Best way to remove paint off shocks?

[AjDale]

I am trying to figure out the best way to go about remove the paint on my XRT shocks. They’re bright orange and I’d like to make them silver. Any help would be appreciated

 

[WickedFog]

That's not paint. It's an anodize. Very similar to black oxide and other such coatings. So it's like a rust basically

The best way to remove it is to use the yellow can of Easy off oven cleaner. Get a glass bowl you can put a lid on. Coat the shocks and put them in the bowl for a bit. Every anodize is different, so you'll want to check on it every 10 minutes or so. When it starts working, the anodize will start peeling off in areas. Recoat and continue.

But don't go too far. The Easy Off will start turning the aluminum grey.

 

[xjtorc]

That's not paint. It's an anodize. Very similar to black oxide and other such coatings. So it's like a rust basically

The best way to remove it is to use the yellow can of Easy off oven cleaner. Get a glass bowl you can put a lid on. Coat the shocks and put them in the bowl for a bit. Every anodize is different, so you'll want to check on it every 10 minutes or so. When it starts working, the anodize will start peeling off in areas. Recoat and continue.

But don't go too far. The Easy Off will start turning the aluminum grey.

Also, don’t forget to FULLY disassemble the shocks and only put the orange parts you want stripped in the EZ Off.

 

[nino]

Don't ruin the surface inside of the shock body.
And fold your clothes, dammit.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Don't ruin the surface inside of the shock body.
And fold your clothes, dammit.

The lawn looks well manicured... priorities!!!

 

[Ramp addict]

When using Easy off to remove anodizing do not get any on the inside of your shock bodies. You risk it etching the piston sleeve.

 

[WickedFog]

Don't ruin the surface inside of the shock body.
And fold your clothes, dammit.

When using Easy off to remove anodizing do not get any on the inside of your shock bodies. You risk it etching the piston sleeve.

Yeah, I should have mentioned that. You can stand them upside down. It will probably hit the top lip inside the shock, but the piston won't get there anyway.

 

[jojobeans]

I just did the drain cleaner method. You’ll need one with concentrated lye in it. Clean the parts well and place them in a tub. Add drain cleaner until it covers the part and wait. Check it every couple of minutes and after 5-10 minutes all of the anodizing will essentially melt off.

Oven cleaner method works, but it’s more difficult to make sure everything is covered evenly. Soaking in drain cleaner was, in my opinion, a lot more controlled.

The parts we did (a whole cars worth of aluminum on a 1/5 scale car) didn’t get etched and required no polishing. Cheaper cast aluminum parts did get ruined however, but as long as it’s stamped or machined, it should be fine. I’d definitely try it on one shock first to see how it reacts before doing it on all 4 regardless of what method you choose.

 

[WickedFog]

I just did the drain cleaner method. You’ll need one with concentrated lye in it. Clean the parts well and place them in a tub. Add drain cleaner until it covers the part and wait. Check it every couple of minutes and after 5-10 minutes all of the anodizing will essentially melt off.

Oven cleaner method works, but it’s more difficult to make sure everything is covered evenly. Soaking in drain cleaner was, in my opinion, a lot more controlled.

I haven't tried that method. Do you have a particular brand you use? I have some parts coming I need to strip.

 

[jojobeans]

I haven't tried that method. Do you have a particular brand you use? I have some parts coming I need to strip.

This is what we used. But any brand that “contains concentrated lye” should work as that’s the active ingredient that actually eats away at the anodizing.