bruffsup Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I photographed this incredible GN at Prescott in 2008 and would like to replicate the aged look of the aluminum on a sidecar which I had made for my 1927 Henderson motorcycle. I know the name of the gentleman that built the GN but do not have any contact info for him. If you are curious the engine is a circa 1908 JAP aircraft job and the rig is reputedly very quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruffsup Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 HERE IS THE SIDECAR. THE HENDERSON BIKE IT WILL BE HOOKED UP TO IS A "BARN FRESH" BEAUTY SO CREATING THE RIGHT PATINA IS IMPORTANT TO ME. Any enlightened serious suggestions welcomed. I thought about speeding up the oxidation with salt water or something similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 If you have some scrap pieces of that sidecar build, plus a respirator , you might want to try some sort of acid. I tried some muriatic? on aluminum and it went nuts. Then if you ended up with a corroded surface, maybe try some sort of home-brew stain that would stick to the "corrosion pits"?you really need a good respirator.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I have no idea but if you Google "Aluminum Patina" you will find hours of reading about different products that will do what you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robin Coleman Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Whoever built that sidecar is a master craftsman....Beautiful work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Don't bother. Keep it clean, and in a few years it will have all the patina you could want.I'm not kidding. I have seen various old cars, motorcycles, race cars etc that had mods or additions done long ago and in every case the new parts age to the correct state.It may take a few years but you will have the real thing not a phony baloney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest L.C.22 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Oven cleanerRubber cement.... let dry and rub off Or you could just buy my KJ sidecar70+ years have aged it :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29pickhupp Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I have expeimented a bit with patina on brass and I found one type of gun bluing that gave a dark colour. I found muriatic acid made brass nice and shiny. amonia is a possibility as well, amonia and salt water turn copper green. I realize brass and aluninum are different materials so I do not know how the gun bluing would react. Good luck, the sidecar looks great. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Colorizing aluminum is VERY dependent on the alloy. I'd suggest trying to find a copy the "Metal Finishers Handbook", a common publication of the 60s and 70s. Thousands of formulas for treating/colorizing/plating/anodizing/oxidizing etc.I spent many years in related industries, anyone worth their salt had a copy of that handbook. Edited December 21, 2009 by Owen_Dyneto (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29pickhupp Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I tried some gun blue on aluminum. It does work to give an aged look to aluminum. I did a small section using a Q-tip. It contains hyrocloric acid among other things. The brand I have is Outers Gun Blue from Canadian Tire. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Many of the "cold" gun blues contain selenous acid. It's toxic by inhalation, skin absorption and ingestion so be sure to follow all the precautions on the product label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29pickhupp Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I thought the hyrocloric acid sounded like nasty stuff but selenous acid sounds worse. The label on gun blue states do not mix with metals. Who knows what happens when these chemicals react to aluminum or brass or other metals. It would be wise to use these things outdoors with a strong breeze and a good mask. not for indoors. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Aluminum corrodes easily with caustics. The previous suggestion of oven cleaner is one simple option, another would be Drano crystals with hot water. It should not work so quickly that you cannot control the amount of corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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