Removing anodising - effects strength?

[stevet1]

If I removed the anodising from a set of bars and polished them up would it have any effect on the strength? I seem to recall anodising has some useful properties besides being colourful such as surface hardening and preventing the surface from oxidising...

 

[cherrybomb]

Removing the anodising and polishing them up will have no effect on strength, but will remove the protection from oxidation, so you'll have to keep them waxed. Bike bits aren't hard anodised it's just cosmetic.

 

[stevet1]

remove the protection from oxidation

So whats the worst that will happen, they'll go a bit dull?

 

[cherrybomb]

remove the protection from oxidation

So whats the worst that will happen, they'll go a bit dull?

Yup. That's about it.

 

[Corduroyboy]

In removing the anodising, you are actually dissolving a minute layer of oxide at the surface and most likely taking a layer of aluminium as well. Leave it in the sodium hydroxide solution for long enough and it will dissolve altogether. So will it affect the strength of the bar? Yes? To what extent? I dunno - depends on how much of the surface you remove!

 

[cherrybomb]

Considering the anodised layer is only a few microns thick, as long as you don't let the whole lot dissolve in the bath :roll: , then the loss of strength is really academic, and will be more than compensated for by the reduction in stress risers once you've polished all the scratches out.

 

[Corduroyboy]

Considering the anodised layer is only a few microns thick, as long as you don't let the whole lot dissolve in the bath :roll: , then the loss of strength is really academic, and will be more than compensated for by the reduction in stress risers once you've polished all the scratches out.

Absolutely! Just saying that there comes a point at which the loss of material becomes a problem. And the end result, no matter how small, will be a reduction in strength over a new item.