Anyone know of a good product that will remove oxidation from the black anodized aluminum toe rail of an H22?
toe rail oxidation elimination
- Thread starter LDM
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anodized means it will not rust
The reason you use anodized aluminum is so you will not get that oxidation.
If you sand/scrape/use chemicals.... you will remove the anodization and only make the problem worse.
Taking off the toe rail for reanodizing is not really an option either as you would need a tank 27+ feet long.
The only course left is to paint the whole thing or live with the oxide. For the record, aluminum forms an oxide film (aluminium oxide is the same thing they use for sand paper, very tough stuff) that protects the aluminum from further oxidation. It is gray and some find it ugly. It also does not paint well.
Are you seeing the oxide around some discimilar metal fittings?
Could be galvanic corrosion. There is not much to do to fix that except use sealants to keep the metals out of contact.
The reason you use anodized aluminum is so you will not get that oxidation.
If you sand/scrape/use chemicals.... you will remove the anodization and only make the problem worse.
Taking off the toe rail for reanodizing is not really an option either as you would need a tank 27+ feet long.
The only course left is to paint the whole thing or live with the oxide. For the record, aluminum forms an oxide film (aluminium oxide is the same thing they use for sand paper, very tough stuff) that protects the aluminum from further oxidation. It is gray and some find it ugly. It also does not paint well.
Are you seeing the oxide around some discimilar metal fittings?
Could be galvanic corrosion. There is not much to do to fix that except use sealants to keep the metals out of contact.
I might have used the wrong wording. The toe rail on an '81 H22 is black and mine has no rust. It just has a white film that I have scrubbed and as soon as it dries is white again.
LDM,
Not all metals rust. The correct term is corrosion. The toe rail is aluminum, so no rust. As Bill Ross pointed out, aluminum corrosion creates the white power film you are scrubbing off. Bill points out a couple of reasons why you may be seeing corrosion, and some corrective steps.
One additional tip: If you are using any kind of metal to scrub, like steel wool, you may be exasperating the problem. Fine particles of the scrubber will be embedded into the aluminum causing additional dissimilar metal corrosion.
Not all metals rust. The correct term is corrosion. The toe rail is aluminum, so no rust. As Bill Ross pointed out, aluminum corrosion creates the white power film you are scrubbing off. Bill points out a couple of reasons why you may be seeing corrosion, and some corrective steps.
One additional tip: If you are using any kind of metal to scrub, like steel wool, you may be exasperating the problem. Fine particles of the scrubber will be embedded into the aluminum causing additional dissimilar metal corrosion.
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