restoring anodized aluminium t top etc
Submitted by kane on Sun, 2012-03-25 21:13
looking to do a bit of tlc on the boat, the aluminium T Top isnt in the greatest shape - has signs of salt damage, minor pitting etc, id like to try and give it a new lease of life although im of the understanding you cant polish anodized aluminium as it removes the anodising causing bigger corrosion problems later on.
having said this is there a product you recommend for cleaning up the ali without affecting the anodising? otherwise if i was to polish the anodized finish off, what ball park figure would you expect to get an average T top re anodized $$$???
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Gooooone Fishin!
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Aluminium has a fairly good
Aluminium has a fairly good life expectancy with exposure to salt water, as long as its cleaned afterwards, so usually they're not even treated, at all, just polished, or in some cases the tubes are done befor welding.
Are you really sure it isn't just polished, or textured then polished? If it is anodized, I can't say I've ever even heard of someone getting a t-top redone. You would need a massive vat and i'm sure that much like regalving, the finish is awful the second time around because of the pitting.
I'd fix those stupid bow rails first, they will corrode off and the stains will mark the glass ;)
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
if your right then thats good news
i can just polish it up and bobs your uncle
im fairly confident it has some form of anodising on it though, ill have look into this a bit further.
yes planning to fully detail her when i get home from work this time off to bring her back as close as possible to former glory.
Gooooone Fishin!
sea-kem
Posts: 15002
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Never heard of ali anodizing.
Never heard of ali anodizing. Maybe has a clear coat on top?? But as Jamie said polish up with some Autosol.
Love the West!
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
ok thats great, makes things a lot easier
what i can find says the t tops are mounted to the hull with anodized aluminium mounting plates, as long as its only the mounting plates that are anodised then happy days.
Gooooone Fishin!
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
looks like i was right, just found this info
"The tubing is 1-1/2" schedule 40 pipe with a 1.900" outside diameter. The tube material is 6063-T-54 marine grade aluminum that is polished and bright dip anodized which is the industry standard for T-Tops, wakeboard towers, radar arches, tuna towers, etc."
all the research i can find for a wide range of t tops all say there products are polished then anodised, being this is probably the case - the reccomendations i can find all say water wash only. does anyone know of a cleaning product safe for anodised ally?
also if anyone else wants this info i just found it may come in handy
http://www.pipewelders.com/Care_of_Aluminum.html
Gooooone Fishin!
fishfish
Posts: 307
Date Joined: 01/09/09
anodizing ..
Is that info you found specific to your boat or just ali fab in general ????..
If the t top is clear anodized then it will be quite noticable and will look like clear coat flaking off or have a chaulky appearance ...
You can try the easy polish trick to check or if your really keen someone like " WA Anodizing " in oconner would probably have a tank big enough ...
cheers fishfish...
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
the trophy info is a bit vague
it states the mounting plate is welded anodized aluminium but doesnt go into detail about the t top itself
all the other info im quoting is from spending hours trolling the internet looking at as many t tops as i can find, all the ones i could find that had any decent info stated that they are polished and anodised, and apparently its "industry standard" to do this.
ill look into wa anodizing if i decide to go that far with it
thanks alot
Gooooone Fishin!
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
I think that is only done to
I think that is only done to the tube before the processing though.
In any case, has anyone explained to you what happens with those bow rails? As they're segmented, but not sealed, they fill up with salt water and they rot out from the inside.
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
ill look into this, thanks for the tip ;-)
not too sure what you mean about being anodised before the processing? i know for a fact anodised aluminium is a pain in the arse to weld and you really need to remove the anodising prior to welding.
anyway regardless after all this searching ive answered my own question - ive found a few products in the end that are recommended just for cleaning anodised t tops so ill give them a crack and see how things end up.
cheers
Gooooone Fishin!
badxr8ute
Posts: 65
Date Joined: 03/09/08
Hey KaneI own a metal fab
Hey Kane
I own a metal fab shop in ossie park and know alittle bit about ali.
From what i have seen of the Trophy's and most of the newer american boats the ali barwork is clear anodised. They are anodised after they have been fabricated. They may appear to be welded after anodising but not the case. Ali welds will always colour up different to the sheet or tube when anodised.
I would advise to re anodise. It's a good durable surface treatment. As fishfish mentioned above WA Anodisers would be you best bet. They have the biggest tanks in WA.
Also as you stated, welding after anodising is a pain in the back side and you do need to clean the anodising off the ali before welding to lay a good weld.
Hope this helps.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Ahh I was a bit curious about
Ahh I was a bit curious about that, Alfred has a Fishmaster and they state that it is anodized, but the welds are clearly a different colour to the base tube, I was really puzzled about that.
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
thats beautiful
thats the kind of feedback i was looking for,
yep and pretty much what i thought, ill properly remove all the clears and have a good look at it when i get home next and if it looks bad enough ill get a quote from wa anodisers to get it re done.
cheers mate
Gooooone Fishin!
Dan
Posts: 168
Date Joined: 23/02/06
we use a product called
we use a product called 'alumaguard' - think it comes from the states - good at removing blemishes, and leaves a protactive coating to help protect it - we give ours ali bar work a once over about once a month and keeps her tip top !