Sharkhide on Aluminum Bumpers: Any Firsthand Experience?

[Stinkbug]

Here is the deal…

I have aluminum slider bases, skids, and corner armor on my TJ. It has been in there for several years and I am happy with the way it has weathered. However, it is not a daily driver and spends the vast majority of it time in my SoCal garage except when it is hauled out on a sunny day or out to the desert for some wheeling.

I recently purchased a new JL that is my daily driver that will be wheeled regularly on mild trails. It gets washed at the local car wash every week or two. It will see rain and occasional snow in my travels. I have a set of aluminum bumpers inbound and I am considering leaving them raw or coating with something clear. I don’t think I want to deal with clear coat that might scratch, peel or yellow.

I like the look of raw aluminum on a red Jeep and am curious about using Sharkhide in this situation. I understand it’s used regularly on pontoon boats and other marine equipment but my Jeep is not a boat. I have read many posts where someone chimes in with “Just hit it with some Sharkhide” or something to that effect with no reference to their actual use of the product or long term satisfaction.

So, if anyone has first hand experience with it, I would appreciate hearing about your preparation process, application, maintenance (if any) and long term results. Any before after pictures would be great as well.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Aviatortroy]

Sharkhide

I’ve never heard of that product but after a google search I still don’t really understand what it is. A coating?

I’d personality always be inclined to use an aerospace approved corrosion inhibitor like ACF50 or corrosion X. I use ACF50 on my jeep, motorcycles, tools, and it creeps and has great longevity. For example I’ll wash a bike then very sparingly mist some in areas I want to protect. Even better is if you spread it around afterwards with a compressed air gun. That stuff will creep out of every crack or crevice for years.

 

[Rubeyu]

I recently purchased this jeep from a buddy to use at my summer house in the PNW. It has GR Aluminun bumpers and fenders. Unfornatully he powder coated then a textured black which quickly oxidized. I had them chemically stripped hoping to go back to raw.
They came back bare but not the same finish you get with new. I also like the raw look so I decided to have them redone with a Silver powder. I believe the powder will hold up better being an outside jeep.

 

[txbemis69]

I recently purchased this jeep from a buddy to use at my summer house in the PNW. It has GR Aluminun bumpers and fenders. Unfornatully he powder coated then a textured black which quickly oxidized. I had them chemically stripped hoping to go back to raw.
They came back bare but not the same finish you get with new. I also like the raw look so I decided to have them redone with a Silver powder. I believe the powder will hold up better being an outside jeep.

View attachment 437093

View attachment 437094

that bumper looks good.

 

[Stinkbug]

I had a change of heart and going one of two routes:

(1) I am going to paint the bumpers. I am leaning towards using the semi-flat Krylon Tough Enamel I use on other Jeep parts for easy touch-up.

My thought is to follow this process:

• Sandblast the bumpers to get a little texture on the bumper to help paint adhesion and remove any contaminants that might have been introduced during the fabrication process
• Apply a qualoty rattle can primer if there is such a thing
• Spray a few coats of Krylon Semi-Flat Rust Tough Enamel

I have never sprayed bare aluminum. Any thoughts on the above process or recommendations on a good rattle can primer for aluminum are appreciated.

OR

(2) Go the powder coat route and stick with an aluminum color like the post above. For those that have done it, is sandblasting necessary / suggested prior to powder coating fresh aluminum?

 

[HornedToad]

My Aluminum bumpers are painted but I have applied sharkhide to my savvy slider backers, under armor, and gas tank skid. They all still look as bright as the day I installed them (if you look past all the rock gashes).
This picture shows how my 2 years in the sun slider backers look:

 

[JMT]

Here’s my paint process for Aluminum. You don’t need to sandblast aluminum to create enough bite for the paint or to remove contaminants.

Sand at 120, 220, then 400

Self etch prime with a good quality 1K Self Etch.

Check with your local Auto Paint Supply store. They’ll have everything you need. Also ask them as many questions as you can think of. You’ll learn a lot fast.

The extensive HVLP prep and paint process is attached in a Microsoft Excel file.

Here’s a few pics of what my aluminum corner armor and tailgate armor looked like after I followed the attached procedure. Any aluminum you see in the pics was left raw.

 

[WestCoastDan]

Previous company used extruded 6061 aluminum as the base for their products. Finishes were typically PC, but also some anodization.
While anodized finishes never seem to retain much of their color when exposed to UV over time, there is a clear anodized finish that holds up well.
We also used a clear PC for some applications which may yield the look you are going for.
Personally, I would pick a silver PC and be done with it, or paint them with the textured black rust-oleum spray can so they can be touched up when necessary.

 

[JMT]

I had a change of heart and going one of two routes:

(1) I am going to paint the bumpers. I am leaning towards using the semi-flat Krylon Tough Enamel I use on other Jeep parts for easy touch-up.

My thought is to follow this process:

• Sandblast the bumpers to get a little texture on the bumper to help paint adhesion and remove any contaminants that might have been introduced during the fabrication process
• Apply a qualoty rattle can primer if there is such a thing
• Spray a few coats of Krylon Semi-Flat Rust Tough Enamel

I have never sprayed bare aluminum. Any thoughts on the above process or recommendations on a good rattle can primer for aluminum are appreciated.

OR

(2) Go the powder coat route and stick with an aluminum color like the post above. For those that have done it, is sandblasting necessary / suggested prior to powder coating fresh aluminum?

I wanted to add that I fear sandblasting aluminum will remove too much material too quickly.

 

[WestCoastDan]

That can be controlled by using media other than sand or glass beads.
Baking soda, walnut, or garnet are options that come to mind.