Old 02-18-22, 10:34 AM
  #16  
Chombi1 
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Replicating the original finish on scratched up anodized aluminum components is difficult.
Short of sanding, polishing and re-anodizing the compondnt.
Sanding and polishing out all the scratches is tedious, especially as you have to tke off the hard layer of anodizing protecting the surface. And it's easy to go too far and end up polishing off too much material, badly affecting the appearance of the part. But once you get it all polished out, you have to restore the satin finish of the aluminum.
I use the finest grit Scotchbrite scouring pad I call find to knock down the mirror finish to a satin finish by ever so lightly rubbing down the part in careful, directional strokes to reintroduce the "grain" of the satin finish, and stop when I think I got it to the right amount of satin look.
This method has worked for me when I restored badly scratched up crsnksets, stems and seatposts on my bike.
Thing is, it leaves the aluminum raw, and unprotected from the elements because the original anodizing is eliminated in the process.
I use car wax to then protect the part from corrosion after the restoration.

Last edited by Chombi1; 02-18-22 at 10:38 AM.
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