# Make Raw Aluminum Less Shiny?



## Ryan97 (May 12, 2008)

My newly rawed frame is unattractively and distractingly shiny, so what can I do?

It not polished, just sanded directionaly with 100grit sandpaper


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## essenmeinstuff (Sep 4, 2007)

give it some time?


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## Finski (Jun 2, 2007)

You could paint it.


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## Ryan97 (May 12, 2008)

I know that somebody here has used some mcguyver **** to make it more matte. Brown shoe polish or flat clear coat? Maybe? Sand with finer paper? Rub some dirt in it?


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

I always liked steel wool better than sand paper. With the last bike I stripped, I wanted it to be polished and went from coarse down to superfine steel wool, so I suppose if you took the process backwards, you could make it less shiny by roughing it up with coarser stuff. 
Bead blasting would probably be the best for the most uniform matt finish, but you'd have to find a place to do it for you.
You could also find a place that would hard anodize it for you.


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## Cable0guy (Jun 19, 2007)

Get it heat treated?


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## whoda*huck (Feb 12, 2005)

Wait for a hot day and ride all day long. Sweat is a great oxidization catalyst.


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## godfather (Jun 28, 2009)

Some fine steel wool or scotchbrite pads will give it a brushed look and take away a bit of the shine. The flat clear would be another option and would offer protection of the surface and possibly a more consistent look over time and there are multiple different levels of gloss/flat available to give you the look you want.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Ride it.


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## cdburch (Apr 25, 2007)

get it dirty. problem solved.


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## Techfreak (Feb 17, 2005)

Just leave it alone. It will oxidize and dull a bit all on its own. I suppose you could make a weak saline solution (salt water) and spray it on the frame, but if things go wrong you might pit the tubing, so why bother?


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## ustemuf (Oct 12, 2009)

sand it with 5 grit


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## godfather (Jun 28, 2009)

ustemuf said:


> sand it with 5 grit


That might be a little extreme... :eekster:


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## b-kul (Sep 20, 2009)

i gotta agree, just riding it will do the trick.


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## jimmydean012 (Mar 31, 2007)

sanded directly with 100 and still too shiny? i chemically stripped my vp-free then had it media blasted, the finish has some sheen but definitely not "shiny". after one week raw the oxidization has set in nicely and it looks frickin sick... give it time


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## madridg (Apr 17, 2006)

jimmydean012 said:


> sanded directly with 100 and still too shiny? i chemically stripped my vp-free then had it media blasted, the finish has some sheen but definitely not "shiny". after one week raw the oxidization has set in nicely and it looks frickin sick... give it time


pictures?

Did you strip and media blast it yourself?, or did you send it out?


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## Demodude (Jan 27, 2007)

Take a large tipped sharpie and coat the frame. 
use some rubbing alchahol and take most of it off. It will give it a weathered look.


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## mattyj (Mar 13, 2010)

red scotchbrite will give you a nice matte finish, thats easy to keep looking good.


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## GFreak (Sep 23, 2005)

Use "Easy Off" oven cleaner. It will give your frame an antique look.


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## fisherdude4eva (Apr 29, 2007)

some dirt on the frame will take away some of that sheen


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

GFreak said:


> Use "Easy Off" oven cleaner. It will give your frame an antique look.


Sounds dangerous. Easy off contains sodium hydroxide which can react violently with aluminum and also gives off flammable hydrogen gas. 
It's a pretty low concentration of caustic so it might not be too bad, but I would try it on a scrap piece of aluminum to see if it causes pitting. Also, wear eye protection, the stuff could spatter!!


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## Techfreak (Feb 17, 2005)

smilinsteve said:


> Sounds dangerous. Easy off contains sodium hydroxide which can react violently with aluminum and also gives off flammable hydrogen gas.
> It's a pretty low concentration of caustic so it might not be too bad, but I would try it on a scrap piece of aluminum to see if it causes pitting. Also, wear eye protection, the stuff could spatter!!


Dude, chill. The OP can relax, have a smoke and do up his frame with the EZ Off.

Just make sure you film it and have your surviving relatives post the vid. :thumbsup:

(I've already got the form for Darwin Award nominations handy.)


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## surfin (Jun 4, 2009)

godfather said:


> Some fine steel wool or scotchbrite pads will give it a brushed look and take away a bit of the shine. The flat clear would be another option and would offer protection of the surface and possibly a more consistent look over time and there are multiple different levels of gloss/flat available to give you the look you want.


Exactly right. i have done this to an old bike i had 5 yrs ago


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## GFreak (Sep 23, 2005)

I've done the easy off thing on a frame in the past and have not had any issues. If you were to Google / Bing it's used by a lot of people that like that antique look. I would strongly suggest that if you were to do it, do it in a well ventilated room.


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## 4JawChuck (Dec 1, 2008)

Soda blasting gives a satin finish.


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