Hi All,
whats the best / locost way to seal bare aluminium ?

I just want to seal it before it is exposed to the elements.....

Can of etch primer.....followed by a can of paint... followed by a can of laquer...


Or, drill the pannels.. bend them to fit etc... then remove them and have them all anodised

If your just talking about keeping bare alluminium in good condition, I have found that the Meguiars, (sp), metal polish does a fair job, and last quite some time. Do mine twice a year, and it keeps nice and shiney. HTH Ray

I also use the Meguires polish - easier to use than most ali polishes (easier to clean off after polishing) and it keeps its shine for quite a while.

It takes about 1 hour of my time, twice a year.

As for the shine - ask Rusty Nuts - he complained after following me, as the sun was reflecting into his eyes!

The two previous posters have probably got the best answer. However I used a clear spray laquer from Halfords recently on my side panels and silencer and that seemed to work quite well. I wasn't so bothered about the surface finish just something to stop the white corrosion appearing.

Would car wax work.

Another (possibly dumb) idea, how about trying Danish oil (as used on kitchen worktops

It would be interesting to try a few coatings on some scraps then leave them out for a while

Danish oil soaks into wood then dries leaving a varnish like substance in the surface layer of the wood. On metal, it would form a brittle film that would peel off.

Ive used Maguires all metal polysh on what few ali bits i have and it works well. About £7 for a smallish pot (that seems to go a long way) in Halfords.

Worth a try at that price.

Meguires for me as well although it only takes me 10 minutes a side using a power polisher.