Painting Aluminum?

M

maury

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Sep 24, 2000
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Being committed gadgeteers, I often make or modify existing stuff to make it better. Well, different, anyway. I am also a professional photographer, and a lot of this stuff is photo gear of one sort or another (lighting brackets, camera grips, etc) fabricated from aluminum.

Often I also need to have things finished in flat black. Easiest solution is to cover with black masking tape, which works, but can be less than ‘professional looking.’ OK, so the question is how to put a matt black finish on aluminum. I only need to do relatively small pieces and don’t have access to a real workshop or dedicated finishing facilities, so it would have to be a fairly simple process. I have tried spray paint; looks good for a while, but quickly chips off.

Any suggestions?
 
Powder coating or hard anodization.
 
There are some home bake on coatings that are pretty tough, but the stink to high heaven when baking. The also need a good sandblasted finish to adhere properly.
 
You can anodize pretty easily from home check it out on you tube or google for tutorials.
 
Look for a product called "etching primer"... it's used as the first coat on aluminum so paint will stick.
 
I just finished two wood rifle stocks with spray-on truck bed liner that I bought from Lowes. I can't imagine why it wouldn't stick to aluminum. It's cheap enough to find out as it was only $8 for the can. I could have easily covered four guns with the one can. It goes on very easy and smoothly. Easier to get even than spray paint. It leaves a flat-satin stippled surface that looks very nice. While I used truck bed liner, I know people use spray on PlastiDip on aluminum wheels. I've never used it myself, but I've seen the results and the wheels looked very good. Flat black. Smooth and not stippled like the truck bed liner.

Here's the results of a google search: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=off&sclient=psy-ab&q=plasti+dip+wheels&oq=plastidip&gs_l=hp.1.3.0i10j0l2j0i10.0.0.1.1151.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0.les%3Bcesh..0.0...1.gSx2ZakfdL8&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=cacdae0a7374697e&biw=1920&bih=896
 
So far, PlastiDip looks like it might work best for me. Will try and find it this weekend. Thanks !!!!
 
If you do try anodizing please keep in mind that the fumes can kill you if not properly exhausted, and the process is restricted by the EPA and you could face huge fines. The chances of beign fined are slim, but I just thought I would make you aware.

I just tested some spray on truck bed liner as well and it holds up quite a bit better than spray paints. It is pretty thick...not sure if you are concerned about clearances.
 
the toughest part of working with aluminum in my experience is the prep. it might be worth trying a couple different brands of spraypaint, to find one that adheres best. Brake cleaner, acetone, or methanol should make decent cleaners to get any and all residue off the piece. tough thing about aluminum, because it is so soft, it bends away from the paint, so a urethane paint might work better than an enamel. Just guessing here.
 
Most coating failure results in poor surface preparation. Prior to applying any coatings: scuff sand (400 grit) the aluminum surface and wipe with isopropyl alcohol until no residue shows on the rag. Good luck.
 
kuuto said:
Look for a product called "etching primer"... it's used as the first coat on aluminum so paint will stick.
Click to expand...


I just saw an episode on American Restoration
and the question/tip was what to use to prime aluminum.
The correct answer was Etching Primer,otherwise the
paint will not stick.
 
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