# painting aluminium



## deano69 (11 Jun 2011)

Any ideas on painting ali anyone ? I tried o paint some rockshox lowers with cans but it was rubbish finish so taken them all the way back to bare ali but want to know if there is any tips for priming and painting bare ali such as how smooth and shiny should they be special primer etc etc...........

Any info welcome cheers Dean


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## Cubist (12 Jun 2011)

You want an aluminium primer, like Plastikote. What you DON'T need is aluminium primer... which is alu oxide primer for wood... Confused? Buy the Plastikote!
http://www.tools4trade.com/d-3803034-Plasti-kote-Primer-Aluminium-400-ml.aspx


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## Globalti (13 Jun 2011)

Make friends with someone who works in the aircraft industry and they will get the lowers etch-primed with that stuff.


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## deano69 (13 Jun 2011)

Cheers for the info everyone but have spoken to an old friend who works in spray booth who does cars, motorbikes and other items and he going to spray my lower fork legs for next to nothing.......I done all the hard work a whole day wet and dry papering off old finish then several grades of steel wool to finish they look pretty good even if I do say so myself


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## Night Train (13 Jun 2011)

You could get them annodised, available in a range of colours.


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## Zoiders (15 Jun 2011)

If I am not mistaken are some of the R/S the lowers not magnesium?

As I had set of R/S lowers start reverting back to powder after a ferry crossing.


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## HeliusFR1974 (16 Jun 2011)

Zoiders is correct, all Rockshox lowers since the 1990's are made of Magnesium which does have a habit of dissolving is left uncoated!


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## abo (16 Jun 2011)

How about just using clear lacquer?


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## Zoiders (16 Jun 2011)

I would also be carefull with anything like a flap wheel or wire brush in drill with the mag lowers

Magnesium stems, frames, cranks etc etc were the next big thing in the early noughties - until the factory in Tawain burned down.


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## david1701 (17 Jun 2011)

Zoiders said:


> I would also be carefull with anything like a flap wheel or wire brush in drill with the mag lowers
> 
> Magnesium stems, frames, cranks etc etc were the next big thing in the early noughties - until the factory in Tawain burned down.



they gotta be magnesium alloys surely, like my cameras. Straight magnesium


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## Zoiders (21 Jun 2011)

david1701 said:


> they gotta be magnesium alloys surely, like my cameras. Straight magnesium


Even if it's an alloy the fact you are turning it back into a powder with the flap wheel is the risky bit.

IIRC it was the Easton or Thomson factory that went up in flames when a spark got into a pile of powder and swarf during the final machining phase.


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## deano69 (21 Jun 2011)

Its ok they're painted now, and I did all the hard work by hand with assorted papers and wire wools it took forever but result is worth it. I would never use any power tool or sander as they are too delicate for such abuse. They look great now just for the new rockshox decals which are in light blue to match bike decals


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## david1701 (22 Jun 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Even if it's an alloy the fact you are turning it back into a powder with the flap wheel is the risky bit.
> 
> IIRC it was the Easton or Thomson factory that went up in flames when a spark got into a pile of powder and swarf during the final machining phase.



true I spose being a fine powder it would ignite pretty easily, I know flour explodes if its properly aerated :S


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## Angelfishsolo (22 Jun 2011)

Looking very good indeed 


deano69 said:


> Its ok they're painted now, and I did all the hard work by hand with assorted papers and wire wools it took forever but result is worth it. I would never use any power tool or sander as they are too delicate for such abuse. They look great now just for the new rockshox decals which are in light blue to match bike decals


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## hotmetal (23 Jun 2011)

david1701 said:


> true I spose being a fine powder it would ignite pretty easily, I know flour explodes if its properly aerated :S



I'm gonna take a flapwheel to a loaf of bread and see if I can blow myself up…
You are right though, flour really can blow up in the right circumstances. 
Magnesium powder would be mental. I remember the fun (and subsequent temporary blindness) we used to have at school with a Zippo and the Mg ribbon in chemistry lessons. I bet they don't let the kids loose on that stuff now… Elf and safety, innit?


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## david1701 (23 Jun 2011)

I'm only 21 and we had loads of it  our chem teacher was ex oil industry and a bit of a pyro though :s


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## Cubist (24 Jun 2011)

david1701 said:


> I'm only 21 and we had loads of it  our chem teacher was ex oil industry and a bit of a pyro though :s



Bit of pyro? I thought it went with the job description for chemistry teachers. Both of them at my school really loved huge explosions, one even set off a two gallon squash container full of hydrogen and oxygen mix in the middle of the quad one afternoon and earned himself a reprimand from the head. The other scorched the wall in the music hall by setting off extra large stage macaroons during a second orchestra rehearsal for the 1812 overture.


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