Laquering ali..but not the usual question....

[sharky]

Do any of our resident paint experts know if there is a clear finish that maintains the satin appearance of freshly sandblasted aluminium ?
Or is it cheaper/ easier to get the bits anodised ?
[u]Cos I sure as hell 'aint polishin it [}:)] </u>

[EXBEN]

You can paint it with 2k satin clear but you'll need to use a clear adhesion promoter, a couple of good ones are 222S or Z777. The sandblasted finish gives a good "key" so the paint sticks well.

[gibbo]

You could try hydroblasting, leaves the surface looking like brand new ally without the pitting caused by sandblasting, leaves the metal smooth and protects against oxidising. I will post up the details of the crowd I have used on monday. We had the engine block and all ally suspension components from a aston martin db6 blasted and they looked brand new but without the raw surface which marks as soon as it is touched or comes in contact with oil or whatever. Sorry for rambling, blame the beer.

[TurboKat]

I'm with Gibbo there, a mate had his 750/4 engine hydroblasted, it gives a shiny satin finish to aluminium & it doesn't mark or oxidise fuck all, after 2 seasons racing, it still looks as good as new. Costs $1 per minute.

[sharky]

Mmmmmmm....veleee interesting......
Cheers fellas, I'll look into that once I get back to civilisation :D