by Chappy » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:22 pm
Karl, what a nice website on anodizing!
Shannon, check out the website Karl found. I had all of the tubing clear anodized (not hard surface anodized) before I built my first Lazair. I cleaned it with soap and water, and used ScotchBrite to shine it up a little. I probably paid about 10% of what the kit cost to have it done by a commercial shop, but I think it was well worth it. We also had one done in a simi-flat black, but it looked awful when the Lazair was assembled (IMHO). The shop had a hard time getting it to turn out well, too, and said they would charge double to do the job again in black.
The tubing so treated has never corroded at all, although it's not as bright as it was because it was not sealed, and picks up a little dirt that is very hard to remove (more like staining). Overall, though, it still looks very nice, and I have been very happy that I spent the money.
Chappy