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Caring for Aluminium Headphone Parts

post #1 of 11
10/10/11 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 

Hi there! I'm in the early stages of putting some new life into a second hand pair of Grado SR325is and after great success taking the cups apart and de-badging the mesh I'm now stuck a bit. The aluminium is quite grubby (see below) so I gave it a good polishing with my Dremel but the marks are still present and as minor as they are I'd really like these babies to be sparkling. 

 

I have read online about using white vinegar and very hot water to clean aluminium but have also heard that many people have damaged Grados by using various classic cleaning methods. So I'm wondering if anyone has any techniques or advice on how to restore these to their former glory?

 

 Marked Grado Cups

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post #2 of 11
10/10/11 at 9:31pm

Find some Flitz polish, apply lightly on a soft cloth, if you don't want to risk getting it on the grill wet let it dry then use it.

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post #3 of 11
10/11/11 at 1:29am
If you want them polished out, find a commercial polishing shop. They're in most cities - look around for places that do chrome and metalwork. Most will have some hardcore polishin wheels and will turn them out like mirrors.

If you want to DIY, find a place that sells automotive paint and sandpaper. Work them through with 2000+ grit sandpaper with water - look up wetsanding. No worries, this is also how you buff out defects in a paintjob. I've made aluminum look beautiful by wetsanding with fine grits and then polishing out with Brasso. Not quite as nice as a commercial buffing, but very nice.

You might also want to consider a clear powdercoat if you have them buffed. That'll keep away oxidation and fingerprints while keeping the mirror polish. Powdercoating isn't that expensive, either.
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post #4 of 11
10/12/11 at 3:28am
Thread Starter 

Hmmm I'd preferable like to stick with DIY as I want to learn as much as possible. Like I said I did try polishing to no avail. I think the wet sanding may be an idea as long as it does no irreparable damage. I'm really trying to restore these rather than fully mod, however that clear coat idea is an awesome idea so thanks for that. 

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post #5 of 11
10/12/11 at 11:13pm

When i decided to take up watchmaking in January, one of my first purchases was, at long last, a cheap consumer grade ultrasonic bath. Followed shortly thereafter by a similarly cheap well used laboratory grade ultrasonic bath. 

 

I have to say that cavitation is about the best way to clean intricate metal work i have yet come across. you can buy special for-ultrasonic-cleaners detergents but Dawn dish detergent is 99% the same stuff. 

 

if they are just dirty, and if you do this sort of thing a lot, an ultrasonic machine makes life a lot easier. Won't do anything for oxidization, unless you use chemicals that might also strip the paint. 

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post #6 of 11
10/13/11 at 12:33am
You can do the wetsanding. And you might be surprised at how fine the automotive grits are. To the touch, they're almost like a heavy paper. Lubricate with water and they don't remove much material at all. Get a small piece of hobby aluminum at Home Depot for a couple dollars and practice polishing it. You'll be able to make it like a mirror.

As for the commercial buffing, I kinda think it's best left to pros. I like DIY, too, but they have a series of big buffing wheels and the right polishing compounds. First, it's expensive. Second, it's dirty. Compound will fly around and get deeply into your hands. Then the wheels will throw pieces across the room if you don't have a steady grip. frown.gif I'd rather let someone with experience do it.
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post #7 of 11
10/13/11 at 5:45pm

We have a metal polish here called Solvol Autosol, it's a paste in a tube, mildly abrasive. At work we used 'Brasso' to polish surface scratches out of perspex. Both of these cut even slower than wet-and-dry paper. You could try working them with a mop on a Dremel-style drill or even a full size electric drill.

 

I'd just leave them alone though. There's always the possibility of making them worse, and there's no shame in some honestly-earned battle scars or 'patination' as the antiques guys call it.

 

w 

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post #8 of 11
10/14/11 at 5:06am
Thread Starter 

Wow can't believe how many different methods there are! For this project I will be using all silver metal components in the cable so I'd really loves for the cups to match this high shine finish. I think I will attempt some light wet sanding and further polishing. Now it's time to start another thread about the pins that hold the cups to the gimbels :D Thanks all so much for the help!

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post #9 of 11
10/20/11 at 3:41am
Thread Starter 

Right then...found my own technique to this and the result are crazy. Only managed a small section so far but I think you can imagine how nice these will look once it's done all over. 

 

Shiny shiny!


Edited by weeksy79 - 10/21/11 at 6:43am
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post #10 of 11
10/21/11 at 7:11pm

Wow! what did you do to get them sparkling?

 

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post #11 of 11
10/23/11 at 7:52am
Thread Starter 

Well besides from that masses of elbow grease, first I progressed through 240 - 600 - 1200 - 2500 sandpaper strips which I had soaked in hot water and washing up liquid for 10 minutes. Then used bathroom cream cleaner to get most of the dirt out from the sanding. Finishing off with Brasso wadding and a clean rag as that pulled out even more dirt. Took 3 days just to do one cup but here is the end result. 

 

Shiny shiny!

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