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Removing tooling marks from aluminum for anodizing?

swarf_rat

Titanium
Joined
Feb 24, 2004
Location
Napa, CA
I have machined some aluminum parts which will get hard coat anodized. I would like to remove the tooling marks first and get a nice uniform surface. I don't have access to a tumbler, not sure that would do it anyway. Could I have them bead blasted first? Will that be sufficient to remove/blend the tooling marks? Is there a better way?
 
How noticeable are the tooling marks? Are there any critical dimensions? You can have the plater do a heavy etch before anodize if there aren’t. Or yes, bead blast with light media. How many parts?

Tom
 
Swarf,

Ask your Plater if he has a flat belt or timesaver..Or if they are too small for that..yes a tumbler will remove the normal tool marks..

Your plater will probably Know someone with a tumbler or might even have his own..some do..some don't..
 
Or yes, bead blast with light media.
Tom

As for which light blasting media, crushed walnut shells might be the cat's miaow for this, but if you're not doing it yourself, make sure it's a reputable company and check they don't add something more abrasive to the walnut media.
If the machining texture runs too deep for that I'd try glass bead
 
If it's only a few parts you can use scotchbrite along with soapy water to smooth them up. Of course, if it is a production lot this is not feasible, but around here we send out small lots of parts for a project and they all get scrubbed to a satin finish first. Its a bit of elbow grease, but well worth it, as the finished product is very nice.
 
A 10 inch long piece of hardwood dowel with a slot an inch or so from the end, stuff some steel wool in the slot then wind it around the dowel nice and tight, spinn it in a drillpress fast as it will go and it will conform to almost any profile and remove those cutter lines, I wouldn't want to do a bunch of them that way. We have ours sticking out of a downdraft table. We started out with them in drill presses, it is good in that you can achieve a light grain in one direction and it looks nice after annodize.

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Thanks for the suggestions. It is only a couple of pieces, but a lot of contours so a belt or spindle would not reach a lot of it. I could wet sand them lightly but that always seems to leave its own marks. I will try the scotchbrite and soupy water - haven't tried that one yet.
 
A stiff mix of 409 cleaner and water, used HOT will etch and clean Alu like nobody's business.

That ans a bit of scotchbright will smooth smaller tool marks
 








 
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