Painting stock Tamiya semi chassis rails?

[LAV25]

Got a stock Tamiya semi chassis to paint, made of black anodized (I think?) aluminum c-channel that is going to need painting soon. It'll be a matte finish, so it doesn't need to be gorgeous, but how should I prep it? Just soap and water and start painting, steel wool and metal primer, or something else? I don't have an airbrush, so I'll be using Tamiya rattlecan paint and matte clearcoat to finish it off.

Thanks!

[captain scale]

Definitely rough them up so the paint adheres well. Maybe you can wipe them down with alcohol or M.E.K. (methyl ethyl keytone) to remove any dust or oil from handling. I think enamel is good for use on metal surfaces, just takes longer to dry. I prefer lacquer because it dries fast and seems to lay nice and flat and doesn't run. If you can find some kind of black anodized looking paint would be great for frame rails! I found this: http://www.duplicolor.com/products/shadow/
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalCast/
http://www.duplicolor.com/projects/project/metalcast/
Maybe use some scotch-brite like in the video!
http://www.duplicolor.com/pdfs/tips.pdf

http://www.testors.com/products/136244
http://www.testors.com/products/136583
http://www.testors.com/products/136235

[LAV25]

Thanks for the tips Captain. It's a military build, so it'll either be going Tamiya Dark Yellow (which is pretty close to current desert tan) or olive drab. Won't show too much, but I do want it all to blend in.

[MrMunster]

If you are painting aluminium you need to use ACID ETCH PRIMER, it's a must if you want the paint to stay on!

Ususal prep is needed too just use acid etch primer before your colour, easily bought from auto shops which sell paint. As the name suggests it has some acid in it, this just eats into the surface of non-ferous metals which otherwise is sort of "oily".

[LAV25]

Thanks for the tip. Does it matter that the rails are already black anodized? I know that it's tough to get paint to stick to aluminum, but what about the anodization? It doesn't have that slick feel that bare aluminum does.

[X-CUTIONER]

when my dad and i prep automotive parts for paint we use scotch bright pads and comet
the pads scuff the surface and comet cleans it
you can get everything done in one shot and after your done dry it off and hit it with acid etch primer and whatever colors you want to use

if you want to ge the anodized coating off i have heard that oven cleaner and brakefluid will get it off
when i stripped my t-maxx frame and shocks i used the sandblaster from work

after you get the anodized coating off you still need to scuff and clean everything

[MrMunster]

I've burnt the colour off with a propane torch before, but not sure if it removes the coating compley. If you scotch bright it and clean it properly before the acid etch primer it should be fine though.