Black Aluminum Anodized PWD Track

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Doc Jobe

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Sep 20, 2015
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Hi All

Please help me out on this aluminum track my friend is extruding

He wants it to have a surface protective "plating" of hard anodized aluminum oxide which is only 1 mil thick but can either be clear or a dark blackish bronze color.

See the link below for the dark coating pictures. I had to cut and paste it into my browser address bar but a "control" click sometimes works

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/141425807345?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82

 I vote for CLEAR because I want people to know I am racing on an aluminum track like a Best Track or a Micro Wizard track. If the track were a dark color I'm afraid people would be suspicious of what kind of surface they were running on.

Please vote for "CLEAR" or" DARK"

Regards

Doc Jobe
 
Hey Doc,

Sometimes the anodized finished does not let you get a good polish on your track.

When you are working on the joints to make them even and "seamless" you will work through the anodizing. Also, it is more difficult to polish the whole track with that.

Just an FYI.
 
Mojo Racing said:
BulldogRacing said:
How do you repair the track if you scratch the finish?
Click to expand...

+1

Exactly.

If something happens, the anadozing is a downfall.

And it is never as smooth as you can make it after you get it home.
Click to expand...

Once it's rubbed through, it's rubbed through. Money wasted!
wah
 
Thanks all for your comments

I don't suppose a scratch would hurt anything other than appearance unless it was on the running surface. So on an anodized track I guess keep the running surfaces covered with low stick masking tape until race day then clean with mild stuff like Windex. Actually, the anodized layer resists scratching a lot better than a plain surface although it is also harder to polish out. Micro Wizard sells both plain mill finish Al and a clear anodized Al track.
The website owner tells me that the anodized has gradually been gaining popularity because the finish seems to stay fresh looking longer.

So the question was not should one use anodized, but if one did should it be Clear or dark like the black tinted shown here?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/141425807345?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82

Regards & thanks for the replies so far.

Doc Jobe
 
I vote for black.

Since you're making this track, could you extrude the track parts, fit it all together, sand the joints, then take it apart and anodize it?
 
I have an anodized track. LOVE IT. Very smooth and easy on wheels. No polishing or sanding needed, just clean it with Pledge. If a section of the track should ever become severely damaged, replace that section. Same with the best track. Neither are indestructible. I've been running on the track for 5 years now with no signs of wear.
 
HurriCrane Racing said:
I have an anodized track. LOVE IT. Very smooth and easy on wheels. No polishing or sanding needed, just clean it with Pledge. If a section of the track should ever become severely damaged, replace that section. Same with the best track. Neither are indestructible. I've been running on the track for 5 years now with no signs of wear.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I have scratched my track a few times but I always have to pack it up and re set it up every time I use it. This is where the damage happens. If scouts get near my track look out scratches will happen, if you have multiple packs using a track during cub season then it'll go to hell pretty quickly. But the raw aluminum is easy enough to polish out any of this type of damage, so no need to strangle the culprit, I just bite my lip and smile. I would be interested to touch, and test the finish of a track like that. Tuning on a surface that won't hurt the wheels sounds like a huge bonus! I do like the look of the shiny metal surface so my vote would be clear, also I believe if you scratched black it would stand out a lot more.
 
I never understood how to Anodize a track, I thought it was more a coating, I was very wrong! I thought this was a pretty cool video of DIY meth lab style Anodizeing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-lfHN23Iv4
 
If the track is coming out of a storage box and then going back in, that may be the key to no damage if the parts never clang together. Aluminum oxide will probably NOT get picked up by the wheels like Al does. Also good chance less static charge between wheel & Al2O3

I would vote for Black track
 
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