Quote:
Originally Posted by ThisWayUp
I'd be interested to hear how you get on with the company. Do you know if these were originally a fully polished chrome like finish or with a fine brushed finish to them? I'm assuming it wasn't a full on chrome look.
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I'll post an update if/when I manage to get my trim successfully re-anodised.
As I understand it, you'll never get a completely mirror-like finish with anodised aluminium. So, out of the factory, I think the trim will have had a slightly matt/brushed look. I'm told that the thicker the anodised layer is, the longer it will last but the duller it will appear. In which case, polishing and lacquering might prove to be the better solution. Or maybe have them re-anodised fairly thinly, as they originally were, and then add a coat of lacquer so that the finish lasts longer.
Another option would be to get the aluminium chrome-plated. I believe it's a complex (and possibly costly) process to chrome-plate aluminium because the aluminium has to be plated with other metals first. Chrome plating would give a mirror-like finish of course, which you may or may not want.
Other options I've considered are chrome paints and wraps. When we visited
IK Classics as part of our annual meet last year, I asked the owner what they did to restore aluminium trim. He said they just have them powder-coated in a paint that (he tells me) looks very close to the real thing. Still, it seems a shame (and somewhat defeatist) to paint/cover the aluminium rather than properly restore it.