anyone know how to fixing large scratches, blemishes, etc with aluminum?

[Chris Nearchos]

Just wondering if anyone knows how to fix scratches, blemishes, and so on with aluminum bodys and frames? I have seen where people have had heated aluminum liquid poured on to the damaged areas and did lite sanding to get it smooth. Also I have seen/heard of a process where they dip the part in to some kind of mixture and it fills the exposed voids and scratches and so on.

does anybody no more of either process.....or even a better different one that would work? iam not worried about exact aluminum matching or anything thing else special.

just to make it more clear of what exactly its needed for, it is for a X-mag body and trigger frame.

thanks ahead of time,
-Chris

[LK-13]

it all depends on the extent of the damage.
pictures would help.
but try getting some emery cloth is 3 or 4 grades, coarse to fine then for your finish wet sand emery paper in 600 grit or finer.

if you have really big divots, like stripped threaded holes you can use this stuff:

http://www.alvinproducts.com/

it pours in like a thick milk shake, (but there is a thinner for it if it's too much for the scratches your filling)
you smooth it out like butter,
allow it to cure, (well ventilated area like OUTSIDE is recommended. lotsa fumes)
then basically you have new aluminium. you can machine and sand away to your hearts content.

warning:

you need the high heat version to Powder Coat or get the parts plated.

YOU CAN NOT ANODIZE OVER THIS STUFF!

[Chris Nearchos]

thanks

a big thanks for that infomation. But does anybody know of anything that can be used with anno?

-Chris

[Chris Nearchos]

another good tip

I got ahold of another great tip from a fellow AO'er. for other people interested in the information here is a link to another product THAT CAN BE ANNO'ED.

http://www.aluminumrepair.com/aluminum_repair.asp

it also looks to be a good product also for fixing striped screw holes and be reanno'ed.

anybody else have any other products for such a purpose?
thanks ahead of time,
-Chris

[Chris Nearchos]

up

still looking for help on this subject. anyone else know of any product that can suite this situation?
thanks,
-Chris

[pierce]

You can also use a fine scotch brite pad sprayed with wd-40. The wd-40 helps from scatching it futher. It will take off the existing anno (depending on how much you have to take off). Hope this helps ya.

[Chris Nearchos]

thanks, but.....

thanks but not exactly what iam looking at. The thing is i have a X-mag that really has gone through hell. big scratches/gouges all over it. exspecially the trigger frame...looks like it was grinder mutalated. So iam trying to find a way to be able to fill them and smooth the stuff back out before i reanno it. Right now its in a raw state so no worry about screwing up any anno on it or anything. The trouble though is finding something that will work that i can anno.
-Chris

[Sumthinwicked]

do me a favor test it on something before using it on the mag or think about milling the mag with designs to clean it up and ule it a lil bit... gotta remember differant alum annos differantly think barrel verse feedneck yea know

[Chris Nearchos]

do me a favor test it on something before using it on the mag or think about milling the mag with designs to clean it up and ule it a lil bit... gotta remember differant alum annos differantly think barrel verse feedneck yea know

oh no doubt. I'am not that stupid. i have a old no use able e-mag frame that i'am using to test first. And I realized that it would anno different, but I have two ways around that problem. I just need to find something that will do the job of filling in.

as far as milling, a few of the marks are beyond milling out. Plus i dont know how much more the body could take of milling. Correct me if i am wrong, but isnt the body already as this as it should be? which taking it thinner in most areas would compromise its structural integraty?


BTW, does anybody know what exact grade of aluminum was used for the X-mag body?
-Chris

[Sumthinwicked]

tuna might know if not tom would

[Chris Nearchos]

tuna might know if not tom would

I have sent both of them emails. but no reply yet.
-Chris

[athomas]

Most aluminum fillers or other metal fillers will not annodize. They will actually dissolve in the process. The only real fix that I know, would be an aluminum weld. Then you would need to sand the area back to its original shape. Annodize would work because it is raw aluminum. This would be a lot of work and if you didn't specifically know someone, it would probably be cost prohibitive as well.

[Chris Nearchos]

Most aluminum fillers or other metal fillers will not annodize. They will actually dissolve in the process. The only real fix that I know, would be an aluminum weld. Then you would need to sand the area back to its original shape. Annodize would work because it is raw aluminum. This would be a lot of work and if you didn't specifically know someone, it would probably be cost prohibitive as well.

I was thinking that too. but as you said, it is very costly.
-Chris

[Tao]

oh no doubt. I'am not that stupid. i have a old no use able e-mag frame that i'am using to test first. And I realized that it would anno different, but I have two ways around that problem. I just need to find something that will do the job of filling in.

as far as milling, a few of the marks are beyond milling out. Plus i dont know how much more the body could take of milling. Correct me if i am wrong, but isnt the body already as this as it should be? which taking it thinner in most areas would compromise its structural integraty?


BTW, does anybody know what exact grade of aluminum was used for the X-mag body?
-Chris

I am in the same boat- I have an x mag which has been dived on and needs fixing before I anno it. What are your solutions around the problem of the two different metals anoing differently?

[questionful]

I am in the same boat- I have an x mag which has been dived on and needs fixing before I anno it. What are your solutions around the problem of the two different metals anoing differently?

A lava, splash, or similarly broken-up type of anno is what I would do. What a good excuse you have to spend big bucks on a nice anno!