Safe method for stripping anodizing off shocks

[Saito2]

Title pretty much sums it up. I want to remove the red anodizing from one of my rerelease Optimas without damaging the shock bodies. What's the safest method? Thanks!

[Superluminal]

@matisse did this recently to remove the blue on the df03 dampers

Its some sort of oven cleaner. Ive never cleaned my oven so cant say what this stuff is

[svenb]

I use Oven Pride oven cleaner don't know what it's called elsewhere.

Usually soak the parts in it for a few minutes at a time until the anodising has just come off then rinse with cold water, then polish.

With dampers especially those with a low friction coating on the inside I'd paint the cleaner on so it doesn't strip the coating from the inside, wear gloves! It burns.

[LongRat]

Anything with sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) in it, like many oven cleaners, will do it.  Keep it in for just long enough to remove the colouring, it will continue to etch the aluminium if you don't.

[matisse]

11 hours ago, Superluminal said:

@matisse did this recently to remove the blue on the df03 dampers

Its some sort of oven cleaner. Ive never cleaned my oven so cant say what this stuff is

Used a drain cleaner, sodium hydroxide was the main ingredient. 
 

tried it on some parts of an old associated car, some of the blue did not come off, so it won’t always work it seems. (At that strength of drain cleaner anyway)

[67CamaroSS]

Eazy Off Oven Cleaner, in the yellow can, works in minutes.