Scratches on top of faceplate(pics)

[dzkfraser]

The attached pics are the top of a face plate off a Pioneer
SX-780, I just got, As you can see there are some pretty
good(and deep) scartches. Been poking around on the interent
to see what the best method would be to fix these. I found a
video where a guy was sanding scratches off a piece of aluminum -
looked like a faceplate for something. He set up a jig with a fence
to hold the piece and used a sanding block of various grits against
the fence to keep the sanding markks parallel. He followed with some
Scotch Brite. Came out pretty good. Unless someone has a better idea,
I'm thinking of going this route as I can't think of any other way
to remove them. Will all be done by hand. I don't think I can make
it any worse than it already is.

 

[onwardjames]

Isn't that metal anodized? I'm no chemist, but I'm sure others will advise. Good luck.

 

[ConradH]

That's certainly anodized, so if you sand, it will dull rapidly. You might have to sand frighteningly deep to remove them, and that's not a hand process. If you do, maybe buff it with Semichrome or Mother's Mag Wheel Polish. You could also paint it with a satin black all around that surface.

 

[dzkfraser]

That's certainly anodized, so if you sand, it will dull rapidly. You might have to sand frighteningly deep to remove them, and that's not a hand process. If you do, maybe buff it with Semichrome or Mother's Mag Wheel Polish. You could also paint it with a satin black all around that surface.

I know, they are pretty deep, the metal is thick enough that I can get them out, just know it will be a pain, Thinking I might just fill the scratches with auto glazing putty, sand smooth and paint(silver), did that on a turntable and came out nice. Have to use etching primer though, wouldn't want the paint to peel off.

 

[soundmotor]

Yes to both post #3 & #4.

I've sanded anodized aluminum scratched like that and made it look nearly new. As mentioned above, aluminum oxidizes when raw. You must coat it quickly with lacquer in order to stop that. The second point is that when you sand it must be exactly linear. If you move the paper even slightly to the side it will leave zig-zag scratches and you have to start again. You also need to do it with a hard sanding block like a piece of acrylic and glue the paper to it. It's tedious and lengthy.

So, I've done the above and don't do it anymore. It takes too long and as a borderline OCD I am nearly always on the cusp of a failed result. I use paint now and forget about preserving the mill aluminum finish. Use a high metal solid paint after 3M spot puttying the scratches then sanding them smooth. There are more rattle can silvers than I can name but I used a Krylon Bright Silver or something similar. It came out fine. Black is a good suggestion too with the same prep.