Removing Paint From Aluminum

[Joe in NY]

I've got some anodized aluminum trim that was painted. I'd like to remove the paint but not the anodizing. What's the best way to accomplish this?

 

[dhutton01]

Heat gun and a plastic scraper? Clean with lacquer thinner or reducer.

Don

 

[Joe in NY]

I should add that it's a grill so it's delicate. The clean spot you see took a lot of rubbing with a cloth soaked in lacquer thinner. I think the paint may be POR 15. It's got that flat look to it.

 

[dhutton01]

Submerge it in lacquer thinner or reducer for a few days?

Don

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

If it's a hard anodized coating on the AL then soda blasting would be the best method. Hard to know what you have from the pic though. I would try the heat gun method first. Get it hot see what the paint does. Possibly heat gun the painted areas till it wrinkles, then after it cools use some lacquer thinner or even better some slow urethane reducer (just so it doesn't evaporate off your rag so quickly)

 

[metalman]

I would probably try some paint stripper. Can't recall if I ever did that with paint on anodized aluminum? May be worth a test?

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

IIRC some paint strippers remove/damage the anodize coating on AL. I know some strippers I used in the past would damage it.

 

[metalman]

IIRC some paint strippers remove/damage the anodize coating on AL. I know some strippers I used in the past would damage it.

That would not be good. Kind of like a successful operation but losing the patient .
I can’t get anything that strong . Some of the hardware varieties don’t work on activated urethane or epoxy, but work ok on oil base, weak enamels, varnish etc.
If solvents work putting rags in contact with the paint and keeping them soaked might help. Some plastic over would help to slow evaporation.