knee levers & floor pedals

[B.Jenkins]

Can anyone tell me how to remove the Black paint from the knee levers and floor pedals and refinish them to a bright polish look?
I have a beautiful Mullen Universal 12, and I would like to have them with they polished look..
Thanks
Billy

[Calvin Walley]

i might be wrong but i don't think they are painted black
i think its some kinda composite materail Mullen uses

[Paul Foster]

They are powder coated and the only thing that I know that will remove it is aircraft stripper, that works very well, you might check and see what the pedals are made of, you might not be able to polish them even after you get the powder-coat removed, good luck

[Bill Stroud]

Billy this is where the nickol chrome like they put on motor cycles come in, it will cover those items, but DO NOT USE THE INDUSTRIAL Hard Chrome like on my bars it don't cover up anything it shows through the chrome and shows every flaw, it will not cover anything.
So call a regular chrome shop and try out one part and see how it comes out. It may be worth a try, save a lot of hard work that may not work anyways if try and sand the anodized black off.
Just a thought.
Bill

[B.Jenkins]

Thank's all of you for your info.
Look's like I would be better off, just trade these in and pay the difference and get the one's that are already polished..
Thanks
Billy

[Erv Niehaus]

I think a lot of aluminum is "anodized".
That must be the way GFI treats their aluminum.
How does someone go about removing that finish?

[Ronnie Boettcher]

I always try and do things myself, but not on this subject. I would call Mullen, and find out what the chromed knees, and polished aluminum pedals cost. I know it's just a personal thing, but that is a sweet looking guitar the way it is. I have no idea if there are any after market levers, or pedals, out there somewhere. Just my opinion.

[Richard Sinkler]

Erv,

I used to work for a metal finishing company. Anodizing can be stripped off by the anodizer (I forget what the chemical makeup of the stripper is. Of course a human stripper is probably around 90% water. You can also sand blast or sand it off, but sanding will take a lot of elbow grease.

I have no idea what the base metal is that mullen uses, but I will assume it is aluminum. Taking your levers and pedals to a metal finishing company to be stripped and polished will be expensive. Probably more than outright buying chrome or polished (not sure what they offer) items from Mullen. If the levers and pedals are steel, you will have to add some sort of protection to keep them from rusting. The most basic is oiling them, which for obvious reasons should not be an option. Then you have the option of painting or preferrably plating them. With all the labor involved in doing this (mirror chrome plating requires an initial mirror finish by polishing the raw metal, plating with copper, polishing the copper to a mirror finish, plating with nickel, polishing the nickel to a mirror finish, then plating with chrome with a light touch-up polish.

Then, if the pedals are aluminum castings (levers are probably made from bar stock or an extrusion), chances are that stripping and polishing is going to leave you with pits that are present in castings.

So to make a long story short, call Mullen and buy new ones.

As an example, In the early 80's, I owned a Kline guitar. They had black painted pedals. I took them off and took them to work. I sand/bead blasted the paint off and gave them a satin finish, then had a plater friend chrome plate them. At that time, I probably would have quoted someone off the street $250 to $300 for the job. Polishing the pedals to a mirror finish would have probably doubled that price because of the additional labor. Of course, it didn't cost me a penny.

[Jack Dougherty]

"WHY?"

[Pat Comeau]

lacquer tinner the real stuff...it'll remove anything that has paint , i used it to remove powder black coat on some endplates i soaked them for a couple of hours and it came right off.

[Calvin Walley]

i still don't think the pedals are painted ,
i looked at mine real close and i think its a composite something

[B.Jenkins]

Thanks again fellow's, I sent an email to Mullen, and I will just trade these end and pay the deifference and get the polished one's..
Thanks
Billy

[Rick Winfield]

I think it was brake fluid, that "melted" a spot off the powder coat on my Harleyjavascript:emoticon(':x')
Rick

[Erv Niehaus]

Emmons went with some black parts also.
I have an Emmons p/p that has black fingers in the changer and also some black pedals.
I know for sure they aren't painted, looks like anodizing.

[John LeMaster]

Billy,

That is one gorgeous steel guitar! I have a feeling it sounds just as good as it looks, too.

John L.

[John Bresler]

Billy:

Herby Wallace model steels are all polished pedals and levers. Don't know if he carries parts, but it might be a possibility. Just a thought, but I also agree that that is a great looking Mullen pedal steel and it looks good just the way it is.

[Bill Ford]

I think a lot of aluminum is "anodized".
That must be the way GFI treats their aluminum.
How does someone go about removing that finish?

If you are going to polish it anyway,You can probably buff it off with a coarse compound.anodizing is a surface coloring, or beadblast if a matte finish is desired.

Bill

[B.Jenkins]

I don't think I'll try doing anything myself, If I do anything at all, Mike said he would fix me up at Mullen,
Thanks for all of your comments..
Billy

[Dave Horch]

I wouldn't change a thing!

But if you must, you're taking the best and fastest route; ordering new ones from Mullen. Show us the "after" picture!

[B.Jenkins]

If and when I do swap them out ,I'll post it on here so you all can see it.
It was shipped this morning , I should have it this coming Thursday, I can't wait to play it.
Billy

[Bo Legg]

Personally I think they look great. Your pedal steel has that Stealthy I'm a Stud look. Why would you want change it to look like ice cycles hanging from the under carriage.

[Richard Sinkler]

anodizing is a surface coloring

Not entirly true. Anodizing is acomplished by running electricity through the part and actually oxidizing the surface. In Plating, the current flows from the rectifier (source of current)through the baskets of metal plugs or solution (like nickel or chrome) and through the liquid in the tank carrying the metal particles to the part and plating it (remember High School Physical Science class?). Anodizing is essentially the opposite. The current first passes through the part and then through the liquid in the tank to a conductor on the edge of the tank. This causes the aluminum surface to oxidize and actually creates little pores on the surface. To get the color, you place the parts in a dye tank where the dye enters the pores, and then a sealer that seals the pores.

So much for Plating / Anodizing 101. Buy new parts from Mullen.

Edited to add: Yes you can blast (Sand or bead) the anodizing off or polish it using a course buffing compound first. Anodizing actually makes the surface harder and more resistant to scratching. The trick is to sand through that outer coating to get at the base metal. Then polish away.

[Charlie Shifflett]

Its what Bill Ford Said Right thats what I used
Thanks Bill from here Charlie