Kurust/Jenolite equivalent for Aluminium?

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cpedw

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There are several patches of corroding aluminium in window frames. It's occurring behind the rubber sealing the glass to the frame. It makes a white powdery dust and is pushing the rubber away from the aluminium. No leaks so far though.

What's the best treatment for this? I guess the anodising is below par but I don't know how to reanodise in situ. so far it's fairly superficial but it seems likely to lead to leaking if not dealt with.

Derek
 
I don't think there's any such thing, at least with a credible reputation. A moderately workmanlike solution would be to grind back to clean metal, apply an etch primer and paint with a protective coating, but the 'fix' would not be long-term. A better solution if the trims are in fairly good nick might be to have them polished and re-anodised. Whatever you do, do it soon: it will only get worse.

If you find a durable solution, feel free to post it on any classic Land Rover forum. They'll love you to bits. And they very rarely go to sea.
 
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There was an article in PBO (I think) fairly recently about home anodising. It did not look too complicated, but I have chucked the copy out. From memory it even showed how to do colour anodising.
 
cpedw said:
There are several patches of corroding aluminium in window frames. It's occurring behind the rubber sealing the glass to the frame. It makes a white powdery dust and is pushing the rubber away from the aluminium. No leaks so far though.

What's the best treatment for this?
Click to expand...

I had some corrosion problem with the aluminium roof of my Citroën DS and was recommended to use POR-15 Metal Prep (http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-p...or15-paints/por15-prep-metal-ready-946ml.html) which lays down a zinc phosphate coating and is supposed to be good for aluminium. To be honest I don't know how reliable the claims are, but the roof is fine, ten years later and the corrosion never reappeared.
 
My aluminium framed windows had the glass wedged in with rubber seals and some powdery corrosion products. When I took the windows out the powder was all that was left and there was hole in the bottom of the frame. Water was entering the inside of the frame and running put the bottom through the hole. The end result was not only all the windows being refurbished professionally but most of the galley being replaced due to the subsequent fresh water damage to the wood over years. In my case it was not obvious just how bad the frames had corroded because they were hidden behind lining, so it may be worth investigating further just how bad the damage is.

This is the only photo that I can find and in this photo the holes at the top have been filled, but there were similar holes on the bottom.

8934170587_e43c088c57_h.jpg
 
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I'm doubly reassured to be offered 2 possible remedies. How to choose between them though?

The automotive product doesn't mention aluminium though Jumbleduck says he used it satisfactorily.

The aero product is costly and seems more complex to use. It leaves "an irridescent golden protective chromate coating" so it needs careful application so as not to show.

I'd be interested to hear other people's preference.

Derek
 
cpedw said:
The automotive product doesn't mention aluminium though Jumbleduck says he used it satisfactorily.
Click to expand...

Sorry - I mean to add a link to this, from the POR-15 website:

POR-15® Metal Prep provides the best adhesion for POR-15® Rust Preventive Coating on any metal surface, including aluminum and shiny polished metal surfaces. Our simple process gently etches metal, creating an ideal anchor pattern for coatings such as POR-15® Rust Preventive Coating, while simultaneously leaving a zinc phosphate coating to insure chemical bonding of paint and steel. ​
 
Update. I decided to try POR15 as it's cheaper. I found there's this [URL="http://www.frost.co.uk/black-por15-por-starter-kit.htmlsmall quantity kit[/URL] that has 3 parts - cleaner, primer and paint comparatively cheaply. i found it reasonably easy to apply. Only snag is the only colour available is black. I will let you know if it's successful.

Derek
 
I wonder why some boat windows corrode and others don't. I resealed one of the aluminium windows on my Mirror Offshore and although it was leaking because the rubber seal had perished, the frame was sound even after nearly 50 years.
 
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