Painting or Anodizing your radiator ...or not.

[Alloy Dave]

I have a question. If one wanted to paint the HE fins black rather than silver, would that adversely affect the performance by blocking heat transfer?

[Birdman]

I have a question. If one wanted to paint the HE fins black rather than silver, would that adversely affect the performance by blocking heat transfer?

probably make it even better ....

[Gr8snkbite]

I have a question. If one wanted to paint the HE fins black rather than silver, would that adversely affect the performance by blocking heat transfer?

as birdy said...

very doubtful...the stock one is painted black...

[68fastback]

I would think thin black anodizing an aluminum radiator would be the best.

Flat black is hands-down the best heat transfer color/texture but not clear to me if adding paint will help more than the added paint film thickness hurts when airflow is involved. If it was static/convective (no air speed), I'd bet on black paint over raw aluminum to shed heat faster, but with substantial airflow, I'm not so shure ...dunno.

I know old-style copper OEM radiators get a special high thermal conductivity paint, but no idea if something similar is available for aluminum.

That's why I was thinking an ultra-thin black-anodizing process would be ideal since it can be as thin as a few ten-thousandths of an inch -- much thinner than most paints, I think. As I recall anodizing is an electro-chemical process that actually changes the surface structure of the aluminum at a molecular level (hardens via a controlled oxidation??) which then permits it to be highly receptive to special anodizing dyes which make it very stable. I've heard of folks doing aluminum anodizing in their garage but have no idea exactly what's involved.

[68fastback]

Ooo, ooo, check out this dude (http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html)! ...looks like what he calls 'room-temp' is the way to go. He even wrote the book, packages the chemistry and special dyes -- even sells the charger thingy -lol !! :banana:
---

Dave, woodworking is so 1990 :hide: -- time for anodizing!! :banana:

:grin:

[68fastback]

Ok, some posts from SA's C&R HE install where Alloy Dave asked this question. I'll ask SA to pull those posts over here as he suggested...


Edit...DONE..

[Tommy Gun]

This thread really went far. :wtg:

[68fastback]

5 years ...nothing to see here Johnny :cop:...move along :rofl3:

[Tommy Gun]

Someone or a bot was looking at it. :look:

[Carnut]

Well, Im looking at now.

[The Bone]

fastest 5 minuets of my life wasted.

[Carnut]

It took you 5 minutes?

[Joe G]

It took you 5 minutes?
He's old and drives a red car... everything is slow for him.

[Tommy Gun]

Art, you can just bypass Indiana....

[Tommy Gun]

...and run over the squirrel.

[Carnut]

Watch it Dogbreath. :cop2:

[Tommy Gun]

:sneaking:

[The Bone]

Wonder who else I'm not going to visit on my trip. :lol: