Removing anodizing on AN lines and making them less showy.

If you already have red & blue fittings and want to tone them down a bit the way I did for one of my cars.

Easy off oven cleaner (yellow can, with lye) will remove anodizing. Just spray on and way, then wipe it off, I then clean it up with some scotch brite.

To make the SS braided lines a bit less showy, some simple heatshrink will solve that.











I know they have braided lines now and all colors of AN fittings, however I didn't want to re-purchase everything just for a cleaner look so I came up with this.

 

That actually looks pretty nice!

 

I don't remember which catalog had this stuff, but there's another way if you are just buying your line now. The good quality AN woven stainless also comes in a version that is the same stuff covered with a black rubber sheath. This is an aircraft feature meant to protect aluminum hard parts from possible abrasion from the woven stainless. I don't remember the designation or name...found out it existed probably from Carrol Smith's great book of racecar plumbing and fasteners.

 

Less showy on a motor that new? won't the lye eat the aluminum or no ??

 

Yes this was documented on a newer motor, but its a clean theme and the red & blue just wasn't cutting it.

If you leave it on too long you can eat the alum. I forgot to mention leave it on there until it stops reacting (bubbles slow, color change to dark, etc) then wash it off with some cleaner - I use brake cleaner, carb cleaner, etc.

There is some anodizing remover you can order that also works well, but this method is effective and inexpensive if you are doing small parts like this.

 

The color on anodized non-ferrous metals is a dye. The anodizing process is an electronic chemical treatment of the surface. Any dye is applied in a tank after the anodizing. If care is taken to remove the dye the surface should still be protected by the anodizing process. I've built various hard aluminum projects and had them hard anodized without a dye. They looked great and the surface was well protected. The FOGGER

 

thats awesome. I hate the red and blue fittings and sometimes thats the only thing that will work. I wish I would have done this on my white truck. sweet tech man.

 

thats how i do it.

 

Great! thanks. That looks alot better.

Now I have to buy some EZ-Off on the way home...

 

No problems with the lye based cleaner eating the rubber O-rings etc.?


Looks good.

I especially like the heat shrink bit.

 

I use the heat shrink all the time to hide stuff. Great idea.

AN fittings and hose are also available in black now.

 

Glad you like it, I'll be sure to start doing more write ups if they are helpful.