Ano or PC over polish?

[Flat Broke]

Seeing as how we have a couple fabricators, machinists, and all around knowledgable folks around here, I was looking to get some insight on longevity, luster, and color change for using both PC over polish, and clear ano.

While I'm nowhere near done with my fiberglass work, I wanted to get excited about the boat again and figgured refinishing some of my existing hardware might do the trick. The longer I work on the boat, the more I want to pursue a classic look which means no gawdy PC colors, either chrome, PC over polish, or Ano over polish for a majority of the hardware, save a few accent pieces.

I've had uncoated/treated polished hardware before, and never again. So what does everyone think is the best solution for bright and shiny with low maintenance over the long haul?

From my personal experience laying clear PC over polish, I've gotten mixed results with yellowing on some parts (same powder used on all). None of this is precission work in the sense that dimension shift from material build up will really be an issue. Last but not least, I want to be able to apply the finish myself, so chrome is probably out. I already do PC, and have been looking at getting a small ano setup going for some other projects, hence the inquiry about the two finishes.

Chris

[SuperDave013]

the clear ano I send out is for unpolished parts. It's not that clear to me. Makes the part much darker. I show it to the guy in the shop next door and he says "that's a nice looking clear ano job right there". lol

Good to hear from you Chris. Hope all is well.

Get your ano set up going for black and blue and I'll send you the work.

[Racey]

Black or Blue anodizing lasts the longest, i prefer anodizing to powder coat big time. Personally i think powder coat looks like crap on billet parts.

The only powder coat i like is flat black.

[Flat Broke]

Dave,

Good to hear from you too. I'm still alive, you knew about my wrist after Mammoth, then I had a hairline fracture in my foot a couple of months later, and I've been busy with the kiddo and school. I had started religiously taking Emma out for 8-10 mile rides with the trailer, then stopped. A nice coat of dust has been keeping my bike protected from the elements ;) Hopefully business is good for you, and the pooches are doing well.

I'd only be setting up a 3, maybe 5 gallon operation max, and it wouldn't be permanent, so keep your connection with Dunham or whoever you're using. :) The only reason I'm even thinking about doing an ano setup is because there are some parts that 1. arent cost sensible to send out, and 2. can't be out of my possesion. Primarily I'd be running flat colors like black, but I figgured that if clear over polish would look good, that might be another way to justify the ano setup.

Racey, I hear you on PC vs ano. Ano looks better, but fades, but then PC can also chip, so pick your poison.

Anyone have any additional experience with clear PC over polish?

Chris

[RiverDave]

I've had experiences with clear powdercoat over polish... LOL Never any good ones, but I've had experiences. :D

Annodizing is so ridiculously cheap to get done nowdayz, I can't imagine it being not cost effective to send it out? To get things cleaned / anno'd black in one day with an expedite charge is under 100 bucks? I had a whole batch of parts for the mini done, and I think it was 80 bucks?

If I didn't need them in one day I could've had them in a week for probably 40 bucks. I'd run a real light clear annodizing to get the look your wanting BTW. The longer they sit in the tank, the more "pewter" they become.

RD

[Flat Broke]

Dave,

When you say don't leave em in the tank too long, are you talking about the ano tank, or the sealer? By the sound of things I'll be rethinking my choice for hardware color/finish. If clear ano isn't going to get it for me, pewter might be doable, but I haven't heard how well it resists fading. Glad to hear your experiences were similar to mine with PC over clear. At least I know I'm not the only one who wasn't satisfied with it.

I hear you on the cost, but that doesn't get around having to be "in the immediate area" of the part while the work is being done. The requirements for the non-boat stuff are pretty stringent, so that's what prompted the look into my own ano setup. Anoing my boat hardware was just a bonus if I go that route for the other stuff.

Chris

[RiverDave]

Dave,

When you say don't leave em in the tank too long, are you talking about the ano tank, or the sealer? By the sound of things I'll be rethinking my choice for hardware color/finish. If clear ano isn't going to get it for me, pewter might be doable, but I haven't heard how well it resists fading. Glad to hear your experiences were similar to mine with PC over clear. At least I know I'm not the only one who wasn't satisfied with it.

I hear you on the cost, but that doesn't get around having to be "in the immediate area" of the part while the work is being done. The requirements for the non-boat stuff are pretty stringent, so that's what prompted the look into my own ano setup. Anoing my boat hardware was just a bonus if I go that route for the other stuff.

Chris

If immediate area means in the same "city" then your good to go.. LOL shit man what could you possibly be doing that requires that? I've been doing a whole bunch of aerospace stuff (wing deployment kits for torpedos, guidance systems for ICBM's, all kinds of weird shit) and none of them required that? Just a good Non disclosure agreement, and a stern talk with the annodizer on my side, about part counts, and expecting to get everything back with zero parts missing kinda deal.

RD

[Flat Broke]

If immediate area means in the same "city" then your good to go.. LOL shit man what could you possibly be doing that requires that? I've been doing a whole bunch of aerospace stuff (wing deployment kits for torpedos, guidance systems for ICBM's, all kinds of weird shit) and none of them required that? Just a good Non disclosure agreement, and a stern talk with the annodizer on my side, about part counts, and expecting to get everything back with zero parts missing kinda deal.

RD

Nothing that high tech or sensitive. It's just that the BATF has specific rules about companies possesing firearms (or parts of a firearm that legally constitute one), that make dropping parts off for ano with non-manufacturers pretty tough to do. It's just easier from a legal perspective to do everything in-house.

Chris

[RiverDave]

Your making guns now? WTF? :D

RD

[SuperDave013]

Chris, I use Embee now. If your parts are sensitive they are the anodizer to use. Call them up and talk to them yourself. They treat every part like it's a NASA part and that right there is why I use them. They return them with inspection reports and nicely packaged in egg cartons. Most anodizers have to root around their shop and then find them all dumped in a box.
Most of the time it's a 2~3 day turn around. Send a color sample and they hit it.

[Flat Broke]

Your making guns now? WTF? :D

RD

Nope, just machining some aluminum. Guns have lots of parts. I'm not that good with the mill, so I'm just going to stick to making hunks of aluminum into lighter hunks of aluminum.


Larry ;)

I'll give Embee a call on Monday and see what they can do in terms of finish for my boat part parts.

Chris

[raysoninoz]

Hi guys. For what it's worth, have a look at a product called Glisten by POR15 or Permanent Painted Coatings. It was designed to be applied over polished alloy by spray, roller or brush and leaves no brush marks. Sets rock hard and does not chip yet remains flexible???
It's a two pac product but sets by the absorbtion of moisture.
I'm restoring a '76' 18' RaysonCraft LP flatbottom and all the alloy I'm polishing is getting the Glisten treatment, from stringer washers to brackets to alloy wheels. AND does not yellow!:D
Cheers from downunder

[RiverDave]

Hi guys. For what it's worth, have a look at a product called Glisten by POR15 or Permanent Painted Coatings. It was designed to be applied over polished alloy by spray, roller or brush and leaves no brush marks. Sets rock hard and does not chip yet remains flexible???
It's a two pac product but sets by the absorbtion of moisture.
I'm restoring a '76' 18' RaysonCraft LP flatbottom and all the alloy I'm polishing is getting the Glisten treatment, from stringer washers to brackets to alloy wheels. AND does not yellow!:D
Cheers from downunder

Do you have a website so we can take a look at the product?

Welcome to the board BTW! :) We can always use more peeps from down under!

RD

[Outlaw]

Jeff over at Embee said he has a ceramic clear
that works great on polished aluminum.

[obnoxious001]

Do you have a website so we can take a look at the product?

RD

http://www.por15.com/GLISTEN-PC/productinfo/GPCGG/

[Outlaw]

anybody know if a crank trigger can be anodized
without removing the magnets?

how about a place to get hard anodizing done? I need a blower pulley and a few parts done in black

[obnoxious001]

anybody know if a crank trigger can be anodized
without removing the magnets?

how about a place to get hard anodizing done? I need a blower pulley and a few parts done in black

No, the magnets need to be removed. MSD has a kit with replacement magnets. Too bad you didn't send with the heads, I just had some black and clear stuff done(including crank trigger parts), the place I use has a rather high minimum charge, would have been able to split with the other guy.