I'm starting a new thread because I heard the forum is dead.
I can't afford Hope cranks yet so I've spruced up my SLX ones. They're still too long but I'm very happy with how they came out. Absolutely minimal effort.
I couldn't find caustic soda in any local shops so I bought spray on 'Elbow Grease' foamy oven cleaner. Soaked the arms for about an hour then used Autosol on a polishing mop fitted to the drill.
The problem is now I'm looking around the garage for other stuff that needs to be de-anodised.
I might end up with a fleet of polished bikes.
They came up nice. Are they likely to oxidise without the anodised layer?
They came up nice. Are they likely to oxidise without the anodised layer?
After about 5 minutes, IME.
I've XTR ones I bought from someone who'd done this. They do grey a bit... but the rest of my bike looks pretty shitty anyway so i don't bother polishing them.
Yeah it'll definitely oxidise pretty rapidly. I'm riding for 2 days this weekend, so we'll see how they look after that.
I'm tempted to do the SRAM cranks on the other bike now. Maybe a derailleur if I can take it to bits.
Are they likely to oxidise without the anodised layer?
Yea, but, no, but.....
Aluminum is far more reactive than iron so oxidizes far quicker
Aluminum oxide is more dense than aluminum, so it doesn't flake off*.
Aluminum oxide is harder than aluminum so doesn't wear off the surface.
The result is it will dull almost immediately, but beyond the cosmetic it's not usually a problem.
*Iron oxide is less dense than iron, and it's that which cases it to be pushed off the surface
The question's always more how it'll oxidise than whether it will, if you're unlucky you get the white fur and it looks crap instantly, especially if it gets salty, but if you're lucky it'll just darken and look kind of drab and dirty. But still looks better than hammered old cranks tbh, or 5-second-old Shimanos with shoe rub Quick scotchbriting will usually bring them back up though.
Last few times I was looking for caustic soda ( for drains) I found it in Boyes.
Cranks look mint 😃
My 7 year old xt cranks are covered in dings, dents and rub marks. I'm tempted to try
I use drain cleaner instead of oven cleaner so I can see it working rather than guessing how long to leave the foam on.
There's lacquer made for raw alloy car wheels if you're worried about them going dull due to oxidisation
Quite a transformation! The naked Al looks good.
Damn it, now I want to my cranks to be shiny and not battered and black. Curse you OP!
I did this to the shimano cranks on my singlespeed. It's ridden exclusively in filth and never washed. They still look shiny, stay away from salt and you'll be fine*.
Last few times I was looking for caustic soda ( for drains) I found it in Boyes.
You can get it in 5kg buckets off ebay / amazon.
The OH has an aversion to cleaning the grill and I've got a "nuke it from orbit" approach to our slow drains so it's useful to have in industrial quantities 😂
I use drain cleaner instead of oven cleaner so I can see it working rather than guessing how long to leave the foam on.
Any particular brand?
I just used some cheap stuff, can't remember what it was called, the bottle was orange, any brand will do I guess, if it's got a hazard warning to not get on your skin and a child proof top it'll do the trick, it usually says pour down the sink and leave for 20mins or an hour, or whatever, any supermarket, B&M or home bargains will have some, probably all comes from the same manufacturer.
