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What is the best clear coat for aluminum?

S

S.Crum

Well-known Member
Hi folks!
In your experience what clear coat have you had
the best results with on aluminum? Favorite son
laid his Honda V45 Magna down a few weeks ago and
in usual fashion I ended up buying a couple parts
machines to piece it back together. When I got
done I decided that with those 2 extra bikes and a
few new parts, I should be able to build another
complete bike for me. These bikes are loaded with
aluminum bright work and of course you can't have
a bike with dull or corroded bright work.
Polishing is no issue as I still have everything
from my stainless business, but aluminum needs to
be protected unlike stainless, (of course my bike
will get some custom fab'ed stainless work no
doubt).
Thanks
 
I was a supplier of aluminum castings for Herman Miller furniture and lots of what we supplied was "color buffed" (polished) and clear coated.

We used a clear urethane that our paint supplier applied. It would be similar to what your son's motorcycle parts have on them. I would call around to industrial painters and ask if they can do it.

This may be a good time to consider chrome plating. You would have to find someone who can copper flash and polish first and then lay down the chrome.

Japanese die-cast aluminim is usually an alloy called ADC-12. It's similar to what is used here known as A-380. Both of these alloys have high silicon for fludity in the casting process as well as high copper for strength. The high copper makes these corrode faster and this shows up as pitting and what folks refer to as white rust. Without protection of some sort it won't stop so you are on the right path to seek surface protection.

A call to a local motorcycle shop may also help to see who they use, especially if they do custom work.
 
There is a special cleaner for aluminum that keeps it free of oxidation for month's but I can't remember the name. It used on mag wheels and stuff and sold in specialty automotive shops. I saw it on an old episode of Trucks with Stacey David.
 
(quoted from post at 09:10:08 04/28/13) There is a special cleaner for aluminum that keeps it free of oxidation for month's but I can't remember the name. It used on mag wheels and stuff and sold in specialty automotive shops. I saw it on an old episode of Trucks with Stacey David.
Click to expand...

Was it Simichrome?
 
In the past I have successfully cleared a Honda car engine aluminum rocker cover using the following products:

PPG DX-533 Aluminum Cleaner
PPG DX-501 Aluminum Conditioner
PPG DAU-75/DXR-80 Acrylic Urethane Clear

You can download the technical data sheets on the above products from the <a href="https://buyat.ppg.com/refinishProductCatalog/">PPG North America Automotive Refinish</a> website

The rocker cover I cleared had heavy oxidation on it. Prior to the DX-533 Aluminum Cleaner, I did a brush sandblast using the extra fine version of Black Beauty grit. The extra fine version is just a powder and does not leave a noticeable blast profile. If you only have reasonably light oxidation, the DX-533 should clean it up well enough.
 
Thanks everyone for your input! As I said there is no problem doing the polish work on any of these pieces. I have all sorts of buffing equipment and supplies I used in my stainless business including some of the most advanced non woven abrasives. I'll probably set the parts up and use a urethane clear or take them to Elmira to be powder coated, I understand there's a crystal clear non yellowing powder coat available now. Thanks
 
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