# stripping yoyos help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance\ **Created:** [September 4, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218 "2014-09-04T20:41:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/moise/32/955_2.png) [@Moise](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Moise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/1 "2014-09-04T20:41:14Z")
I love the look of a raw aluminum yoyo. I want to get one of my 888x’s completey raw. what would I need to do to get rid of the anodization? OTHER THAN sanding it off. IF I use chemicals to strip it, will the metal oxidize and turn ugly? please somebody help me with this. P.S. I also have access to a lathe and polishing equiptment. ---
**Author:** ![jhb8426](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/jhb8426/32/631_2.png) [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/2 "2014-09-04T21:38:36Z")
Chuck it in the lathe and use successively finer grits of sand paper. Finish off w/very fine (1000 grit) wet/dry paper wet and then polish. Probably start wit 150 or 200 grit, work up to 300, 600 wet/dry paper) ---
**Author:** ![mullicabob](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/mullicabob/32/1108_2.png) [@mullicabob](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/mullicabob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/3 "2014-09-04T21:50:33Z")
> [@Moise](#): > > I love the look of a raw aluminum yoyo. I want to get one of my 888x’s completey raw. what would I need to do to get rid of the anodization? OTHER THAN sanding it off. IF I use chemicals to strip it, will the metal oxidize and turn ugly? please somebody help me with this. > > P.S. I also have access to a lathe and polishing equiptment. Have it bead blasted. ---
**Author:** ![Moise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/moise/32/955_2.png) [@Moise](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Moise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/4 "2014-09-04T22:04:58Z")
> [@jhb8426](#): > > Chuck it in the lathe and use successively finer grits of sand paper. Finish off w/very fine (1000 grit) wet/dry paper wet and then polish. Probably start wit 150 or 200 grit, work up to 300, 600 wet/dry paper) I said other than sanding it. any idea how dipping it in some mineral spirits would work? would it do anything? ---
**Author:** ![jhb8426](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/jhb8426/32/631_2.png) [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/5 "2014-09-04T23:13:57Z")
I mentioned sanding because that is the easiest way, especially if you have a lathe. Don’t like my advice, fine, ignore it. Others may find it useful. Dipping in mineral spirits is useless - it’s not a painted surface. Other than stripping with harsh chemicals, sanding it off is the easiest unless you have immediate access to a bead blaster, which it seems you don’t. If chemicals are used you still need to refinish w/sand paper/polish or bead blast/polish. ---
**Author:** ![mullicabob](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/mullicabob/32/1108_2.png) [@mullicabob](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/mullicabob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/6 "2014-09-04T23:50:37Z")
One thing I’m curious about on the op’s original post. If you have access to a lathe I assume you know how to use it? If you do know, why do you need to ask about ways to strip? One would think with the mechanical aptitude to utilize a lathe you wouldn’t need to ask about stripping. ---
**Author:** ![Moise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/moise/32/955_2.png) [@Moise](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Moise)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/7 "2014-09-05T01:06:01Z")
> [@mullicabob](#): > > One thing I’m curious about on the op’s original post. > > If you have access to a lathe I assume you know how to use it? If you do know, why do you need to ask about ways to strip? > > One would think with the mechanical aptitude to utilize a lathe you wouldn’t need to ask about stripping. I’m 16, It’s my dad’s. Also, what would owning a lathe have to do with knowing how to CHEMICALLY de-anodize a yoyo? I didn’t want to use the lathe to sand the yoyo, because the small grooves are difficult to sand. ---
**Author:** ![Moise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/moise/32/955_2.png) [@Moise](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Moise)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/8 "2014-09-05T01:14:13Z")
> [@jhb8426](#): > > I mentioned sanding because that is the easiest way, especially if you have a lathe. Don’t like my advice, fine, ignore it. Others may find it useful. > > Dipping in mineral spirits is useless - it’s not a painted surface. Other than stripping with harsh chemicals, sanding it off is the easiest unless you have immediate access to a bead blaster, which it seems you don’t. If chemicals are used you still need to refinish w/sand paper/polish or bead blast/polish. It’s not that I don’t like your advice, I’ve sanded yoyos before the way you’ve mentioned, it’s just I was curious about using chemicals to strip the ano. Thanks for the note on mineral spirits, I used oven cleaner to strip the ano, then polished lightly. It left me with a semi-shiny surface, not quite mirrored, but shiny. Grinds as well if not better than other yyf bead-blasted finishes. ---
**Author:** ![jhb8426](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/jhb8426/32/631_2.png) [@jhb8426](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/jhb8426)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/stripping-yoyos-help/69218/9 "2014-09-05T02:12:27Z")
Glad it worked for you.