin layer forms (we're talking microns) and this layer prevents further corrosion.
Someone should tell the aircraft industry then, they spend a fortune on preventing it oxidising.
When are you going to do the making it look good part?
DeVs - Memberbut when aluminium oxidises a very thin layer forms (we're talking microns) and this layer prevents further corrosion.
Someone should tell the aircraft industry then, they spend a fortune on preventing it oxidising.
its a pair of cranks not a ****ing airplane!
Aluminium oxide is pretty brittle, not something you'd want where the metal was going to expand and contract quite a lot, such as on an aeroplane.
>Someone should tell the aircraft industry then, they spend a fortune on preventing it oxidising.
Do they just paint everything then ?
Aircraft structures use thin section materials, where any corrosion could cause serious stress fracture problems, especially as alloys can become work hardened and brittle over time. Not a problem on bike components, but an issue if you're trying to keep seventy tonnes of aircraft 35000 ft in the air.