refinish anodized aluminum faceplate?

[malloy]

I'm trying to cover up some deep scratches on my amp's faceplate.

It is brushed black anodized aluminum, but more of a bluish tint.

A sharpie covers it up, but the finish is too shiny.

I tried the Birchwood Casey Super Black Touch-Up Pen at $6. Not good, the sharpie was better.

My next experiment will probably be the Birchwood Casey aluminum black chemical solution that's used by gunsmiths for pistols and other aluminum parts. Anyone try this before on any st4ereo component's faceplate?  My gut says to leave it alone before I do any more damage.

Paul

[Nick B]

Paul,
My brother in law does anodizing and would probably do it for free. But the silkscreening lettering would be another issue. If you want me to ask him, let me know
Nick

[malloy]

Hi Nick,

Oh wow. Thanks for the offer. Probably too much of a hassle, but good to know that the service is out there, if needed. And you are right, the silk screening would be a problem, as is removing the faceplate. I just had this serviced! It's just a couple of very small scratches that I've almost forgotten about. Too much time on my hands right now and I tend to nitpick everything.

I think I'll use this as an excuse to buy new gear. "Aww shucks, would you look at that scratch! I can't listen to this, I need a new amp!" 

Paul

[Nick B]

Hi Nick,

Oh wow. Thanks for the offer. Probably too much of a hassle, but good to know that the service is out there, if needed. And you are right, the silk screening would be a problem, as is removing the faceplate. I just had this serviced! It's just a couple of very small scratches that I've almost forgotten about. Too much time on my hands right now and I tend to nitpick everything.

I think I'll use this as an excuse to buy new gear. "Aww shucks, would you look at that scratch! I can't listen to this, I need a new amp!" 

Paul

Ha Paul!
That’s really not a great excuse, but the important thing is will your wife think it is
Is is the Plinius you’re talking about?
Nick

[tmazz]

I had a problem like that on my Classe Twenty five. Got it used and it had a few nicks and scratches on it.  Like you I tried filling them with a sharpie and it didn’t match perfectly, but at lest you didn’t see the stark contrast of the bare metal against the black. It was annoying and I could find the spots when I looked at them, but then Italians that when I stepped back a few feet to the point where it would be looked at from 99% of the time, you really did not notice it much at all. Especially if you did not not where to look for it.

Of course the other thing was that being a high power amp with a lot of heat sinks, the heat had shifted the color of the anidizing on the fins such as the were not longer a perfect color match to the front panel, which had not been subject to the same heat load. So energy I’d i had the front panel refinished it would not
have matched the rest of the amp.

The final solution? Come to grips with the fact that it was a piece of audio gear and not art and as long as it sounded great that’s what really mattered.

And it didn’t hurt to remember that those small visual imperfections saved me several hundred dollars of the used price, allowing me to get a much better sounding amp for my audio bucks, and I would make that traded off any day.

[Nick B]

I had a problem like that on my Classe Twenty five. Got it used and it had a few nicks and scratches on it.  Like you I tried filling them with a sharpie and it didn’t match perfectly, but at lest you didn’t see the stark contrast of the bare metal against the black. It was annoying and I could find the spots when I looked at them, but then Italians that when I stepped back a few feet to the point where it would be looked at from 99% of the time, you really did not notice it much at all. Especially if you did not not where to look for it.

Of course the other thing was that being a high power amp with a lot of heat sinks, the heat had shifted the color of the anidizing on the fins such as the were not longer a perfect color match to the front panel, which had not been subject to the same heat load. So energy I’d i had the front panel refinished it would not
have matched the rest of the amp.

The final solution? Come to grips with the fact that it was a piece of audio gear and not art and as long as it sounded great that’s what really mattered.

And it didn’t hurt to remember that those small visual imperfections saved me several hundred dollars of the used price, allowing me to get a much better sounding amp for my audio bucks, and I would make that traded off any day.

I have been very fortunate in that the used gear I’ve purchased, like my border patrol dac and that AVA SET 120 I just purchased, have been perfect cosmetically. All of my gear does sit in my living room in the midst of some nice furniture and a few pieces of art, so I do like things to blend in and look good. I still am a big fan of the black and gold look, but nowadays silver and black works just fine because it sounds so darned good

[malloy]

Ha Paul!
That’s really not a great excuse, but the important thing is will your wife think it is
Is is the Plinius you’re talking about?

Yes it's the Plinius. I can lay it on really thick, but I not enough to convince the wife to agree to spend coin for just a cosmetic problem. 

[malloy]

The final solution? Come to grips with the fact that it was a piece of audio gear and not art and as long as it sounded great that’s what really mattered.

This is so true!

Actually, listening with dimmed lights also helps. 

[tmazz]

Ha Paul!
That’s really not a great excuse, but the important thing is will your wife think it is
Is is the Plinius you’re talking about?

Yes it's the Plinius. I can lay it on really thick, but I not enough to convince the wife to agree to spend coin for just a cosmetic problem. 

I met a guy in an audio store once who told me that one of  his biggest fears was that after he died his wife would sell off all of his audio gear for the price that he told her he paid for it.   

[malloy]

I met a guy in an audio store once who told me that one of  his biggest fears was that after he died his wife would sell off all of his audio gear for the price that he told her he paid for it.   

Hahahaha!!!

I've actually been thinking of something similar and been thinking of leaving a 'last audio equipment will and testament'.  To my beloved niece, I bequeath my trusted Sonus Faber Cremonas and AudioNote gear; and to my most hated nephew I leave pieces of my 1980s monster cables and Radioshack cd player...

All my questionable pop and rock cd purchases I'll be buried with like a Pharaoh and his cats.

[Nick B]

I met a guy in an audio store once who told me that one of  his biggest fears was that after he died his wife would sell off all of his audio gear for the price that he told her he paid for it.   

Hahahaha!!!

I've actually been thinking of something similar and been thinking of leaving a 'last audio equipment will and testament'.  To my beloved niece, I bequeath my trusted Sonus Faber Cremonas and AudioNote gear; and to my most hated nephew I leave pieces of my 1980s monster cables and Radioshack cd player...

All my questionable pop and rock cd purchases I'll be buried with like a Pharaoh and his cats.

Paul,
You are related to Ramses the Great?? Somewhere in my living trust I mention my audio gear, but who knows how it’ll get disposed of by my nephews. Hopefully not via Craig’s list
Nick

[rollo]

  What about adding a veneer instead ?


charles

[P.I.]

Check this out:

https://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

They do great work and aren't very expensive...

[malloy]

Paul,
You are related to Ramses the Great?? Somewhere in my living trust I mention my audio gear, but who knows how it’ll get disposed of by my nephews. Hopefully not via Craig’s list
Nick

Hey Nick, probably more related to his Hollywood counterpart, Yul Brynner. Hah!

[malloy]

Check this out:

https://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

They do great work and aren't very expensive...

Thanks, Dave. I'll check this out.