Managed to make my nice Volk GT-C's look rather borked - need help re: clear anodisin

[oldcorollas]

LOL @ thread they might be anodised..

if they were anodised, then they would not haze, they would pit and corrode and get the white fluffies

if they were anodised (to stop corrosion) and then clear coated (with lacquer etc) to stop damage, then they could haze, and when you grind them, you get the same effect you are seeing.

that the guy posting as rep of company that deals with a company that deals with a company in japan that deals with the wheel maker.. does not inspire confidence when their description is not very clear
anodising is just oxidising aluminium with the help of chemical and electric current to make a thicker oxide. if they are "clear anodised" then all you need to do is polish that area, and then repolish as time goes on.

it will nto haxe and will nto have the white stuff in your pic because the natural oxide will have the same colour as the thin anodised oxide.... clear clear because it is too thin to make the polished surface look cloudy.


if i have time next weekend, i'll try to find some instore and scratch somewhere inconspicuous

edit:

The surface is just too hard for any paint polish to touch. I only think the metal polish got to it because I'd I'd probably sanded through the 'sealed' layer with the 1500 grit, leaving the oxidisation, thus the reason the polish appears to have only removed the coating in the area I had sanded.

the sealed layer (if it is anodised) IS oxidation.......... how can there be oxidation AND a coating.. if the coating IS oxidation?
can you see what i'm trying to get at here?

edit: metal polish does fark all to metal, as the particle size is pretty small and they are usualyl chemically assisted, but aluminium is relatively soft. so it will do something. it should still be hard enough to polish alumina, but it might take time. metal polish should do farkall to lacquer, since it is polymer.....

[roadsailing]

metal polish combined with sandpaper will do fark lots to laquer, it will fark it!

[-Totenkopf-]

Well, im confused, think I'll just consult some rim refinishes. People clear anodise alot of parts for corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance. What your telling me now is almost contrary to what I know currently about anodising. Anodising is meant to make a surface more resistant to scratching etc because, as you said, it forms an aluminium oxide. Aluminium oxide is basically the hardest substance known to man, minus diamond.

I dont think anodising is quite like the film of oxide you'd get on a piece of alloy out in the weather, otherwise special chemicals wouldn't be required to produce the finish. Also, its a several step process, usually with them being sealed at the end.

Either way, you could be right. If you can find out for me that'd be great.

Maybe a rim refinisher will know and can finish it with the same finish as whatever they are originally.

Cheers,

James.

[oldcorollas]

alumina is hard, but not that hard. there are other ceramics that are harder before diamond.

anodising results in the formation of honeycomb shaped cells of oxide. if they are dipped in dye, the dye goes into the cavities. after this, if you boil the part or whatever, you seal the ends of the honeycomb cells.

"clear anodising" basically means.. the oxide is thicker than the natural/native oxide, but thin enough so that it still appears clear.. or basically, so it doesn't appear matt like normal anodising.
because it is so thin, (ie, so thin you can't see it) it has much less resistance to damage.

they could still be anodised.. but that pic you showed looks like an actual painted on coating..... but it could just be the pic , and the scratches might just be on the thin anodised oxide....
can you scratch away some of the borked stuff?
unfortunately my machines can't take rim sized samples

one way to tell for sure? put rim in oven at 3-400C for a few hours, and see if the coating is damaged ... it will root rim for sure, but if it is lacquer, it will be even more farked, but anodising will be fine .
i can't think of easier test to be 100% sure right now tho
(maybe scrape off some coating and see if it burns or chars?)

[-Totenkopf-]

Not a chance in hell of scraping any of that finish off.

Here are the best pictures I could manage to get




Not sure if they are useful at all.

I've done alot of googling and alot of places say they are clear anodized as alot of people have issues when they put wheel cleaners with strong alkalis in them on the wheels, and they end up clouding up as the anodized coating doesn't react well.

[oldcorollas]

hmm...... alkali does react with both aluminium and aluminium oxide... (which is why you use strong alkali to make hydrogen to play with ) i'd say if it was an oxide film.. that is was reacting well and the hazing is due to a rough surface perhaps? or pitting into the alloy below..

if it is actually oxide, then you can polish out the scratches to a smooth finish, so you won't see them, but it won't protect the bare alloy. you could lacquer the whole thing, but thats painful, or, you could use proper polishing stuff (like, diamond powder type stuff) in 3 micron and 1 micron, and then will give good finish that is hard to detect scratches.
after that, keeping the area waxed etc, will help to prevent corrosion.

now that i think about it.. most polishes have alumina as the grit particle... (but wet n dry is silicon carbide).... some metal polises might even be plain old silica (like toothpaste)