Interesting... I won't pretend to have a working knowledge of what marks up what, but I will test the 6061 I used with my thumb nail in my best impression of Wolverine I can muster and report back.
GC4 Restoration, NOS Piano black rails!
- Thread starter trentfromtoledo
- Start date
I think the castings are an aluminum pot metal cocktail. Who knows what spec aluminum was used and what percentage of the mixture is aluminum. They could very well be all aluminum, who knows. The factory polished then clear anodized to protect the aluminum. It's a durable finish but starts to show wear over the years. I was told by the company that polished and anodized the rail trim (extruded aluminum) from my GCI, vintage aluminum castings are a crap shoot to polish and anodize. He said there is a likelihood the anodized finish could rainbow due to the characteristics of the casting and he could not guarantee the results. I wasn't willing to take the $900 gamble. Cast aluminum can be nickel plated (electroplated) or chrome plated. I personally didn't go with this option due to cost and the sheen would have been much brighter than original. Plating costs in CA have gotten out of hand. The perfect choice for me was Almost Chrome powder coating. IMO, it is the correct sheen and it's very durable if applied correctly. The adjustable feet on my table are not aluminum. They are a steel pot metal that was nickel plated. I have every reason to believe they are the original feet. Due to the cost of re-plating, I opted for the Almost Chrome powder for cohesiveness and reasons mentioned above.
I doubt your thumb nail will make a mark but if you have any callouses they will mar up aluminum if you rub it a little, especially if it is not a brushed finish.
I know that my table was original, at least as original as it came from the local Brunswick dealer and I'm pretty sure that my adjustable feet were aluminum. At least they polished up like they were aluminum. I guess I will have to see if a magnet sticks. One would think if they were successfully anodized once that you would be able to do it a second time without issue.
I did aggressively rub my nail into the 6061 brackets I've been making. It currently sits at a 'heavy brushed' finish. 320g I think I hit it with last. Zero signs of abrasion from my nail. Base on it's current condition (the aluminum) I'd be floored if it made any note worthy marks.
I'm honestly on the fence on whether I'll polish the pieces up or not. Not concerned about the effort or any possibility of eventually developing marks from whatever. Just many things on the list, and it's closer to the bottom then the top.
I have had body shops spray aluminum in clear coat to protect them from dirt and corrosion, it works very well. You might want to consider doing something like that then you don't have worry about the finish changing. The feel of brushed alumnum gives me "the willies".
When the time comes I will be finishing the wood components with water based poly. I'd imagine that would peel off the aluminum.
Like most things with GCI's the feet material probably changed during production. My friend and I bought the tables from the same place. His was an earlier version with figure 8 nut plates and the long cleats on the aprons. His did have adjustable aluminum feet. My table is a later version with floating nut plates and shorts cleats on the aprons. My feet are cast steel. I'm almost certain they are original to the table. I can't see the reason for changing them as the table was only recovered a couple times in its life.
I would assume so but water based paint is getting to be a thing in the automotive world, not sure how many shops use it though. The 2 part clear coats have proven to be durable under high heat and against oil and fuel. Its so nice to be able to just wipe off any oil off of driveline parts without leaving stains behind.
