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Brake master Cylinder painting

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Oddjob:
That was the point though Nigel, if what my source claims is true and Jap alloy cannot be anodised without melting how did they anodise them in the first place? Or is it a finish that resembles anodising but is in fact some sort of dye or paint or even passivacation?

As far as I understand it anodising is a sort of dying of the surface which alters the molecular structure of the top surface layers. From what I’ve seen is quite resistant to fading, which certainly isn’t the case with these parts.

Johnny4428:
Nice finish on that clutch master cylinder!

K2-K6:
It may be a generalisation of "Jap" alloy to put all of the bike's components into one category, there's difference in components from what I've seen.

Anodised finish is dye incorporated to give the colours available, many of those dye are not infinitely stable once applied. Long lasting, but not perfect by most means.

Anodising is itself controlled corrosion of metal and primarily just the surface, dyes added to give effect we see.

Genuinely good overview available on the wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing to give better picture of how it's done.

Oddjob:
Nigel, go and talk to any firm who does anodising, usually the first question they ask is "What grade of alloy is the part made of" As soon as you mention it's off a Japanese motorcycle they immediately say it can't be done, I've personally spoke to 4 of the firms around me, the only one I could get to do any for me was when I said the part was made in the UK and was billet alloy and such and such a grade, then they said they'd do it. It appears to be the same story everywhere, no one will touch engine casings, fork sliders, yokes or anything else that's made of Japanese alloy, common phase used is that there is so many other parts added to the mix it wouldn't surprise me if the Toyko Express was in there as well. If that's the story here how did firms like Honda get there parts done? the process hasn't changed since the 70s. Parts that Honda buy in these days are sometimes anodised but I'm betting those parts are made of pure alloy (when I say alloy I of course mean Aluminium but just can't be bothered to spell it), stuff like wheel rims off the Africa Twin appear to be anodised but as we know Honda don't make those parts, they just buy them in.

I'm wondering, would it be possible to dust the mould of a part with paint dye, then pour the alloy in and thus dye the surface of the part? Just speculating.

I'm not saying the parts can't be anodised, I'm confused on how they can be if what I'm hearing is correct.

taysidedragon:
Nigel is right when he says you can't generalise about Japanese alloys. They vary a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer.  What Honda use is different to what Suzuki or Yamaha use, unless the parts are bought in from suppliers like DID, for example. The quality of alloy is going to vary greatly and the only way to tell what you have got in an old part is to test the alloy, which is not worth the cost just to get a part anodised. The other way is to go ahead and anodise it and hope for a good result. Not an option if the anodisers won't even try it.

In my experience Honda parts are better quality and last better than most other Japanese manufacturers,  so the alloy quality is probably better. Tin hat on now, incoming from YamaKawaSuki fans!

Also the term Alloy refers to a mixture of metals, any metals. Stainless steel, chrome vanadium steel, brass, etc. are all alloys, not just aluminium.

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