So how do I get this BLUE STUFF off?

I'm getting ready to plumb the r-p/u and a friend of mine offered to set me up with all the fittings. I just went by to pick them up, and they're all anodized that dark candy blue color. Is there anyway to de-anodize them -- without deystroying them? I want to use 'em, they'll save me a lot of $$$, but the look doesn't jive with the car if you know what I mean.

 

oven cleaner

 

I read somewhere you could use "easy off" oven cleaner to remove the anodizing.
I've never done it,so i can't tell ya if it works or not.
Just be carefull if you try it..that ****s powerfull stuff!

Tony...

 

have u tryed a wire wheel on a bench grinder?i think that should work

 

My bro tried Easy Off oven cleaner on some fittings, and said it just kinda made a mess. I was thinking about a wire wheel, but was afraid I'd tear the fittings up. Is there a "lite" wire wheel I could use?

 

Easy Off will take ANYTHING off...grease, paint, rubber, human flesh...

I was actually wondering this too. I really hate the look of the red/blue fittings that come on everything now. I would guess you could take it to a place that does anodizing and they could remove it, but I have no idea really.

 

Yep, just soak it in Easy-off. No wire wheels!!! Those things seal on the flares. Take off any material and you'll have leaks.
When the Aeroquip fitting guy came by our place I asked him about this. Those are his words. It worked for me. Was kinda hard getting all of the color off in the threads...

They make them in steel also... as well as nickle plated aluminum so you don't have to do this...unless you are cheap, like me.

 

You could always ask these guys.

 

Get an old toothbrush (and a pair of rubber gloves) to get the stuff out of the threads and cracks

 

you're killin me dog.

 

You have to check the oven cleaner you use - make sure sodium hydroxide is one of the ingredients. That's the stuff that'll take it off.
Cheers,
Blair

 

Have you guys ever tried bead blasting???

 

I think blasting would cut 'em up to the point they'd leak.

I went to the store and the only Easy-Off they had was a spray can of new "Fume-Free Max Lemon Scent" -- doesn't say if it has sodium hydroxide or not... it does say not to get it on aluminum or painted surfaces. Or in my eyes...

 

id try easy off like stated before. Ive stripped tons of small **** with it, I just did an intake manifold today........good stuff

 

I have been using my die grinder with 3M Roloc Scotch Brite disks. If you use a fine or extra fine disk you can remove the blue and leave a smooth, shiny finish...

 

Use caustic soda (some oven cleaner), put fittings in a plastic bag, spray cleaner over the fittings and leave over night. Next day rinse them off, they will tern black so polish them with aluminum cleaner. Don’t use a wire brush on alum. Little bits of the brush go into the soft alum and brake off causing little rust spots.

1200 wet and dry will do it but takes forever and you have buff the scraches out.

 

i can't remember the exact formula, i'll try to find it, but i know a guy that's done it by putting baking soda in a saucepan (make sure the missus isn't home!) dropping the parts in for about ten minutes, and then...

well ****, he did something, but i can't remember. i'll try to find out.

definitely there was boiling involved! i'll get back to ya...

 

Well, the "Fume-Free Max Lemon Scent" spray-on Easy Off didn't work worth ****. It didn't even begin to dissolve the color. Are there other versions of Easy Off? Is there a paint-on "original" formula that's got more horsepower than this stuff?

 

Castrol Super Clean has sodium hydroxide in it, You might give that a try.

Neal

 

Hey Neal -- thanks. I'll give it a try.

 

I just used a polishing wheel on my bench grinder with some wenol(mothers would work too). removed all the blue and polished at the same time.
FED

 

Cool post I had no idea you could remove the anodize! Thanks!!

 

[ QUOTE ]
Use caustic soda (some oven cleaner), put fittings in a plastic bag, spray cleaner over the fittings and leave over night.

[/ QUOTE ]

just an observation... but if oven cleaner is caustic, wouldnt that plastic bag melt?

might as well blast the fittings in your oven... clean it out while getting rid of the blue ****

 

OK. I have got 2 different kinds of oven cleaner, 1 Selley’s Oven Clean is caustic based- says- Do not spray aluminum, copper, plastic, gl***, chrome, gal. Or painted suface.

It does get the anodizing off but will leave it black, the black comes off with aluminum polish

I used this one to clean up a cast iron water pump got rid of all the grease and grime and ate off the engine paint. I used a plastic shopping bag , this is a 30 minute cleaner used cold- some cleaners recommend heating oven before applying .

2 Mr Muscle is non caustic but is 24 hour cleaner but says to avoid the same as listed above. I don’t know if this (non caustic) will remove anodizing. I also have used it on parts, wrapped them in plastic shopping bags to stop the cleaner from drying off. I chuck the bags as soon as the parts have been rinsed with water.

 

I know that oven cleaner is a great stripper and grease remover. I have not heard of it removing anodized paint, but that doesn't mean ****. What I'm wondering is, why don't you paint them with some Okie chrome or black, and save your self some trouble?

 

just spray paint em black

 

Just plain good ol fashioned EASY OFF. None of those ***** scented versions are the same. It will take a couple soakings to get teh anodizing to start to run. Once the ano gets "loose" keep hitting em every couple minutes with more cleaner. I then don rubber gloves and wipe the rest off with a worn out Scotch Brite pad.(less abrasive)

 

Hey... I've got a bunch of old anodized aluminum cups, and I just made the mistake of throwin one in the dishwasher on a "pots and pans" cycle, using Electrasol powdered detergent, and the "gold" cup came out Natural Aluminum!!! Granted the Anodizing was 50 yrs old, but even if it took a few cycles that sounds pretty easy to me!!!

 

Drain cleaner will do the same thing.

 

<font color="purple"> You shouldn't have eaten the toilet mint in the first place.

I've noticed oven cleaners are weaker than they used to be. Have you tried plain 'ol paint thinner? </font>