I put my anodized parts in a naoh ("Drano") solution to get rid of the
existing anodizing and it looks as though now I'll need to desmut then as
they are a nice dark grey, not white at all. Will the stuff used for PCB
etchant (ferric chloride) work?

_ wrote:
I put my anodized parts in a naoh ("Drano") solution to get rid of the
existing anodizing ...

I don't if lye (NaOH) removes anodizing, but if you want lye, don't use
Drano! It is mostly lye, but has enough other stuff to make it
unsuitable for anything but cleaning drains.

Bob

According to _ :
I put my anodized parts in a naoh ("Drano") solution

You mean NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide)? Without the proper mix of
case, it is just puzzling (although the "Drano" did clear it up for me.)

to get rid of the
existing anodizing and it looks as though now I'll need to desmut then as
they are a nice dark grey, not white at all. Will the stuff used for PCB
etchant (ferric chloride) work?

I don't know. Try wiping them with a cotton swab first. Or
stirring the NaOH solution, if you have a magnetic stirrer. (You may
need a fresh batch, if what you have is contaminated with the dye from
the original anodizing.)

Good Luck,
DoN.

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_ wrote:
I put my anodized parts in a naoh ("Drano") solution to get rid of the
existing anodizing and it looks as though now I'll need to desmut then as
they are a nice dark grey, not white at all. Will the stuff used for PCB
etchant (ferric chloride) work?
AHHH! No, don't do that! I'm not sure whether it is pure
ferric chloride, or ferric chloride which has been used to etch
PC boards, and is loaded with copper chloride, but one or the
other has a VIOLENT exothermic reaction with aluminum, and can
turn into a foaming mess that spits sparks! I had an aluminum
funnel start down that path on me about 30 years ago.

Jon