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Ok, so they’re only cheap cranks but my relatively new 12 speed chainset has rub marks on the crank arms already. I’m not precious about them but if easy, inexpensive and worth it I’ll give it a go…anyway done this with good results?
I saw something on instagram the other day, think he was using oven cleaner (?)
The radavist has an article this week on stripping a dropper post. Could have some useful information.
Been done years ago. Personally I'd be keeping anything caustic well away from any aluminium I'd be relying on for structural strength and just have at it with wet and dry.
But yeah, work through the grades and polish but don't expect it to last as it will continually build up an oxide layer which comes off as grey schmoo in the wet.
I did Saint cranks years ago with oven cleaner to take the top coat off then buffed them with Autosol.
I buffed it with a polishing mop drill bit and they came up like a mirror. Then they did what alloy does and went dull grey.
I redid a set of deus xc cranks. Look nice but gradually degraded. Friend did a set of xtr to a very nice finish. These stayed looking nice because he polished them frequently.
I stripped the anodising off the front my xtr Shimano cranks.
The gray colour came off very quickly where my shoes rubbed.
It was harder than I expected using a Dremel and metal polish.
I bought some drain cleaner to strip the finish chemically, but then used it to clean the drains!
The Shined aluminium promptly got scratched again, and quite a lot of the effort of polishing it was wasted. It looks better than part silver and part Gray rub marks.
I was going to do the other MTBs cranks as well, but decided against it. They are still grey/ silver where my shoes have rubbed them.
Can you strip and then spray with a lacquer? I had a bare aluminium frame (early kinesis) that stayed shiny until it got stolen.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/3959784890/in/dateposted/
Did a couple of sets of XT cranks years back.
Oven cleaner then Autosol.
I still have a set of XTR 960 cranks that were Jones'd and polished. (Big ring tabs cut off).
That were very shiny and great looking but were a bugger to keep nice looking without constant polishing. PITA for chainrings as propriety BCD.
I ended up getting them Cerakoted black which has withstood wear remarkably well.
GMBN Tech's Anna did a video on this a few months ago.
Polishing cranks you say? Check out my thread on Retrobike (CBA to try and repost photos on here):
Polishing Profile cranks - before and after photos | Retrobike